Ellen Pompeo on Joining “Completely Different” Natalia Grace Series After 20 Years on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Following her iconic role as Dr. Meredith Grey in television history, Ellen Pompeo is embarking on a significant shift towards a new venture for her upcoming work.

The actress, known for her role on Grey’s Anatomy since 2005 (though she is no longer a main cast member), appears in Hulu’s Good American Family, a series inspired by the true story of Natalia Grace. For those unaware of the real-life incident, Natalia was a 7-year-old girl with dwarfism who was adopted by an American couple, Kristine and Michael Barnett, in 2010. However, they abandoned her just a year later as they started to suspect that she was deceiving them by pretending to be an adult.

Pompeo, who is also an executive producer, portrays the character Kristine. She shared with The Hollywood Reporter during the show’s premiere on Thursday that after spending 20 years as Meredith Grey, she was eager to take on a role that was drastically different from her past work, and this opportunity presented itself.

She mentioned that she hadn’t known a lot about the story prior to agreeing to be part of it, as she hadn’t watched the documentary titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace“, but later on, when she received the script and read it, she was astounded by the quality of the first episode.

The narrative is intricate, featuring multiple contrasting viewpoints, and the show employs an innovative method to depict this complexity. As explained by creator/co-showrunner Katie Robbins, the story initially unfolds from Kristine and Michael Barnett’s perspective, but later, it takes an unexpected turn, causing us to reconsider everything we thought was true. This shift allows us to confront our own biases in ways we didn’t anticipate.

Mark Duplass, the actor portraying Michael Barnett, mentioned that the unique approach was what drew him in. Initially, upon learning about the series, he expressed doubt, saying “I was skeptical. I’ve read a lot about this story and thought, ‘Why another ripped-from-the-headlines miniseries? Why do we need this, other than to just make money?’ With hundreds of films and TV shows already in my queue, what’s the point?” However, the team responded by questioning him, saying “What do you really know about this story?” which he found refreshing.

The team relied on their extensive research team for information instead of speaking directly with individuals featured in the narrative. The character Natalia is portrayed by newcomer Imogen Faith Reid, aged 27, who hails from the U.K. and was unaware of the story until she auditioned for the role.

Regarding not personally connecting with the real-life Natalia (now 21), Reid expressed, “I desired to portray my unique interpretation of Natalia. I also aimed to depict her as a strong character, to emphasize her resilience and her pursuit of justice.

Good American Family starts streaming March 19 on Hulu.

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2025-03-14 22:25