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In 2007, Katherine Heigl won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress for playing Izzie Stevens on the third season of Grey’s Anatomy. We all know what happened next. The following year, she caused a lot of drama by releasing a statement saying that she was withdrawing her name from consideration that year because she didn’t think she was “given the material to warrant” a nomination and wanted to “maintain the integrity of the academy organization.” It came across as pretentious and surprised the Grey’s writing staff. Unfortunately for Katherine, it was one of many instances of public comments and tensions with co-stars that basically ended her movie career.
Katherine recently appeared on Shannen Doherty’s podcast, Let’s Be Clear. During their chat, Shannen asked Katherine about the decision to withdraw from Emmy consideration. In the past, Katherine has acknowledged that she “ambushed” the writers with that statement because it was a “private work matter.” On the podcast, she told Shannen that realizes she created an unnecessary sh-tstorm and regrets her actions because, in hindsight, she shouldn’t have said anything at all.
She regrets saying anything: “Well I didn’t, and everybody keeps saying that. I didn’t turn it down. You know, you have to submit yourself. You have to submit your work and then they deliberate and then they decide if they want to give you a nomination. I just didn’t submit my work that year. And I should, you know, I don’t know, my mother and I were talking about this recently. I should have said nothing. I should have said nothing. I should have just said ‘Oh I forgot,’ because it created such a maelstrom that was so unnecessary, and it really was.”
She “wasn’t trying to be a d-ck:” “I was kind of trying to make a bit of a snarky point about my material that year, but I was also just not feeling my material. I didn’t think I had anything that warranted even the consideration for a nomination. I just wasn’t proud of my work…I would never be so bold or so arrogant to turn down a nomination. I would take that nomination if it came my way. I’d be down. But I just knew there wasn’t anything that would really warrant one that year, and I was trying to be honorable, I guess. I was trying to have some integrity. I wasn’t trying to be a d-ck.”
On her comments about Grey’s long working hours: As she remained with the series however, tensions began to rise between herself and the producers. In 2009, Heigl publicly called out the Grey’s producers for having the cast and crew work a 17-hour day, which she called “cruel and mean.”
I understand Katherine’s frustration with not liking the way Izzie’s storyline was going that season. That’s valid, even though that season was cut short by the writer’s strike and a lot of TV shows suffered as a result. But publicly releasing a statement putting down your show’s writers was not the way to handle that. It came off as rude. In the past, she’s explained that she was afraid that the academy would think that she was snubbing them by not submitting her work, given that she was the incumbent winner. Why couldn’t she have just sent them a private memo that explains why she wasn’t submitting? Oh, right, because she also wanted the public to know why her name wasn’t appearing on the nominee list. She did create a mess for herself, and unfortunately, Hollywood has always granted more forgiveness and the benefit of the doubt to men.
You can listen to Katherine’s appearance on Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty here.
Katherine Heigl is shown out with her mom in June, 2008 a couple of weeks after she posted that statement. Credit: Max Butterworth/Matt Symons/PacificCoastNews.com / Avalon. Other photos credit Getty and via Instagram
Two things are right at the same time. Her statement was over the top and she should have handled the situation differently, but her career should not have been blown up. Men have gotten away with far worse.
I struggle with the notion we should let one group of people get away with something just because another group of people gets away with the same shit all the time. Instead, let’s just hold people accountable to the same standards.
I never understood her statement. If she didn’t do a good job, the committee wouldn’t nominate her anyway. Why did she have to embarrass the show’s writers. They were probably paid peanuts compared to her paycheck. How is that honorable in any way? It reminds me of Joey from Friends, giving interview about him writing his own material and the writers kill off his character as a revenge.
I think it was a combination of a bit of immaturity back then and ego. She was on some late night show during this time frame and I remember she was going on about how long the hours were and I guess she didn’t realize how she was coming across because the host tried to bring it back by saying oh yeah I’m sure no one wants to work 10 hours days everyday you or the crew, and her response was like if they could make me work that long they would. Just completely missing how they were trying to help her out by pointing out how entitled and ungrateful she sounded in comparison to the other people who had to be on set with her on those long days as well who didn’t have private trailers and making hundreds of thousands of dollars. She’s been making a lot of statements like this though in the past few years so I do think that she has realized how her behavior didn’t help, but it is very true that I doubt she it’s hardly the only person who has behaved like this on the set.
Sarge!
There is a lot of truth and sense in what she says sometimes, but the way she speaks out or acts about it is all wrong. Grey’s anatomy was not the only occasion where she had issues with producers, writers and co-stars. Go back and read interviews for her other work, even her earlier work like the TV show Roswell and her Disney movies. She talks in interviews about how she did not agree with the direction her character was taking on Roswell so she would rebel by showing up late on set etc. she said this herself on an interview! She spoke out on Knocked up and 27 dresses I think as well which were two of her biggest hits. At some point people are going to want to stop working with her, word gets around. And yes, sadly men do get away with more but I think with her a lot had to do with burning a lot of bridges.
I think it was trashing Knocked Up—her biggest, most successful movie—that really did her in. She was right about it, of course, but no one out-divas Apatow 😬
Please don’t forget that at the time she was the only actress who spoke out against Shonda’s pet homophobe Issah Washington and was punished by the writers that season as a result.
Meanwhile to this day Shonda has not apologized, defended, or made anything right to TK or anyone else harmed. This wasn’t about her statement. This was about Shonda being petty she had to fire Washington
The one person who should be complaining & upset about the writing if their character is George.
From the first episode they did him wrong, all the way to the end.
Also, the Christina/Burke relationship is terrible. He abused her. I’m recently rewatching the series and whew! What they did to Christina is awful.
It’s not a bad show, there are some great stories & characters.
As for Izzie, her arc after Denny was bad. So bad.
And he still remained a beloved character, despite all the absolute crap they gave him for material. TJ Knight has a special quality of being able to draw the audience in.
I have complicated feelings about her. I feel like she stands for a lot of the right things, but historically has done it in the wrong way. I know she has a reputation for being “difficult” but I can’t think of anyone with a specific complaint except Shonda Rhimes. Most of her coworkers, especially of late, seem to actually like her. It makes me wonder how much of her current image problem is being a woman who takes up space.
I think she often had a point, about the quality of material, the long hours, issues with other film projects, etc, but she chose the wrong way to address them. The stuff with the Grey’s writers should have been handled with a meeting to discuss the future of the character, not a public statement like that, which she seems to get.
There were stories about her and her team being difficult on almost every job she did, so it’s probably partially her, partially rumors, and partially the industry and public being harder on women than they are on men.
Once I saw the episodes where her character was having sex with a ghost I understood her comments haha.
Well, yes. Also 17 hr days are ridiculous, if she’s doing 17 the crew are pulling even longer days. It’s a sexist thing, it’s also airing issues that shouldn’t be aired outta school.
I would have said no to that shit, myself.
She wasn’t trying to have integrity. She was trying to save face because she knew she wouldn’t win, perhaps because of the writing. That being said, I don’t remember when I stopped watching, but it was largely because at least one of the main characters was insufferable on any given episode, and many were insufferable for multiple episodes in a row. For season after season.
Everything I’ve ever heard about the Grey’s set sounds miserable.
I get why she was frustrated, but the thing that ended Katherine’s movie career was her unprofessional behavior. Openly talking smack about the film you’re in (Knocked Up) while promoting it. Actively talking smack about the writers of a show you still work on…it all came across as immature, whiny and unprofessional. It made her look like a brat (which I still believe she was in some part). It is hard enough as a woman in Hollywood to not get painted with a certain brush – why are you handing people the paint to do it?
I go back and forth on her, because I understand and appreciate that she’s calling out stuff she sees as wrong and I hate tone policing. On the other hand, most of her concerns are things that’s she only cares about because they directly effect her, and the way she calls things out centers her and is usually going after people with perceived less power (how powerful are writers in a show vs a main character?) She’s also gotten tons of chances to do projects and not do that, she’s not supremely talented so I can see why she doesnt get a lot of jobs now. The fact that it’s taken her what, twenty years to understand what she did wrong on Greys says she has self awareness somewhere above a turnip but below my rescue lab who thinks 115 pound dogs are lap dogs.
Aaaah. Your sweet little 115# lap dog. Gotta love a Lab. They think life is just one big contact sport.
They really do. I got one that was 4/5 years old and 65 pounds when we got him because I wanted to skip the puppy phase. He gained fifty pounds (probably could’ve stopped at forty) and is fully still puppy brained 😂. He should be nearing the magical 8 year mark where their brain develops, right? 😬
Labs are just comical. Stupid us, when we decided it was the breed for us, we carefully selected pup from a line that had pedigree registered in NW Hunters and Retrievers. Way high energy. He’s been gone a few years now. Thought about getting another dog now that I’m retired…
She landed a big role on a major, hit tv show. Most actors would kill for that level of success. She was set for life money-wise once she was no longer on the show and is now free to do what she wants. She shouldn’t be complaining.
There’s an actors on actors interview with her and Ellen Pompeo from like 2 years ago. Katherine says something along the lines of being tired of always been sweet or a people pleaser. Ellen laughed at her and said: oh you never were sweet. Beautiful yes but sweet no.
I think it was a d*ck move and one that she should have thought through. But I also have sympathy that it has followed her throughout her entire career. I think people have room to grow and change but this is brought up every time her name appears and that kind of stinks.
Everything she said was true. And 17 hour workdays are insane. They are not REALLY saving lives, it is just a tv show. And lots of actors admit they were in bad projects. The “romantic” movies often are a misogynistic shit show.
More power to her….
She’s a former child star and has always had her mum with her on sets, standing up for her, etc. As a duo, they really helped her survive in the industry as a child. I think her outspokenness is something to admire.
HOWEVER, nothing is black and white and here it was a grey situation. She didn’t need to throw the producers and writers under the bus like that. Don’t like the material re your character? Take it up in private. Her allegiance to her team should have overridden her sense of “integrity” or whatever she called it.