'Grey's Anatomy' star Ellen Pompeo hopes 'there will still be a Hollywood' in the future
LOS ANGELES — Ellen Pompeo got candid about the future of Hollywood and how she would feel about her children following in her footsteps.
While accepting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the 55-year-old "Grey's Anatomy" star spoke with Fox News Digital about whether she wants her kids to pursue a career in the industry.
"Hopefully, there still will be a Hollywood if my kids want it," she said.
"When they're old enough. When they're 18, my kids can do whatever they want, and I just really hope that all the kids coming up have the same opportunities that I had because our business is changing so rapidly. This business is changing. This town is changing, and it really is a different story than it was when I was coming up."
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Pompeo shares three children with her husband, Chris Ivery — Stella, 15, Sienna, 10, and Eli, 8.
She explained that actors trying to break into the industry now "have to put themselves on tape" most of the time when auditioning, rather than meeting the casting directors and other executives in person.
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"It's a really different story. I really hope that we can keep traditions like this and some of the traditions of this town," Pompeo explained. "I hope we can keep them alive because it is something that a lot of people dream of doing, and they should be able to have the experience that all of us have had. And we gotta keep everybody working."
Pompeo shot to fame in 2005, when she began starring as Dr. Meredith Grey on the hit ABC show "Grey's Anatomy." She remained on the show as a series regular until the show's 19th season, choosing instead to appear in just a few episodes each season from then on.
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While accepting her star on the Walk of Fame, Pompeo told the crowd while the achievement "doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen easily," she has "been surrounded by stars [her] entire career."
She gave shout-outs to everyone there who has helped her along the way, including her children and "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes.
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"The stars really have aligned for me my whole life. For Shonda and I to meet. Shonda brought Debbie [Allen] into my life," she explained. "This is a million miles from where I ever thought I would be, and I've learned how to be here, how to stand here, how to enjoy all of this, because of the people in my life, because they've taught me so much.
"Shonda allowed me to have a career and get paid and be a mother. I don't know many other actresses in this town who have had the privilege of being surrounded by brilliant women."
WATCH: 'Grey's Anatomy' actress Ellen Pompeo unveils her star on the Walk of Fame
The actress appeared in her first project since taking a step back from "Grey's Anatomy," starring in the Hulu show "Good American Family." The series followed the real-life story of a couple who adopt an orphan with dwarfism and begin questioning if she's really who she says she is.
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"Well, this is a limited series, so I won’t appear as this character again," she told El Pais in April about what drew her to the role. "I was just looking for something that was very different from Meredith Grey, and this offer presented itself."