Ellen Pompeo is on the cover of October’s Allure. She always looks prettier when she’s just Ellen. I’ve always thought Meredith Grey needed some fashion and hair help. Inside, she talks about acting, why she never thought Grey’s Anatomy would ever catch on, and more.

On catching the acting bug as a child while watching the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall: “Afterward, I stood up and said, ‘That’s what I want to be. They’re alive. That’s what I want to do.’ … [But] I was very sad and introverted as a child, and I would never, ever have had the confidence or the extroverted nature to be in a school play.”

On being surprised at Grey’s Anatomy’s popularity: “When I did the pilot, I thought, ‘I can’t stand medical shows. This will never get on.’”

On fashion being one of her passions: “Fashion is an art form like any other. All artists love all art. Anything creative—cooking, literature, art—I love it all.”

On having one piece of advice for Meredith: “Just move on. There are plenty of fish in the sea.”