Ellen Pompeo Says She Would've Left Grey's Anatomy If She Were Younger 

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Ellen Pompeo Says She Would Have Left

Who Said It: Taylor Swift or Meredith Grey from

Although fans might be thrilled that Ellen Pompeo will return for a 13th season of

this fall, the actress recently revealed she likely would have left the show by now if she were younger.

. "At 33, I was wise enough to know my clock was already ticking in Hollywood."

Pompeo landed the coveted role of Meredith Grey on the ABC drama when she was 34, before which her biggest credits were minor film roles in Ben Affleck\'s

Pompeo admits that if she had gotten an earlier start in acting, she "probably would have done my time, then gone out to search for other things." However, Pompeo chose to keep re-upping her contract with the Shondaland series because she believed it would be "challenging" to land other roles in her late 30s and 40s.

Despite the large role Hollywood ageism played in Pompeo\'s decision to stay with

, the actress is quite content with her choice. "I thought, \'Why would I leave something that is super successful and pays me great to search the landscape?\' she said. "I decided that I would stay on

and be grateful and try to ride it out for as long as I could. And I am very happy that I made the decision to stay. It\'s only gotten better with time."

But there is one aspect of her job Pompeo has yet to come to terms with: "Watching myself age on TV is miserable. To be honest, it\'s the toughest part of my job."

"But as uncomfortable as watching myself age is, I don\'t think focusing on physical beauty is necessarily the best thing for your mind," she continued. "It\'s a natural thing that we all do, but I don\'t think it\'s the healthiest thing. The older you get, the more you realize life isn\'t about your looks. Everyone ages, and it\'s OK."

Tags: Fall Preview, ABC, Fall TV, Celebs

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ABC Announces Fall Premiere DatesFind out when Grey\'s, Once and more return!

Grey\'s Anatomy\'s Ellen Pompeo Renews Contract Through Season 13The actress will reprise her role as Dr. Meredith Grey

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