In perhaps the greatest proof yet that his behavior was out of character, Katherine Heigl says Isaiah Washington apologized to her - and thanked her - on the set of Grey's Anatomy after she denounced his use of a gay slur.
"Isaiah thanked me, which I didn't understand," the 28-year-old actress tells Entertainment Weekly. "He was almost grateful. I don't know Isaiah well, but he takes his work seriously and he loves his character."
Isaiah Washington came under fire for using the epithet at the Golden Globe Awards in January while denying he'd used it previously against fellow Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight.
Heigl, who plays outspoken Dr. Izzie Stevens on the hit ABC medical drama, was "furious and frustrated" at the time, so she leapt to Knight's defense.
"He made a big mistake, and it was thoughtless and boneheaded, and I think he's very sorry and embarrassed," she says in the magazine's Friday issue.
"This is something that will have changed the scope of his life."
Washington has truly made the best out of a bad situation, filming a public service announcement on behalf of gay rights groups GLAAD and GLSEN.
Heigl, who stars in the new Judd Apatow-directed comedy Knocked Up, which opens today, speaks out in the interview, too, about her protracted contract negotiations with ABC.
The bottom line, Katherine Heigl says, is that she wants the same respect they're showing the series' other talented actors.
And she says she doesn't like the label that seems to go along with a woman who stands up for what she wants.
"In this town, women who don't just snap and say, 'Okay, yessir, yes ma'am,' start to get a reputation for being difficult," Katherine Heigl says.
"But within the last five years, I've decided it's not worth it to me to be pushed around so much."
Heigl, who calls The Notebook one of her "all-time favorite movies," says she'd rather laugh than get too serious when it comes to movie roles.
"I just want to play happy people," she says.
"I'm a commercial kind of gal, and yeah, I would love to do a Monster, but I don't have any grand aspirations to do my Academy Award-winning movie. I love Kate Winslet, but I know I couldn't have her career."
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26 Comments
June 1st, 2007 10:36 AM
She is so borring with this never ending story. Will she ever stop? Seems she is trying hard to stay in the limelight!!
June 1st, 2007 11:00 AM
I don't usually have a problem with Katie and I love her character Izzy. However her comments seem out of place. It came across like she was patting herself on the back. There is no reason at this point for her comments. Maybe she should have watched how Patrick handled it during his Indy 500 interview. He addressed it without making a big deal about it and moved on.
June 1st, 2007 12:23 PM
seriously all this never ending old news is freaking me out. I may be wrong but it seems to me katie says things before she thinks. What is that about 'women who don't just snap and say, ‘Okay, yes sir, yes ma'am,' start to get a reputation for being difficult," ?
June 1st, 2007 3:12 PM
I think the problem lies with the people who conduct the interviews! I mean, what is she supposed to say, yes she can say she doesn't want to talk about, but then her silence would just fuel the imagination of those who want to know even more, so the best thing she can do, is what she ahs been doing all along! being Honest and forthcomming, and hope that sooner or later that whole ordeal will be forgotten by the entire industry! As for her contract negotiations, well yeah, if she feels she is being payed less, than she deserves, if she feels that her pay doesn't equal the quality of work she puts in, then she should fight TPTB to get that which is rightfully hers! And there is no good reason why she should be payed any less than the other actors, except Ellen Pompeo, cause she is the one trully main charachter! But other then Ellen, all actors shoud be payed the same!
June 1st, 2007 5:23 PM
I agree rayofsunshine. Since everyone knows Katie is never silent. If she replied "no comment", then honestly it would look bad and fuel to the fire. Now she really didn't say anything bad. In fact, it shows how much the cast is healing. She is getting passed it, and wants Isaiah to return. Also showing that hey Isaiah afterwards was a gentlemen at thanking her and apologizing to her. It actually show Isaiah in a good light, and to this day people want him gone :(. While Katie is talking about the healing of the show.
Patrick is more interested in racing than acting. He loves to race, and that is great. But with GA to me he is not as amused, and it shows in his acting(but that is just me). More people should be just as honest, and I read the full interview in Entertainment Weekly. The topic of Isaiah was raised by the interviewer and it moved onto another topic. I mean seriously it is, in fact, briefly mentioned. This article here is just blurbs from the actual interview itself. And she is right. It's safer to say "yessir and yes ma'am", however; you are not going to get the respect you deserve. She's the only actress who has learned that. Many have so you get taken advantage of.
June 1st, 2007 10:06 PM
I could be wrong, but I think most of what Katherine does and says is very purposeful and designed to get her name out there and her face on television and in the news. She seized the opportunity to gain some media attention after the Golden Globes and now she has a new movie coming out. She has had quite a bit of backlash from fans of Isaiah/Burke. I think this is merely her attempt to appease the Isaiah/Burke fans who were offended by her statements because she wants them to go see her movie. It is all a business and getting your face in front of the cameras is a part of it and being likeable to the fans of the vehicle that gave you the break to begin with is important. She has ridden the bash Isaiah train for as far as it will take her and now she is trying another track. I find everything she says suspect along with her motivation for saying it.
In terms of her pay, Ellen, Patrick, Sandra, and Isaiah were credited higher than her. She is in the second tier along with TR, Justin, and Kate Walsh. Chandra and James in the third tier. I think her issue is that she wants to be paid at the same rate as Ellen, Patrick, Sandra, and Isaiah who came in at a higher rate to begin with, Ellen because she plays the title character, and Patrick, Sandra, and Isaiah because they had larger and more successful careers coming in. I believe she was offered the same raise as the others, she wanted more to bring her up to the same level as the first tier actors and abc said no. I don't think she deserves any more than TR, Justin, or Kate. They are all supporting roles at Greys. She claims to have carried season two, but I think more people tuned in to see Mer/Der and Burke/Cristina than tuned in to see Izzie.
June 1st, 2007 10:13 PM
STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!!!!! When Kat does interviews and they ask her about it she should just say"we've moved on and you should too."
I don't know her but I am not realy liking her and I think she should just shut the heck up.
June 1st, 2007 11:40 PM
Actually have to say you are wrong to a degree. When another poster said she is being consistent she is. Katie doesn't applease anyone. In fact, her noting that Isaiah thanked and apologized to her is nothing knew to me lol. In fact, I saw an interview she did way back in Feburary(during her campaign with Pedigree) that noted this same exact incident. But it was to a local news station. It didn't make headlines since it was so local to that one news station. Having it in EW actually made it headlines because it is a bigger market. With an actress like Katie she is who she is. She doesn't lie unlike another actor on the show sadly has showed and emphasized.
On the contracts there are still stuff we don't know. Sure some of it was about pay, but with contracts there are other things involved that are not money-related. For instance supposely I heard Patrick wants more time off for his racing in March. A lot is about respect, and if you are not feeling the respect you deserve than by damn you deserve to fight for it. And S2 was big for Izzie/Denny...not just Mer/Der and Burke/Christina. A big chunk was devoted to Izzie/Denny especially in the last leg, and they got far more bigger news and buzz than Mer/Der and Burke/Christina ever did after that finale. I'm sorry but they did. Denny is a fan favorite, and was one of the reasons why "Some Kind of Miracle" is one of the highest rated episodes. Izzie was a contribution to why S2 was so good, and she brought a lot of news to the show. Now of course that is my own observation, but my point is there is stuff we don't know about the contracts. We have no idea some things that is going on.
June 2nd, 2007 2:37 AM
fyi "some kind of miracle" wasnt one of the top rated episodes it was the highest...27 million. amazing. this years finale only got 22 million...therefore we need denny to step away from the light!
June 2nd, 2007 4:53 AM
I agree with rayofsunshine. let her be! so she's a bit more open about the whole situation then y'all would like her to be. she didn't pick the questions the interviewers asked her! I think she's answering them politely and well spoken and just give the woman a damn break!