Richard Cartwright / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
Grey’s Anatomy has begun filming season 17 according to Ellen Pompeo’s Instagram!
Pompeo, who has played Meredith on Grey’s Anatomy for the past 16 seasons, shared a behind the scenes snap on set with a heartfelt caption. The selfie shows Pompeo with a newly promoted series regular Richard Flood wearing medical face masks in the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
“First time back in my scrubs…,” the actress captioned the image. “Since we shut down filming 7000 healthcare workers have died from Covid. I dedicate my season 17 to all who have fallen and to everyone of you who by the grace of God is still standing…”
“This season is for you with humility and a bit of humor to get us through and endless amounts of gratitude,” Pompeo’s message continued. “I hope we do you proud,” she concluded with a heart and hands praying emoji.
Last month, Grey’s star Giacomo Gianniotti revealed that season 17 would incorporate the current global health pandemic into the world of the show. He shared that season 17 would pick up with a time jump and the action would begin with Grey Sloan and its doctors about “a month and a half” into the pandemic. He also suggested that production was being projected for a September start after being pushed from a late August date.
“We’re going to start the season about a month and a half [into] full COVID, so it’s going to take place a little beyond where we left off in the last season,” Gianniotti said. “We might have some flashbacks. We might have some things where we’re referencing last season, just to have context leading up. But we are going to have a little leap when we start this season in terms of time. We’re not picking up right where we left off.”
Gianniotti also shared a preview of what the new reality will look like for the cast and crew of Grey’s onset. “Our producers are all rapidly trying to implement all of these protocols to keep everybody safe. We’re obviously going to be tested multiple times a week and sort of separated in zones. We’re going to have a lot less personnel on set. We’re going to be wearing full PPE [personal protective equipment] of course,” Gianniotti said. “It’s a new world.”
Check out Ellen Pompeo’s behind-the-scenes snap on the set of Grey’s Anatomy below: