Cast News (Page 9)

Regardless of what really happened on the Grey's Anatomy set, we all know the ultimate result was that Isaiah Washington was not asked to return to the program.

As Isaiah attempts to restart his career, he paid a visit to the set of Access Hollywood for a candid interview with Billy Bush - mere hours after it was announced that T.R. Knight received an Emmy nomination.

"Do you think he benefited from this dust up?" Isaiah was asked by Bush regarding T.R. Knight and his Emmy nomination.

"T.R. Knight is a good actor. He has been a wonderful actor from day one," Isaiah said. "T.R. Knight, congratulations. He finally got the attention he deserved."

In fact, it was only well wishes from Isaiah for his former Grey's Anatomy co-star who received his first Emmy nomination on Thursday.

"Whether or not it serves any particular agenda that he's nominated now, to make a point, I can't speak on that. That's theoretical. I don't know, but good for him," the former Dr. Burke said.

Washington claims the controversy stemming from the Grey's Anatomy set had nothing to do with his decision to not submit his name for Emmy consideration, as actors typically do.

"It wasn't about not submitting because of the backlash," Isaiah Washington said. "I didn't want the pain of being nominated and losing. I didn't have a good time at the last Emmys. It was the stress of 'Are we going to win? Are we going to win?' the whole day. I remember being on the red carpet and my wife and I had the biggest argument because of my nerves."

Of course, it's not the first time the pressure of an awards show appears to have gotten to Washington, there was the post-Golden Globes incident.

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A surprise reunion for the resurgent Isaiah Washington and two of his former Grey's Anatomy co-stars - James Pickens, Jr. and Chandra Wilson - took place at an event for a good cause.

The actor, who was let go from the ABC hit in June, unexpectedly showed up Saturday at Kiki Shepard's 5th Annual Celebrity Bowling Challenge to "Bowl a Strike for Sickle Cell Disease" at the PINZ Entertainment Center in L.A.

Washington, who seemed in good spirits, casually greeted James Pickens, Jr., with a pat on the back before the two got to catching up, then gave Wilson a hearty hug and kiss hello.

Carrying an unlit cigar, Washington opted not to bowl and instead watched as James Pickens, Jr., who plays Dr. Richard Webber on Grey's Anatomy, showed off his bowling skills with a few strikes and a couple of spares.

As we reported yesterday, however, Isaiah Washington, 43, has already made a strike of his own.

The actor has landed some new TV roles, including a guest-starring role on this fall's NBC remake of The Bionic Woman with Michelle Ryan.

He's also landed a development deal as the lead star in a potential action drama he pitched to NBC for the 2008-09 season, according to USA Today.

While details of his role on The Bionic Woman remain a mystery, NBC co-chair Ben Silverman thinks this could be a stepping stone for Washington.

"I think he could be an action star," Silverman said. "There aren't any African-American action stars on television, so I thought we'd give him a forum to do his thing."

Silverman, who knows Washington through a mutual friend who's organizing charitable events in Africa, made the decision to hire Washington based on personal knowledge rather than the hype surrounding his often-discussed argument on the Grey's Anatomy set.

"I just think he's a great actor," says Silverman.

As for Washington's former home base, with the Grey's team having reported back to work last Monday, Wilson told People it just isn't the same.

"There's something missing," said Wilson, who plays Dr. Miranda Bailey. "There are definitely big voids there, so you're trying to figure out how do you work now with the voids ... not only personally but for the characters ... and what does that mean?'"

Pickens declined to discuss Washington but did offer some kind words for Kate Walsh, who is also gone, having left to start her own show, Private Practice.

"[Kate Walsh] was such integral part of the cast, so beautiful and funny," he said. "But I'm so happy for her with the new show. I wish her nothing but success with it."

At Monday's gathering of the cast - the first since Season 3 of Grey's ended in May - "We started with a vengeance," said Chandra Wilson. "It's like full 14-hour days already, so it didn't feel like we took a break."

"You hit the ground running," Pickens added.

Added to the cast is Chyler Leigh, who plays Lexie Grey, Meredith Grey's half-sister and a new Seattle Grace intern.

"She's really talented." Pickens said of Chyler Leigh. "We're looking forward to seeing how she integrates into the cast. I haven't had any scenes with her, but from what I've seen I think she's going to be a great addition."

Real life and the land of fairy tales collide in Disney's new movie, Enchanted. A key role in the film belongs to none other than Patrick Dempsey, who said he chose the project in large part because of his five-year-old daughter, Talula, and wanting to be in something she could relate to. Looks like fun:

If Chyler Leigh already feels nervous, like the new kid in school, let's hope she doesn't read too many Grey's Anatomy fan sites.

Leigh joined the show as Lexie Grey, Meredith Grey's half-sister and new Seattle Grace intern, for Season Three's final two episodes. Two weeks ago, she became a series regular.

The news hasn't gone over well with fans, but on her second day of filming on the Grey's Anatomy set this season, the new cast member tells People magazine that she - and everyone else - is happy to be back.

"Everyone is super gung-ho about the season," Leigh said. "Shonda Rhimes said in her blog that this is going to be a different season. Last season was so dramatic, everything came crashing down. This season will be the redemption from that mayhem."

The show was rocked by the controversy over Isaiah Washington's remarks, ending with the actor's dismissal and parting comments.

But Chyler Leigh, 25, says the experience of joining a hit show as big as Greys Anatomy has been a series of pinch-me moments.

"I'm still in every moment looking behind myself going: Who me?'" she says. "I still walk on and before every scene my heart starts pounding, but that's always been the case for me. I use it as a motivator."

Leigh is married to actor Nathan Woods and has two children with him, Noah, 3, and Taelyn, 10 months. She's had several roles to prepare her for the experience, including gigs on Reunion and The Practice.

"At first I had that kind of new kid in school feeling," the newest Grey's Anatomy star jokes. "But everyone has been warm and welcoming with lots of hugs and pats on the back. This whole experience has been wonderfully overwhelming. My biggest thing right now is just: Buckle up! I don't know what to expect."

TV Guide reports today that the Grey's Anatomy brain trust has officially promoted Chyler Leigh (a.k.a. Mer's half-sister, Lexie Grey) to a series regular.

An ABC Studios rep confirmed the move, stating that Chyler Leigh is signed for at least 13 episodes at the present time.

The news confirms our story from last week about Leigh possibly joining the cast.

It also comes in spite of a report that Grey's test audiences chewed up and spit out the Lexie character during a recent focus group.

Her flirtation with Derek Shepherd - one of only two scenes featuring Lexie Grey thus far - didn't help.

In any case, Chyler Leigh appears to be here to stay.

In related news, the spin-off, Private Practice, also added a new star in KaDee Strickland (The Wedding Bells) to play the administrator of Oceanside Wellness Center. She too will be a series regular.

While it may seem as though Chandra Wilson came out of nowhere to become an overnight success, she had actually been chugging along in the industry for almost 20 years before she hit it big on Grey's Anatomy.

From her humble beginnings as a bit player on sitcoms and films to her brief stint as a bank employee, the unabashed soap opera buff has paid her dues. Now she's leading a stellar Grey's Anatomy cast.

Chandra is the AskMen.com featured actress of the week, and we're happy to pass along their feature on her. After all, as talented as she is, Chandra is still a relative unknown to some.

Why do we love her?
Chandra Wilson has deftly managed to take her abrasive Grey's Anatomy character, Dr. Miranda Bailey, and transform her into a compelling, sympathetic figure that viewers can't help but root for (a feat that's even more impressive when one remembers that Bailey was dubbed "The Nazi" by her underlings).

Why is she famous?
Aside her career-making role on Grey's Anatomy, Chandra Wilson has popped up in films such as 1993's Philadelphia and 2003's Head of State, and she has also made appearances on several well-known television shows, including Third Watch, Law & Order and Sex and the City.

She said it
"They told me I could come back if acting doesn't work out. I told them, ‘Keep my seat warm.'"
- Chandra on returning to her bank job

"Basically, what folks have is a deep appreciation for what they're able to see on television. And I understand, from the outside looking in, how big that is. How big it is to see me playing Dr. Miranda Bailey."
- Chandra on her character

Background
Chandra Danette Wilson was born on August 27, 1969, in Houston, Texas. Chandra was bitten by the acting bug early in life, and at the age of five, she made her debut in a series of musicals at the prestigious Theatre Under the Stars. Chandra's passion for performance made her an ideal fit at Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where she honed her acting abilities and appeared in a number of school productions. Following high school, Chandra enrolled in NYU's Tisch School of the Arts - which boasts such famous faces as Kristen Bell, Selma Blair and Anne Hathaway among other alumni - and eventually graduated with a BFA in drama.

Despite appearing for a grand total of about two minutes at the end of Season 3, Chyler Leigh almost instantly became Grey's Anatomy's most hated.

So great is the animosity and concern over the arrival of Lexie Grey that many readers couldn't bear to participate in our Caption Contest involving her.

What's to come of the younger Grey intern in Season 4? We'll have to wait and see.

But here's a little tidbit from the TV Guide insider Michael Ausiello on Grey's Anatomy and Chyler Leigh...

Question: I hear that Mer's sister on Grey's Anatomy (a.k.a. Chyler Leigh) will be made a series regular next season. Seriously?
Ausiello: Nothing official yet, but that's what I'm hearing, too. Speaking of Grey's Anatomy, the title of the season premiere just landed on my lap, and, considering what Shonda Rhimes put us through in that finale, it sounds very promising. It's called, "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Looks like there's plenty more to be seen from Lexie Grey. And what do you think the change that's gonna come refers to?

Leading lady Ellen Pompeo daringly pulled off a one-shouldered dress from the Christian Dior Fall 2007 collection Monday at John Galliano's Haute-Couture Fall-Winter 2008 collection presentation held at ‘l Orangerie' of the Versailles Castle near Paris, France.

The Grey's Anatomy star finished off her look with a pair of Christian Louboutin slingbacks and her main man, music producer fiance Chris Ivery.

As always, we're glad to see news and pictures of Ellen Pompeo. Click here for another photo of Ellen and Chris. What do you think of her outfit?

Isaiah Washington blamed co-star Patrick Dempsey's repeated tardiness to the Grey's Anatomy set for the infamous blow-up which resulted in Washington using a homophobic slur.

Interviewed last night on Larry King Live, Washington said he regretted that he did not confront Dempsey the first time he was late to the set, so he challenged him when the actor was late again.

But Dempsey wanted to delay the scene more to wait for Grey's star Ellen Pompeo, who plays Dempsey's love interest, before shooting began.

"I said I don't need Ellen, I can act," Washington told Larry King. "And that was the moment that sent it into a different zone."

According to Washington, Patrick Dempsey erupted.

"He became unhinged, sprayed spittle in my face," said Washington, in his first TV interview about the controversy. "I'm asking him why is he screaming at me... He just becomes irate."

That's when Washington said "a lot of things I'm not really proud of."

"I said several bad words," he recalled, quoting himself as telling Dempsey: "There's no way you're going to treat me like the B-word, the P-word or the F-word."

He said that the "F-word" was not meant as an anti-gay slur, but implied "somebody who is being weak."

Washington also strongly denied he ever directed the word at gay costar T.R. Knight, as frequently reported and insinuated by the press.

"I am not homophobic, in no way, shape or form," said Washington.

As for T.R. Knight claiming the slur was directed at him, Isaiah Washington said that is patently false.

"That's a lie. He misrepresented himself," Washington said, suggesting that Knight did that to advance his career and get more money.

"He has been very disappointed in playing the character he has been playing. He told me that," Isaiah added.

But Washington said he felt badly about repeating the slur backstage at the Golden Globe Awards, when he attempted to explain the context in which he used it in the first place.

"I wish I could take that back," Isaiah Washington said.

He became emotional at one point in the interview.

When King asked if any cast members had written him, Washington paused and appeared close to tears when recalling that Sandra Oh had.

Washington attended counseling and finished Season 3 of Grey's Anatomy after the incident, but was released from the hit ABC series a month ago as Preston Burke was written out of the show.

Larry King said on the air that the Grey's Anatomy producers, Patrick Dempsey and T.R. Knight all declined to comment.

Unlike her romantically challenged Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice character, Kate Walsh knows love when it finds her.

She and Alex Young got engaged in May after dating for just three months.

"We've been together since February," Kate Walsh, 39, told People at a poolside party for facialist Kate Somerville at the Beverly Wilshire hotel.

"I know. I'm literally living the dream. But you know when you know. I was not expecting it, so it's kind of amazing."

While Kate Walsh says she really loves "everything" about her fiancé, a production co-president at 20th Century Fox, she admits she's partial to his looks.

"He's pretty handsome," she said, adding with a giggle: "He's ridiculously handsome!"

It doesn't hurt that he's helping with wedding plans... in his own way:

"He's really great. He's there, but not in the way! He wants to contribute."

So, she's taken charge.

"You start getting into this and you don't want to be a cliché, but then suddenly you're like, 'I'm doing all this stuff!'"

Considering she's also preparing for her new series, Private Practice, which starts shooting in mid-July, her schedule must be packed.

"It's insane, yeah," she said. But she has a mantra that keeps her centered when it comes to wedding planning: "Delegate, delegate, delegate!"

To help her manage things, she and Alex Young are taking a quick vacation.

"We're going to a balmy island," she said. "This is my getaway, and as soon as I come back we just hit the ground running."

No wedding date is officially set for Kate, or Grey's Anatomy leading lady Ellen Pompeo and fiance Chris Ivery. Katherine Heigl, the third engaged cast member, plans to wed musician Josh Kelley right before Christmas. We're happy for all three of these terrific actresses.