Inside Ellen Pompeo's fulfilling career after 'Grey's Anatomy'

After two decades of playing Grey's Anatomy character Dr. Meredith Grey, Ellen Pompeo is ready to step into a different role.

Ellen, who shares children: Stella, 15, Sienna, 10, and Eli, with husband Chris Ivery, wanted to spend more time with her family, and the show’s hectic 17-hour work days became a major hurdle in the way of that.

“It’s really important for me to be around for them and be more present for them. The show has been incredible to me, and I’ve loved a lot of the experience; it’s just, I gotta mix it up a little bit,” she said during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.

The actress also wanted to play different roles and have more involvement in her projects.

Now, the actress stars in Hulu’s Good American Family, where her character adopts a Ukrainian girl who has dwarfism.

“What was exciting for Ellen was that she was with this project from the ground up – and when it came to crunch time, nobody outworked her," an insider told Radar Online about Ellen’s new role.

"Even though she had plenty of input on Grey’s casting over the years, this show was a chance to work alongside actors she’s admired and respected for many years, including Dulé Hill and Christina Hendricks,” they explained.

"Ellen has patiently waited for an opportunity like this since the early days of Grey’s – and this kind of material has a much better shot at winning awards than Grey’s ever did," the mole concluded.

Ellen Pompeo played Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy for the show’s first 18 seasons.