It wasn't just fun and games when Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo sat down for a reunion photo shoot and interview segment with Variety recently. The two friends delved into their personal histories on Grey's Anatomy, in particular Heigl's perceived “difficult” reputation on the show in its early seasons.
Heigl had a lot to say on the matter, explaining: “I was so naive. I got on my soapbox and I had some things to say, and I felt really passionate about this stuff. I felt really strongly. I felt so strongly that I also got a megaphone out on my soapbox. There was no part of me that imagined a bad reaction. I felt really justified in how I felt about it and where I was coming from.”
She continued that “I’ve spent most of my life — I think most women do — being in that people-pleasing mode. It’s really disconcerting when you feel like you have really displeased everybody. It was not my intention to do so, but I had some things to say, and I didn’t think I was going to get such a strong reaction.”
Heigl said the benefit of hindsight, and now looking at it from her 40-something perspective, has been helpful to process everything. She explains that when she was on Grey's Anatomy, “I was in my late 20s. It took me until probably my mid- to late-30s to really get back to tuning out all of the noise and going, ‘But who are you? Are you this bad person? Are you ungrateful? Are you unprofessional? Are you difficult?' Because I was confused! I thought maybe I was. I literally believed that version, and felt such shame for such a long time, and then had to go, ‘Wait. Who am I listening to? I’m not even listening to myself. I know who I am.'”
Ellen Pompeo is very supportive of Heigl in the interview, suggesting her co-star was just ahead of her time — since actors regularly express their opinions in full force these days on Twitter.
It might not have been an official Grey's Anatomy reunion, but seeing Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo together again in any capacity should be enough to get fans of the long-running medical drama excited.
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