Denzel Washington Finally Reacts To Ellen Pompeo's Claim That They Fought On Set

In September 2021, "Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo shared a story that went viral — it was about Denzel Washington directing an episode of "Grey's." On her podcast, Pompeo shared that in one particular scene, her character, Dr. Meredith Grey, had to listen to an apology from a man. "He made this choice to speak very softly. And [Meredith] was pissed that [she] had to sit there and listen to this apology, and he wasn't looking at [her] in the eye," Pompeo explained. "Again, we love actors who make choices, right? And I yelled at him, and I was like, 'Look at me when you apologize. Look at me.' And that wasn't in the dialogue, and Denzel went HAM on my ass."

Washington's response to the improvisation was apparently not positive. According to Pompeo, Washington proclaimed, "I'm the director. Don't you tell him what to do." Pompeo said she was stunned by his outburst and replied, "This is my set. Who are you telling? Like, 'You barely know where the bathroom is.' And I have the utmost respect for him as an actor, as a director, as everything, but, like, yo, we went at it one day." In the end, Pompeo admitted she was thankful for the entire experience, and that sometimes, those moments are "where you get the magic" as an actor. 

For three months, Washington did not respond to Pompeo's claims. But in a recent interview with Variety, he finally commented on the supposed interaction.

Speaking to Variety, Denzel Washington did not recall the interaction with Ellen Pompeo. In the words of the outlet, the actor and director "sidestepped" the question. "No, no," he said in the interview. With a "slight grin," he then added, "But it's all good." The evasive response appears to have been succinct, as the reporter then moved to the next portion of the interview. 

Unlike Pompeo, other actors have boasted about having positive experiences working with Washington. In 2018, Ethan Hawke told The Ringer, "I worked with him again on 'The Magnificent Seven' [in 2016]. I love working with Denzel. I'd love to work with him again. I mean, he's great at what he does." He continued by raving about Washington being "on par with Marlon Brando." 

In 2016, a fellow "Grey's Anatomy" co-star, Jason George, even spoke about working with Washington. Speaking to ABC, George said, "[H]e shows up and he's just a funny, great guy and a really great director. And it was reassuring to be like, okay, he puts you at ease, and that was great." If anything is clear, it's that at this point, it's anyone's guess what exactly went down on set of that particular "Grey's Anatomy" episode, and if any heated interaction really took place between Washington and Pompeo.