A lighter shade of 'Grey's' on the set

"I don't know that Meredith Grey is capable of fun," Pompeo says with a giggle that turns into a slow groan. "All of our scenes are the same — we're either breaking up or having sex."

Pompeo herself, however, is clearly capable of having a good time. She returned home on Emmy night after midnight, puzzled by the number of children at the post-ceremony parties who approached her for photos and autographs. She obliged. "They're kids — you can't say no."

And she has big dreams: homes in several places, including the East Coast, Europe and Los Angeles, where she realizes all the work is.

"The great thing about when the show ends is that I'll have more freedom to travel," she says.

Her show connections already opened up some overseas opportunities. Over the summer, Pompeo and her fiancé, Christopher Ivery, visited Dempsey and wife Jill in London while he was shooting a film in Scotland.

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