Ellen Pompeo Defends Patrick Dempsey Being Killed Off Of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Actress Ellen Pompeo, who played Derek Shepherd’s other half for eleven years, has been very vocal about her excitement for Meredith’s continued journey in the wake of Derek’s shocking death. Now, the actress is defending series creator Shonda Rhimes’ decision to kill off Patrick Dempsey’s beloved character.

While at the 2015 Summer press tour for the Television Critics Association, Ellen Pompeo got frank about the controversy surrounding the death. While on the red carpet, Pompeo spoke with E! about the decision, despite outrage from fans.

Pomepo stuck by Rhimes, who was present at the panel, and revealed that it was the only way to keep the legend of Mer/Der alive. Rhimes explained that she couldn’t make Derek the “bad guy” and knew he had to die to service the love story between the two characters.

Of the whole controversy, Pompeo gave a lengthy reply to E!’s Kristin, “I knew it was going to be huge, I think we all did. Patrick was an integral part of the show. It was big. It was very hard for everyone.”

She continued, “I’m not a writer but we had a lot of discussions of the aftermath and the onslaught of death threats she received. It’s true — there’s only ways you can do that. When Sandra Oh left, which was equally devastating. If the character is still alive, the audience will never let that character go. Knowing that he did amazing work for 11 seasons and he was ready to move on. You can’t have that and have his amazing character be a bad guy. You don’t want him to be a bad guy and leave his family. And it’s called a drama for a reason. It sort of has to be big and dramatic.”

As the Inquisitr reported, Rhimes has decided to reinvent Season 12. The upcoming season has been described as a “reinvention,” and it sounds like Meredith will have to reinvent herself in a house full of single women. Pompeo is excited to see how Meredith will deal with a chapter she thought she closed, “It’s the first time in 12 years I’ve ever been single on the show… I think the idea of losing a spouse is such a significant story to tell. So many men deal with it with their wives passing away from breast cancer. People unfortunately lose spouses all the time it’s the most devastating thing you can go through. The opportunity to play that, I think is a gift.”

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[Photo by ABC]