Ellen Pompeo nearly bares all for Entertainment Weekly cover

NEW YORK, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Actress Ellen Pompeo nearly bears it all on the upcoming Sept. 11 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

The cover photo features the Grey's Anatomy star who plays Dr. Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama sitting down with her legs crossed draped in nothing but an open doctors coat.

The cover is one of four for the magazine's feature on Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes.

Pompeo reveals to the magazine her thoughts on her character's new chapter and how she was caught off guard by viewers' reactions to the death of onscreen husband, Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey.

"All of a sudden, Patrick leaves, and it's like, 'Oh my God, Meredith's gonna get killed with Alzheimer's!''" Ellen said to EW. "The show couldn't possibly go on without the man!'"

While making the rounds during the Television Critics Association's press tour back in August, Pompeo opened up further about the shocking death saying, "In order for a one-hour drama to continue, there has to be big upheavals. You think, 'How can the show go on?' But that's exactly how the writers find inspiration. So the loss of the big characters is exactly how the show does go on."

She continued telling Us Weekly, "You're excited about the stories, because the writers really do get inspired. It's literally like turning over dead, dusty soil. It's like digging that pitchfork in and turning over the dirt and it's new and fresh and you have to see what's gonna grow."

Ellen Pompeo will return as Dr. Meredith Grey when Grey's Anatomy returns for season 12 on Sept. 24.