Ellen Pompeo had a breakthrough with her role as Dr Meredith Grey in the popular medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. After spending 20 years being a series regular, she stepped down and has since then, been seen in recurring episodes.

She is gearing up for the release of her series titled Good American Family.

She told People magazine, about how she faced harsh criticism about her weight and how her body looked, early on in her career.

The Grey’s Anatomy star said, “The tabloids would say horrible things. I just remember being so anxious on red carpets, and the comments about my weight and my body. I’m so glad, maybe, hopefully, things have changed, because it was much, much more brutal 20 years ago.”

She further explained how just because she was extremely thin back then, it was automatically assumed that she had some eating disorder.

Pompeo added, “It was a whole situation with how skinny I was, and there was so much negative attention. Girls today can be gorgeous and thin and thank God we’re not allowed to comment on women’s bodies, even though people do. But I just had so much anxiety and lacked self-esteem because people were so critical of my physicality.”

Other than being a fan-favourite for her famous character Meredith, Ellen has also been vocal about women’s rights in the industry.

Addressing the same, she said, “I sit in a seat of enormous privilege. As a white woman, as a working actress, as a super well-compensated person. If people that sit with privilege can’t use it to better the lives of others, you don’t deserve it.”

Ellen Pompeo’s upcoming series Good American Family is inspired by the real-life story of Natalie Grace, and her struggle with a rare form of dwarfism.