Over 21 seasons, Grey's Anatomy has had a number of high-profile guest stars and main cast members, such as Sarah Paulson, Christina Ricci and Jesse Plemons. But there have also been big stars behind the camera. In fact, one of the most powerful episodes of the series was directed by actor Denzel Washington, but there was some tension on set between him and lead star Ellen Pompeo.
Washington directed Grey's Anatomy Season 12, Episode 9, "The Sound of Silence," which aired in 2016. The episode focuses on Meredith Grey after she gets viciously attacked by a patient, leaving horrible injuries, including temporary hearing loss and inability to speak. The doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital help her recover both mentally and physically, all while Amelia and Meredith both try to forgive people in their lives. By 2016, Washington had already directed a few feature films, and the Grey's Anatomy episode would be his television directorial debut. Ultimately, that appeared to be the source of the conflict between Washington and Pompeo.
Ellen Pompeo and Denzel Washington Had It Out on Set
Pompeo and Washington Disagreed Over Improvised Lines
Naturally, 21 seasons of any television show is going to run into on-set conflicts at some point. Grey's Anatomy has had its fair share of rumored feuds, unwanted firings, and even one bizarre case of a writer faking a cancer diagnosis while working on the show. While the conflict between Washington and Pompeo sounds like a dramatic fabrication to draw attention, it actually came straight from one of the sources: Pompeo. The actor talked about the altercation between her and Washington with her former costar Patrick Dempsey on an episode of her podcast Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo, which formed after Washington disapproved of Pompeo improvising an emotional scene:
"Denzel went ham on my ass. He was like, 'I'm the director. Don't you tell him what to do.' And I was like, 'Listen, motherf‑‑‑er, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling? You barely know where the bathroom is.' And I have the utmost respect for him as an actor, as a director, as everything, but we went at it one day." — Ellen Pompeo via Entertainment Weekly
Pompeo later shared with Washington's wife, who convinced him to direct an episode because she was a fan, that she and Washington had a conflict on set. Washington was actually enlisted by Debbie Allen to keep Pompeo onboard, since Patrick Dempsey had just departed and there was worry Pompeo would follow suit. Pompeo did address that although things got heated, that's typically how it is with actors: "That's actors for you—passionate and fiery—and that's where you get the magic, and that's where you get the good stuff." While there was temporary bad blood, Pompeo praised the experience and Washington's energy that makes him "super charismatic." Funny enough, when Washington was asked about the incident, he claimed to not recall that day, but said, "It's all good."
What Was the Scene Washington and Pompeo Disagreed Over?
The Director and Actor Had Different Opinions About Meredith's Closure From the Incident
What was the scene that got Washington and Pompeo's blood boiling? Although there were some intense scenes involving an epileptic patient, Lou, violently attacking Meredith, it was Lou's apology scene that put the director and actor at odds. Up until that scene, Meredith had spent quite some time in the hospital recovering from her injuries. Since she lost her hearing and broke her jaw, she had a difficult time communicating with people and couldn't see her children. When she finally gets to see her kids, they break down in fear of her condition, triggering a panic attack in Meredith.
After refusing his initial apology, Meredith eventually meets up with Lou and his family so they can both have closure. Apparently, the actor who played Lou, Dohn Norwood, chose to speak in a soft tone during his apology — likely a creative choice to show his shame, since he was suffering from post-seizure hyper-aggression when he attacked Meredith. Pompeo went further with the creative freedom, yelling at Lou: "Look at me when you apologize! Look at me!"
The lines weren't originally in the dialogue, which precipitated the confrontation between Washington and Pompeo. In the end, the improvised lines didn't make the cut. When Meredith accepts Lou's apology in the episode, her mouth is still wired shut and is unable to speak. Even if the result came from a nasty back-and-forth, it was all worth it to produce a fantastic episode of television.
Grey's Anatomy is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu.