Ellen Pompeo to reduce 'Grey's Anatomy' role, star in upcoming Hulu series

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Actress Ellen Pompeo will be scaling back her starring role on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy in order to star in an upcoming limited series for Hulu.

Deadline reported Wednesday that Pompeo, who stars as Dr. Meredith Grey, will only appear in eight episodes of Season 19 of Grey's Anatomy, which has recently begun production.

The actress will still have a looming presence on the show, however -- Pompeo will provide the narration in every episode and continue to serve as executive producer.

In the interim, Pompeo will be taking on an undisclosed streaming role, as she will soon join an untitled limited series for Hulu.

According to Variety, the eight-episode series will follow the true story of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian scam artist with dwarfism who was adopted by an Indiana couple after pretending to be an eight-year-old girl.

The battle between the girl and her adoptive parents will venture across tabloids and courtrooms, and eventually affect their entire marriage.

Pompeo will star in the show in addition to executive producing.

The series will be helmed by showrunner Erin Levy, known for her work on the Emmy Award-winning series Mad Men.

For Pompeo, the Hulu series will mark her first live-action role other than Meredith Grey in nearly 20 years.

The actress has been a staple at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital since the series' premiere in 2005.

Her performance has garnered Pompeo numerous awards and made her one of the highest-earning television actresses, according to Forbes, earning her an estimated $19 million in 2020.

Pompeo had been filming as many as 25 episodes per season for Grey's Anatomy, but has notably had a smaller role in Seasons 17 and 18.

In 2021, she spoke to Audibly about her future after Grey's Anatomy, and hinted at a future with streaming networks.

"Before, being on a network for so long, you'd literally be doomed," Pompeo said. "That definitely is not the case anymore so I probably wouldn't do movies per se, but I probably will do some streaming television."

"I'm just trying to play in some different areas and do a few new things but I'm sure I'll act again," she added.

She also told the podcast that she was "developing something right now," likely referring to the untitled Hulu project.

"We'll see if it's that's meant to see the light of day," she said.