Meredith may be in a tricky situation in terms of her relationship her half-sister Maggie when "Grey's Anatomy" returns for season 13, but actress Ellen Pompeo reveals that she will not let go of her character anytime soon.

In an interview with People, the 46-year-old actress revealed the reason why she chose to reprise her role as Dr. Meredith Grey.

"My decision to stay on Grey's was based solely on age," the actress said. "At 33, I was wise enough to know my clock was already ticking in Hollywood."

Pompeo admitted that she could have chosen to quit the show if she got the role in her younger years.

"I probably would have done my time, then gone out to search for other things," she said.

But whenever her contract for the series expires, she keeps in mind that the industry has fewer job opportunities for actresses are aged 30 and above.

Pompeo also revealed that staying on the show is actually not a hard decision, and she never regretted portraying the role of Mer for the past 13 seasons.

"I thought, 'Why would I leave something that is super successful and pays me great to search the landscape?'' Pompeo said. "I decided that I would stay on Grey's 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."

When the series returns this fall, Mer will find herself in the middle of a mess because of her tryst with Riggs (Martin Henderson), who happens to be the object of affection of her half-sister Maggie (Kelly McCreary). Could Mer and Maggie patch things up?

"Grey's Anatomy" season 13 will premiere on Sept. 22 on ABC.