Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Kevin McKiddis supportive ofEllen Pompeo’sdecision to reduce her presence in season 19ofGrey’s Anatomy— in fact, he says it’s a sign of her commitment to the hit ABC medical drama.
“The fact that she’s not leaving the show and is just gonna scale it back a bit — what I think is beautiful about it is that it shows her love for the show still,” he added.
Liliane Lathan/ABC via Getty

Pompeo, 52, has anchored the hit ABC medical drama for the past 17 years, including stepping into a producer role in 2017. For season 19, which premieres in October, Pompeo will appear in only eight episodes, perDeadline.
The news of her lessened role onGrey’scame as the actress announced that will be executive producing and starring in a new Hululimited series adaptation of the 2009 filmOrphan.
Raymond Liu/ABC

The show has recentlyadded newcomersNiko Terho,Adelaide Kane,Midori Francis,Harry Shum Jr.andAlexis Floyd, and McKidd teased, “We have thisamazing group of new interns, brilliant, young, vibrant actors who are really passionate.”
He continued, “It’s almost like we’re going back to the beginning, if that makes sense. We’re not really rebooting, but it’s definitely that pilot episode whenSandra OhandT.R. Knightfirst kind of walked into the hospital. We’re kind of doing that again. And it’s very exciting to feel that we’re all part of that,” McKidd added.
Of Pompeo, he told PEOPLE: “Definitely her character [Meredith Grey] is such a dominant, iconic character on the show. It’s definitely going to make some room for different stories to be told. So I think everyone is excited about that.”
Liliane Lathan/ABC

“I think he still has quite a bit of fallout to deal with. He did a noble thing last year, but he bent the rules too much and he has to pay the price,” he explained. “He’s already paid a significant price, but it’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out because he isn’t out of hot water yet. He has to dig himself out.”
McKidd quipped, “My character is always in trouble.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Season 19 ofGrey’s Anatomywill premiere Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
source: people.com