Ellen Pompeo calls on Hollywood to 'do better' with equal pay and minority hires

Ellen Pompeo is putting Hollywood on notice.

During a recent panel discussion hosted by the online fashion retailer Net-A-Porter for its “Women in Television” issue, the Grey’s Anatomy star admitted that the entertainment industry is still lagging when it comes to diversity and equal pay for women.

“I don’t see enough color,” said Pompeo, who was joined on the panel by Gabrielle Union, Gina Rodriguez, and Emma Roberts. “I had a meeting with a director of another endorsement project that I’m doing. I said, ‘When I show up on set, I would like to see the crew look like the world that I walk around in every day. And I think it’s up to all productions to make sure that your crew looks like the world we see. As Caucasian people, it’s our job. It’s our task. It’s our responsibility to make sure that we speak up in every single room we walk into that this is not okay. And that we can all do better. It’s our job because we’ve created the problem.”

Her comment got a big thumbs-up from her boss Shonda Rhimes on Twitter.

And Union’s reaction certainly did not go unnoticed.

Pompeo also spoke about how equal pay is more important to women than awards or fame. “F— creatively fulfilling; give me my money,” said Pompeo, whose 2017 contract renegotiation on Grey’s made her the highest-paid actress in dramatic television. “As long as they can divert our attention and lure us with the creative carrot — we don’t care about a carpet, I don’t care about a statue. I care about sending my kids to college.”

Union said she won’t feel good on set if she feels “undervalued and my money doesn’t match my level of contribution.”

She continued, “Because When it comes time to sell this piece of art, you’re going to have me prancing around the country and the world like a show pony, but all these other people that don’t have to do all the selling work of it are making way more, and I’m not going to get the credit. If it’s a win, it’s not going to be because of me, and if it’s a failure, it’s my face that’s everywhere.”

Related content:

• Ellen Pompeo may sign off from Grey’s Anatomy in 2020
• Bring It On to Breaking In: Gabrielle Union looks back on her best roles
• Gina Rodriguez makes passionate plea for greater Latino representation in film