Katherine Heigl Says Isaiah Washington Apologized, Thanked Her After Incident
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."
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!
June 2nd, 2007 2:44 PM
I've been saying it since this started. She had an agenda and we all know what that is now, but enough said. She's saying she forgives him and that's all that matter at this point. It's just time to move on.
Also, I think the reason for the 22 mil was because people wanted to see if Mer would actually die or how they would bring her back. If Denny hadn't been on the show, the ratings would still have been high. If you look back on the ratings prior to that episode, you'll see that the ratings started rising after Burke proposed to Cristina.
June 3rd, 2007 6:54 AM
just curious, who are the ‘women who don't just snap and say, ‘Okay, yes sir, yes ma'am,' ? is she indirectly refering to some specific actors in particular?
June 3rd, 2007 9:14 AM
From the EW article I read she was making a generalize statement. Not referring to anyone in particular.
June 3rd, 2007 8:12 PM
To an extent I think you are right about the interviewer, but the actors have some control over what questions they are asked that goes into the agreement to do the interview in the first place. For example, has anyone heard Sandra Oh say anything one way or the other about it in an interview? She talked to the interviewer in Marie Claire about the pressure of being on a hit television show and the attention that comes with it. She said some people handle it well and others drink the Kool aid. She never made one statement about the incident directly nor did she point fingers at any of her castmated. I can't imagine that she wasn't asked. Or for that matter that she doesn't have an opinion.
I also agree that pay may not be the only deal breaker in contract negotiations and that there are other aspects of it. The only thing I have heard KH complain about though was the amount of money offered which she felt did not give her the respect she deserved. Respect seemed to be tied up with dollars in her case. Of course, I could be wrong. I have no inside knowledge of any of this, just what appears to be the case from the outside looking in.
In terms of the Denny/Izzie storyline. Do you really think that was the main reason people tuned in to the season two finale? Yes, there were those who really loved Denny, Shonda included. But, there were those who really loved Izzie with Alex, too, if you read the writer's blog back at that time. I tuned in to see if Cristina would bail on Burke or if she would grow up a little bit. Others tuned in to see if Meredith and Derek were going to get back together. There was several storylines going on at the same time all of which came to a head that night. Denny died, Cristina went to Burke and took his hand, Meredith and Derek had sex at the prom. No matter which couple you were rooting for, there was something for everyone. I personally never found the Denny/Izzie storyline believable. She never even saw him outside of the hospital. However, I know there were lots of people who did. Regardless, the Denny story was only the last few weeks of season two. If you go back over the season and rewatch, it was really a great season, but not because of Izzie. In my opinion it was great because of the entire ensemble cast headed up by Meredith and Derek, Burke and Cristina.
June 3rd, 2007 9:16 PM
Well, Sandra Oh is a no comment type of actress. That is not a put down in anyway, but that is a type of person who she is. And that is fine, and she was never directly involved in the controvesery. The main four have been Patrick, T.R., Katie, and Isaiah. Now IMO I felt all of them have articulated themselves well, and are thriving to move on. They answer questions, and are doing the best they can. Now whereas Sandra Oh is a "no comment" gal it doesn't mean another actress has to be. Katherine Heigl says how it is. She says how she feels, and while some said it was courageous for what she did. She says derived from frustration, furious, protection of her friend, and some liquor. I respect both gals as actresses and as a person. They do things articulate, and since Katherine puts her neck out on the line it means her quote will be microanaylzed to the next degree. Now Katherine is moving on. Patrick who commented yesterday is moving on. They are moving on, and I rather here their upfront comments instead of "no comment" because it emphasizes a transition of the healing. I'm grateful that Katherine is that much of candid, honest person who doesn't sure coat things because honestly to this day people do not believe Isaiah understood what he did. Which is said because I believe he did. Patrick, Katie, and rest of the cast(the ones that are actually talking anyways) believe he did.
On the contracts the media(or most likely the unknown mole) only gives us a peek into contract negotations, and the media(especially on contracts) always makes it about money. Katherine just wants the respect she deserves, and IMO from what I know about contract renegotations in Hollywood. Money has something do with it, but there is always a lot we, the general public, do not know about. Contracts in any occupations are tricky things, and very convulated process. From my experience the look it appears to be isn't always the case.
The poster who talked about Denny/Izzie didn't say "main reason". One would call that misquoting. Nor would I use the spamming of the writer's blog as an example. I read people from the Alex/Izzie fanbase have been spamming that board with various aliases to spam it. Nor does the writer's blog respresent the entire GA fanbase of 20 million viewers. No internet fanbase does. Internet fanbases are a very small small percentage of the show's viewership. Technically, the Denny/Izzie storyline started way back in "Begin" New Year's Day episode, but did pick up speed the moment Denny returned in "What Have I Done to Do This". Regardless, of the timeline Denny/Izzie received a ton of media attention. Gave Heigl a Golden Globe nominations, and critics and fan alike hailing her to get an Emmy nomination. I think the poster's point which was noted in the end. Was that Denny/Izzie helped contribute to season 2 success. It wasn't solely on Bang and Mer/Der. Many tuned in for Denny/Izzie too. The point being Mer/Der and Bang weren't the only reasons to the success of season two, and Izzie's storylines whether with Alex, George, and Denny contribute to that success.
I hope the other poster who posted this is okay for me speak on their behalf. It just seemed their post was pretty straightforward.
June 3rd, 2007 10:09 PM
I think there are plenty of people who do believe that IW understands what he did, whether they choose to admit iit or not. I just think there are people who simply prefer to hold on to a grudge and theirs nothing you can do about people like that, other than feel sorry and pray for them.
June 3rd, 2007 10:17 PM
Well, I'm not saying they aren't any. I just sadly I see only very few who voice that. While castmembers want Isaiah back(Katherine, Patrick, James. and etc the ones that talk) some people(the most vocal people if you know what I mean) don't want him to return. I find it quite sad and can't let go of a grudge. While everyone else on the cast is thriving to move on and letting go, and are telling the public that.
What's the phrase....it's easier to hate than it is to love. I know I probably said it wrong, but when I see people hate. Whether is be over a ficitional thing such as a character/ship to something so serious people can easily turn to anger and grudgeful. I find that quite sad, but not surprising considering the world we live in. I'm proud of the GA showing and telling us they are moving on and want everyone back for next season. I would hope some of the internet fanbase would feel the same, but alas anger leads one to easily.
June 4th, 2007 6:59 AM
It has turned into hate, and that's the sad thing about all of this. So much hate (which apparently makes them think they are so much better) to the point that they want to see him lose his job, and it doesn't matter if his family suffers. That's the most disturbing thing to me.
June 5th, 2007 9:42 PM
To hmmmm. I was referring to this post:
"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!
when I asked if this poster really thought the main reason people tuned in was because of the Izzie/Denny storyline. I do not believe I was misquoting. In fact I wasn't quoting at all. I asked if the person really thought the majority of people tuned in for Izzie/Denny in that top rated episode. Were you misquoting me?
I don't know who you are "quoting" that do not believe Isaiah really knows what he did wrong. Certainly you are not quoting Isaiah nor anyone else that knows this actor. He has been beaten over the head for seven months for a word.
Yes, KH was nominated for a Golden Globe nomination, but who won the Golden Globe? It wasn't KH.
I would also like to make one additional correction, if you don't mind, to your post. You say that KH says it like it is. I don't think that is true. On Ellen the day after the incident, she said she wasn't there. She says it like she thinks it is. She says it like she interprets it. Or, in my opinoin, she says it like she thinks she should to get the most publicity and most public support. I don't think you can say in all honesty that she says it like it is.
June 5th, 2007 10:02 PM
The majority of posts on the writer's blog and on other websites now are supportive of Isaiah. There are still some who feel that what he said was so egregious as to be unforgiveable, but the majority understand it was a mistake spoken in anger and something he was and is sorry for and for which he is trying his best to make amends. I am very grateful that James Pickens, Chandra Wilson, Justin Chambers, and Patrick Dempsey have all spoken out on his behalf. Now even Katherine Heigl has gone on record saying that he apologized and she hopes he stays on the show. I still think it would go a long way if TR could get over himself long enough to accept Isaiah's apology so that everyone could move on. Instead he holds on to his hurt and his "poor me" persona making it easier for the haters to hate.
There are many, many supporters of Isaiah, Hummmm2. In fact there is a whole message board of Bang supporters that number over a thousand who support Isaiah. Rather than trying to defend Isaiah for something that should no longer need defending, they are raising money for Isaiah's work in Sierra Leone. Just because there are some with a pro gay agenda who like to spam the message boards spewing their hatefulness or some members of the pro gay Hollywood press who are trying to gain readership on the back of Isaiah's blunder at the Golden Globes does not mean that Isaiah does not have many fans. The vocal people who do not want him to return are in the minority and I find them pathetic. These are people whose hateful comments towards Isaiah are far worse than anything Isaiah ever said that unintentionally hurt TR Knight's feelings. These people very intentionally crucify Isaiah for a word overheard that was said in the heat of an argument with someone else and with no intention of TR hearing or taking offense. They call him every name imaginable but cannot accept his apology for referring to his castmate by a derrogatory name. I find that somewhat ironic. Forgiveness is at least as important as respect. That is a lesson that they have yet to learn.
June 5th, 2007 10:29 PM
@ Burke...It would help who are referring to when posting. I'm truly sorry on the "misquoting" part since I thought you were quoting me, but it would help for communication purposes when you address you are referring too.
True, but we all interprets things and voice our interpretations. Whether it be about a fictional storyline or about a serious issue. And I still stand by what I said. Heigl does say it like it is to the best degree she can. It is still her intrepretation, but I don't view her in a negative way. In fact I don't view anyone in a negative way. I see the good in people. Actually, on Ellen she did say she was there. She said she was on the stairs reading her lines, but she was off to the side and heard it. T.R. was off around the corner, and he heard it too. The one person who was questioned first about the whole matter was Kate Walsh, and she clearly stated she wasn't on set. I think you might be confusing the two Katherines, but I clearly remembered Heigl saying she was on the stairs going over her lines because that's how we knew the incident took place in "Where The Boy's Are?".
See, I don't go to the writer's blog like I use because I don't like that it is not moderated. In fact I wish was moderated far better, and I wish this board(no offense to the people who run it) would have better moderation because there are spammers. IMO I think T.R. has a right to be pissed. Out of everyone he was hurt the most. It's great to hear Patrick, James, Katherine Heigl, and etc. move on but this isn't something one gets over quickly just like that. It really changed a lot of things in the media, how one talks to someone, and etc. It's going to take some time.
I can't speak for Hmmm2, but the internet is far and wide. I too do not see many Isaiah supporters. In fact, I wish the internet fanbases could just get along for once because it seems the cast is thriving to do that. To say hey Isaiah got his consequences he deserved(not to sound harsh as intended but in any occupation he could have been easily fired for his comment by lawa) and he made a mistake, but we still want him back. I just wish people would just stop hating cast members period, and not have to microanaylze every quote one speaks. Which IMO leads to a lot of miscommunication and misinterpretation. Sadly, I don't see that ever happening, but one thing that doesn't help is the writers/ABC exploiting the whole matter for storyline/rating reasons.
June 8th, 2007 12:37 PM
I am tired of what Katherine has to say. I'm tired of the "Izzy" character. It seems to me that she is too busy worried about Isaiah. T. R. Knight is grown man, he can take up for himself.
June 9th, 2007 5:54 PM
Actually EP said she was in the kitchen and heard it all and said that she knew how bad it would get and be blown up in the media...however she's said nothing further!!
KH just needs to be quiet..it wasn't about her so shush up and leave it alone, she's really starting to annoy me with it all as well!
June 21st, 2007 8:51 PM
Katherine, I think you COULD have Kate Winslet's type of career. I think you're a real talent. A joy to watch on screen. Have a great summer. Can't wait for your next film.
October 7th, 2007 4:32 PM
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