Ellen Pompeo – the lead actress of the hit series Grey’s Anatomy – surprised many when she appeared at the Tribeca Festival Storytellers event in New York City on Saturday, June 14, wearing a black medical boot on her foot. The 55-year-old actress, despite wearing a leg brace, still maintained her radiant and confident demeanor as she stepped onto the stage with veteran journalist Katie Couric.
When Couric noticed the boot and couldn’t help but wonder, she asked Pompeo directly in front of the audience:
“What the hell happened to your leg?”
Pompeo didn’t hesitate to share the details of the story, but instead of a dramatic or flashy situation as many expected, she made the whole audience laugh with a self-deprecating confession.
“I wish it was a cool, sexy, thrilling story – like I was doing an action scene or doing something brave,” she joked.
Couric speculated that the actress may have injured herself playing pickleball – a sport that is very popular. However, the truth is… very ordinary.
“No,” Pompeo revealed with a laugh. “I was half asleep, just waking up and getting up out of bed too fast. I put my foot wrong when I landed. Very clumsy, I know!”
Pompeo also said that this was not the first time she had been injured by this type of “extra movement”.
“Actually, I almost turned it into my own trick,” she continued with humor. “I’ve done it three times – not exactly the same, but this is the second time I’ve injured myself from waking up and getting up too fast.”
The actress also recalled the first time she suffered a similar injury – during the second season of Grey’s Anatomy, when she was working at an extremely high intensity.
“I was working myself to the point of exhaustion. It was a Saturday, but I forgot to turn off my alarm. When it went off, I thought I had fallen asleep, so I jumped up, and ended up taking the wrong step and injuring myself,” she said.
“At least I had a good excuse that time. But this time… there was no excuse!” Pompeo said, laughing, bringing joy to the entire audience.
Despite her injury, Ellen Pompeo still showed her usual optimism and humor – the thing that made audiences love her not only as Meredith Grey, but also in real life. Her sincerity, approachability and charm continued to shine at every event she attended.
