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Jesse Williams Addresses Ellen Pompeo's "Limited" Grey's Anatomy Role

By Paige Strout Aug 10, 2022 8:12 PMTags

Ellen Pompeo has scrubbed in more than enough times on Grey's Anatomy to deserve a break.

That's what her former co-star Jesse Williams thinks about her decision to scale back her role on the show's upcoming 19th season. (ICYMI, it was announced on August 3 that the O.G. star, who plays Meredith Grey, will only appear in eight of the season's 20-plus episodes.)

"That woman has worked so hard all year, every year for 20 years for that franchise," the actor, who played Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC series, exclusively told E! News' Daily Pop. "Whatever time she takes off is well-earned, and I'm sure they have a master plan."

Williams left the medical drama after season 17 but has since returned for several guest appearances with his onscreen love Sarah Drew, who plays Dr. April Kepner. And ever since the two characters rekindled their romance on the show's season 18 finale, fans have been calling for a Japril spin-off series.

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And like Drew, Williams is game. "That thing would probably write itself and do very, very well," he said. "And she's the best. She's one of my single favorite people on the planet."

Until we see Japril again, fans can catch the 41-year-old in the new Paramount+ film Secret Headquarters, a movie he said he's excited to watch with his kids Sadie, 8, and Maceo, 6, who he shares with his ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee. The family flick follows a young boy (Walker Scobell) and his friends as they discover a hidden superhero lair underneath his house.

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Paramount+

"They'll get a kick out of their dad being the bad guy and something different," he told Daily Pop at the film's red carpet premiere on August 9. "It was fun 'cause something like this, there's comedy infused all throughout it."

And much of that comedy comes from Owen Wilson, who plays the movie's undercover superhero. "Owen's a legend, man," Williams said of his co-star. "He's one of the great contemporary comedic actors of our time. Him just talking is funny. He's really, really great at what he does, and so, it was a big part of my excitement about doing this."

Check out the full interview above to hear Williams share what would be in his own secret headquarters.

Secret Headquarters premieres on Paramount+ August 12.