It’s been over a decade since Gray’s Anatomy followers noticed Izzie, however that doesn’t imply that followers have forgotten concerning the former Seattle Grace doc — or her portrayer, Katherine Heigl.
“I felt very protecting of Izzie,” Heigl informed USA Right now in 2010. “I actually cherished her. I felt she was an admirable lady who actually made errors. However I used to be beginning to not like her, and that bothered me.”
The Firefly star appeared as Izzie Stevens for greater than 100 episodes of the ABC medical drama, however she left the sequence midway by means of taking pictures season six in 2010. Her departure got here after Heigl publicly feuded with creator Shonda Rhimes.
“There was a decision to Izzie’s story. We had deliberate to have her come again for an episode to actually correctly tie up Izzie and Alex (Justin Chambers),” Krista Vernoff, who labored on seasons 1-7 of Gray’s earlier than returning because the showrunner for season 14, informed the Los Angeles Instances in November 2020. “And I wrote that episode, and it was lovely. The day earlier than it was supposed to begin prepping or taking pictures, I can’t keep in mind, we obtained a name that Katie wasn’t coming. Simply wasn’t coming. Wasn’t going to do it. It turned my job to remain up all evening for a number of nights and reimagine a script that didn’t embody Izzie.”
Vernoff added: “And for years and years and years and years and years, the followers scream at us, ‘How may you?’ Properly, that’s the behind-the-scenes story. That’s what occurred. I’m not saying that to bash Katie. I don’t know what was taking place in her life.”
After the L.A. Instances‘ profile was printed, nonetheless, sources near Heigl informed Us that Vernoff was “mistaken” when it got here to the actress’ exit from the sequence. “Katherine was again in L.A. after parental depart (when she adopted her daughter) ready to be referred to as to set,” the insider mentioned.
Both approach, Izzie’s character was typically talked about on Gray’s Anatomy through the years by Chambers’ Alex Karev or Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Gray — and after Chambers quietly left the present throughout season 16, followers discovered Alex reunited with Izzie, who secretly had their twins, offscreen in Kansas.
“Once I left the present in season 7, individuals requested me if there was any probability of me ever coming again,” Vernoff informed Deadline in 2020 when requested concerning the possibilities Heigl and/or Chambers would return at some point. “I used to be good sufficient to say, ‘By no means say by no means.’ Right here I’m, so who is aware of?”
Scroll by means of for essentially the most telling quotes from Heigl about Izzie, behind-the-scenes drama and extra:
Credit score: Abc-Television/Kobal/Shutterstock
All the pieces Katherine Heigl Has Stated About ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ Since Season 6 Exit
It’s been over a decade since Gray’s Anatomy followers noticed Izzie, however that doesn’t imply that followers have forgotten concerning the former Seattle Grace doc — or her portrayer, Katherine Heigl.
“I felt very protecting of Izzie,” Heigl informed USA Right now in 2010. “I actually cherished her. I felt she was an admirable lady who actually made errors. However I used to be beginning to not like her, and that bothered me.”
The Firefly star appeared as Izzie Stevens for greater than 100 episodes of the ABC medical drama, however she left the sequence midway by means of taking pictures season six in 2010. Her departure got here after Heigl publicly feuded with creator Shonda Rhimes.
“There was a decision to Izzie’s story. We had deliberate to have her come again for an episode to actually correctly tie up Izzie and Alex (Justin Chambers),” Krista Vernoff, who labored on seasons 1-7 of Gray’s earlier than returning because the showrunner for season 14, informed the Los Angeles Instances in November 2020. “And I wrote that episode, and it was lovely. The day earlier than it was supposed to begin prepping or taking pictures, I can’t keep in mind, we obtained a name that Katie wasn’t coming. Simply wasn’t coming. Wasn’t going to do it. It turned my job to remain up all evening for a number of nights and reimagine a script that didn’t embody Izzie.”
Vernoff added: “And for years and years and years and years and years, the followers scream at us, ‘How may you?’ Properly, that’s the behind-the-scenes story. That’s what occurred. I’m not saying that to bash Katie. I don’t know what was taking place in her life.”
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After the L.A. Instances‘ profile was printed, nonetheless, sources near Heigl informed Us that Vernoff was “mistaken” when it got here to the actress’ exit from the sequence. “Katherine was again in L.A. after parental depart (when she adopted her daughter) ready to be referred to as to set,” the insider mentioned.
Both approach, Izzie’s character was typically talked about on Gray’s Anatomy through the years by Chambers’ Alex Karev or Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Gray — and after Chambers quietly left the present throughout season 16, followers discovered Alex reunited with Izzie, who secretly had their twins, offscreen in Kansas.
“Once I left the present in season 7, individuals requested me if there was any probability of me ever coming again,” Vernoff informed Deadline in 2020 when requested concerning the possibilities Heigl and/or Chambers would return at some point. “I used to be good sufficient to say, ‘By no means say by no means.’ Right here I’m, so who is aware of?”
Scroll by means of for essentially the most telling quotes from Heigl about Izzie, behind-the-scenes drama and extra:
Credit score: Vivian Zink/Abc-Television/Kobal/Shutterstock
Emmys Reflection
Heigl made headlines in 2008 when she withdrew herself from Emmys consideration as a result of she didn’t assume her season 4 “materials” warranted a nomination — a transfer that offended Rhimes on the time.
“I didn’t be ok with my efficiency and there was part of me that thought, as a result of I had received the 12 months earlier than, that I wanted juicy, dramatic, emotional materials,” the 27 Clothes star later informed Howard Stern in April 2016. “So, I went to Shonda and mentioned, ‘I’m so sorry. That wasn’t cool, and I mustn’t have mentioned that.’ And I shouldn’t have mentioned something publicly. However on the time, I didn’t assume anybody would discover … I simply quietly didn’t submit after which it turned a narrative, and I felt I used to be obligated to make my assertion, and … ‘Shut up, Katie.'”
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Her Relationship With Shonda
Each Heigl and Rhimes have been requested about their falling out through the years, with the author as soon as declaring there was “no Heigls” allowed on the set of Scandal.
“I’m sorry that she feels that approach and I want her nothing however greatness and I’ve nothing destructive to say about [her]. I am a giant fan of her work,” Heigl informed Entry’ Mario Lopez in 2014 after Rhimes’ comment went viral. “I watch Scandal each week and so I am sorry she’s left with such a crappy impression of me. I want I may do one thing to vary that. Possibly I can sometime.”
Heigl added that it took “some stomaching” to deal with her destructive picture. “[I’ve realized] there’s nothing I can do about this besides to type of show it mistaken, ? And the one technique to show it mistaken is for individuals to have a piece expertise with me that does not converse to that in any respect,” she mentioned.
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McDreamy’s Dying
“I simply can’t even think about the present with out McDreamy. I simply can’t! It’s so laborious to image,” Heigl informed Leisure Tonight after Patrick Dempsey left the sequence in 2015.
Credit score: Theo Kingma/Shutterstock
Being Labeled ‘Troublesome’
“I could have mentioned a few belongings you didn’t like, however then that escalated to ‘she’s ungrateful,’ then that escalated to ‘she’s troublesome,’ and that escalated to ‘she’s unprofessional,’” Heigl recalled to The Washington Submit in January 2021. “What’s your definition of inauspicious? Someone with an opinion that you simply don’t like? Now, I’m 42, and that s–t pisses me off.”
She continued: “On the time, I used to be simply shortly informed to close the f–okay up. The extra I mentioned I used to be sorry, the extra they wished it. The extra terrified and scared I used to be of doing one thing mistaken, the extra I got here throughout like I had actually executed one thing horribly mistaken.”
Credit score: Abc-Television/Kobal/Shutterstock; Mike Rosenthal/ABC
How Izzie Would Really feel About Jo
TVLine knowledgeable Heigl that Alex married Camilla Luddington’s Jo in the course of the season 14 finale of Gray’s Anatomy in 2018. “That’s thrilling. Alex wanted to search out love — real love,” she mentioned that July. “I’d have to begin questioning the place Izzie is. Like, what’s she doing? The place did she go? I’d hope that she pursued her [medical] profession … She may have youngsters by now. She may very well be married … If she has moved on, then I’d count on Izzie to be very pleased for him. She would need him to be pleased. She’d be jealous [of Jo] for positive, proper? She’d need him to carry out for her.”
Later that month, Luddington reacted to Heigl’s response throughout an unique interview with Us: “That’s actually cute! What I think about is for Izzie is she form of thinks by way of how Alex thinks about her. In our three hundredth episode, he mentioned that he hopes she has this wonderful life. I hope Izzie resides her greatest life and she or he’s hoping the very best for Alex.”
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The Ship Has Sailed?
“I haven’t [thought about Izzie] in years. I don’t know if I’d or if I wouldn’t,” Heigl informed Leisure Tonight in July 2019 when requested about making a cameo on the long-running present. “I nearly really feel like that may nearly be distracting once more to, type of, what they’ve executed with that present within the seven years since I left … and what that’s grow to be and what it’s to the followers now. It should really feel like it could simply be form of like, ‘Yeah, we already let that go … why are you right here?’”
Credit score: Eric Mccandless/Abc-Television/Kobal/Shutterstock
Alex and Izzie’s Reunion
Lower than two years after Heigl celebrated Alex and Jo’s union in 2018, Chambers left the sequence and it was revealed that Alex and Izzie reunited offscreen.
“I didn’t see it. … Wasn’t he with somebody? Hear, isn’t that an a–gap transfer? I’m sorry!” Heigl informed Leisure Tonight of Alex leaving Jo to be with Izzie and their twins.
Credit score: Richard Cartwright/Abc-Television/Kobal/Shutterstock
The Newest on a Potenital Return
Since her 2010 departure, Heigl has each dominated out and campaigned for a return to Gray’s Anatomy. As of January 2021, her official stance is: “By no means say by no means.”
She informed The Washington Submit on the time: “I believe it could simply be utterly dependent upon the staff over there, how they really feel about it, and the story.”
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Addressing the Emmys Drama Once more
In Lynette Rice’s 2021 e-book The best way to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Gray’s Anatomy, Heigl commented on the controversy surrounding her Emmy’s consideration withdrawal.
“I assumed I used to be doing the proper factor. And I wished to be clear that I wasn’t snubbing the Emmys. The evening I received was the spotlight of my profession. I simply was afraid that if I mentioned, ‘No remark,’ it was going to come back off like I could not be bothered,” she famous.
The Life As We Know It actress added, “I may have extra gracefully mentioned that with out going into a non-public work matter. It was between me and the writers. I ambushed them and it wasn’t very good or truthful.”