In Hollywood, there are certain specific ways to know that you’ve truly made it. For starters, you should have already received Emmy, Academy Awards, and SAG nominations. At the same time, you should have already secured leading roles in television shows and/or films. Meanwhile, you should also be commanding a pretty hefty paycheck in the industry.
Certainly, Ellen Pompeo is one actress that pretty much meets all of these criteria. We’re talking about someone who portrays an iconic character in Shonda Rhimes’ medical drama, “Grey’s Anatomy.” But how exactly did Pompeo rise to superstardom? How did she get started on launching her successful entertainment career? Well, we thought now would be a good time to find out. Here’s what we’ve learned so far:
15 She First Appeared In The Short “Do You Have The Time?”
Ellen's early acting role was in a project by Peter Sprankle Films. The director explained: “A short film done at the New York Film Academy in 1995 that would be the inspiration for my 73 minute independent film LEON TWELVE.” He added, “By chance the actress in the film who was just a waitress at my friend's bar at the time is Ellen Pompeo from TV's "Grey's Anatomy".” Be sure to check out the short on YouTube.
14 A Little Later, She Landed A Small Part In The Film “Coming Soon”
This romantic comedy about the young and wealthy at an Upper East Side prep school came out way back in 1999. Written and directed by Colette Burson, the film stars Bonnie Root, Gaby Hoffmann, Tricia Vessey, Ryan Reynolds, and Ashton Kutcher. Meanwhile, Pompeo was cast as an “upset girl,” according to the IMDb database.
13 She Made A Brief Appearance On The TV Show “Strangers With Candy”
She was cast as Lizzie Abrams and appeared in an episode called “Feather in the Storm.” The series’ regular cast includes Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, Deborah Rush, Paul Dinello, and Greg Hollimon. As you can see, she was in pretty good company and we’re guessing these actors inspired her to keep pursuing a career in Hollywood.
12 It Wasn’t Long Before She Decided To Appear In Another Short Film
In the 1999 short film, “8 1/2 x 11”, Pompeo was cast as someone who works in human resources. The short film also stars Trip Cullman, Paul Able, Susan Grace, William Paul Michals, and Cynthia Sandmann. According to IMDb, the film “is a wry comedy that follows a nameless Everyman lost in the morass of the job interview circuit. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll scream in terror!!!”
11 She Appeared Twice On “Law And Order”
Before Pompeo took the lead in Rhimes’ show, she made two appearances on the hit crime drama. She first appeared on the show as Jenna Weber, in an episode that came out in 1996. Several years later, she was cast to appear as Laura Kendrick in 2000. Her “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star, Chandra Wilson, and “Grey’s Anatomy” alum, Kate Walsh, also made appearances on the show.
10 She Starred In A Film Called “Mambo Café”
The film came out way back in 2000. It’s about Puerto Rican girl and her family who come up with a plan to promote their restaurant, which ends in disaster. The film’s stars include singer and actress Thalía, Paul Rodriguez, Rosanna DeSoto, Kamar de los Reyes, Robert Costanzo, Danny Aiello, Lillo Brancato, Rick Gonzalez, and Richard Hillman. Pompeo was cast as Stacie.
9 She Lands A More Prominent Role In The Film “In The Weeds”
By this time, it has become clear that Pompeo really had the acting bug. She went on to star in this 2000 film about wait staff at a bistro, who end up arguing and flirting with one another. Aside from Pompeo, the film’s cast also includes Bridget Moynahan, Molly Ringwald, Joshua Leonard, and Eric Bogosian.
8 She Appeared In One Episode Of “Strong Medicine”
As it turns out, Pompeo had experience with medical dramas prior to being cast on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Although she only appeared on “Strong Medicine” once, as Quincy Dunne, in an episode called “Wednesday Night Fever.”
The show’s regular cast included Janine Turner, Rosa Blasi, Jenifer Lewis, Philip Casnoff, Josh Coxx, Brennan Elliott, Chris Marquette, Lisa Darr, Ian Barford, Davenia McFadden, Jossara Jinaro, and James Avery. Coincidentally, Avery later guest-starred on “Grey’s Anatomy.”
7 She Followed This Up With An Appearance In The TV Show “The Job”
At this point in her career, Pompeo seemed open to anything, whether it’s a film or guest role for television. This time, she appeared in the TV series as Sue, during an episode with the title, “Anger.” The show’s regular cast included Denis Leary, Lenny Clarke, Diane Farr, Bill Nunn, John Ortiz, Adam Ferrara, and Julian Acosta.
6 “Moonlight Mile” Is Said To Be The Film That Really Got Her Noticed
Pompeo was cast to play Bertie Knox in a film that stars Hollywood heavyweights, Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman. The film also stars the incomparable Jake Gyllenhaal. Nonetheless, Pompeo held her own and even stood out.
As Roger Ebert noted in his review, “Pompeo, a newcomer, plays Bertie with a kind of scary charisma that cannot be written, only felt.” Meanwhile, a Variety critic agreed, commenting, “Pompeo makes a vivid first impression.”
5 By This Time, She’s Caught The Eye Of Some Very Important People And Landed A Part In “Catch Me If You Can”
As it turns out, Steven Spielberg took notice of Pompeo’s acting in “Moonlight Mile.” And we’re guessing this is why she got the part of a stewardess, Marci, in this critically-acclaimed film which stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Meanwhile, the cast also includes Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Amy Adams, James Brolin, Martin Sheen, Jennifer Garner, and Nathalie Baye.
4 She Lands A Role In "Daredevil"
As it turns out, Pompeo would go on to work with Garner again immediately after “Catch Me If You Can.” This time, the women were joined by Ben Affleck, Jon Favreau, Colin Farrell, Michael Clarke Duncan, Joe Pantoliano, and Leland Orser. In the film, Pompeo portrayed Karen Page and shared a scene with Favreau. It also seems that this is as close to a comic book movie as Pompeo was willing to get.
3 She Then Went On To Play A Love Interest In The comedy “Old School”
Around this time, things were certainly looking up for Pompeo. In fact, it wasn’t long before she appeared in another film again. This time, she played a love interest named Nicole, who got close to Luke Wilson’s character, Mitch. Meanwhile, the film’s cast also includes Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Piven, Leah Remini, Juliette Lewis, Matt Walsh, Elisha Cuthbert, and Perrey Reeves.
2 This Was Quickly Followed Up With A Role In The Film “Undermind”
This time, Pompeo chose to work on a psychological thriller where she was cast as Flynn. The cast also includes Sam Trammell, Susan May Pratt, Erik Jensen, Celia Weston, Michael Ryan Segal, and Aasif Mandvi. Unfortunately, the film didn’t really do too well. In fact, barely anyone remembers it. Fortunately for Pompeo, there were better roles coming her way.
1 She Guest-Starred On “Friends” As Ross And Chandler’s Former College-Mate, Missy Goldberg
For any actor, being able to have a guest role on “Friends” is quite a big deal. For one thing, previous guest stars include the likes of Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Christina Applegate, Alec Baldwin, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, Denise Richards, and George Clooney.
As you can see, Pompeo is in pretty good company. And her appearance as Missy certainly caused problems with Ross and Chandler. If you recall, the two once made a pact that neither men could go out with Missy in college. It turns out that Chandler didn’t honor that agreement.