Executive producerShonda Rhimes, Pompeo, and episode director Peter Horton recall the details.
SHONDA RHIMES: I remember having to talk it through with [thenABCEntertainment Group president] Stephen McPherson.
He seemed fine with it.
Credit: ABC
PETER HORTON:It was a very ambitious proposition.
There were a number of long days because of that.
RHIMES:I always knew the [bomb] moment was going to involve Ellen.
I don’t know if anyone else was jealous.
ELLEN POMPEO:It was very late at night when we filmed it.
I had been working something like 17 hours.
I was exhausted, so I was excited that I didn’t have to do the stunt.
They had this amazing stunt girl who was going to do it for me.
They strapped her to a cable so they could pull her backwhen Kyle blows up.
HORTON:The stunt double was fairly young.
And boy, did it.
You could hear it.
As stunt people do, she immediately sat up and said, “I’m fine.”
But clearly, she had whacked her head hard, so she had to go through concussion protocol.
POMPEO:We had a knock-down, drag-out fight because he insisted I do the stunt.
I said, “A f—ing professional stuntwoman just gave herself a concussion doing it.
I’ve been working 18 hours.
I can barely see straight.
Now you want me to try it?”
We were screaming at each other.
I even said to him, “Why are you even making me do this?
It was like slow motion.
Anyway, I ended up doing it, despite me not wanting to.
And of course, they used the first take.
HORTON:If you look in the episode, you will see the stunt girl hit her head.
We left that in.
It had been very effective.
But we used part of Ellen’s take, which is the part she never remembers.
We never would have put her in jeopardy.
We pulled her much slower than we pulled the stunt double.
POMPEO:I remember thinking Kyle Chandler was amazing.
I wasn’t surprised his career really took off after that because he was so natural.
That’s literally all it said.
He was written to explode.
But I did not expect to have Kyle Chandler.
I didn’t want to explode him.
HORTON:Whenever you direct anything, some of your best moments are accidents.
HORTON:It was the highlight ofGrey’s Anatomyin all of its 12 years.
It was a special moment when it all came together in just the right way.
