Katherine Heigl bites the hand that feeds her... again.

Aglaia · Jun 18, 2008

Okay, so normally I take what comes out of Hollywood with a grain of salt, since normally the crap that comes out about celebrities is usually just that. Except when it comes out of their own mouths...

Seems to me like every time this woman opens her mouth, her head grows a little bigger. This time, her (inferred) victims are the writers of Greys Anatomy, who (one could argue) helped her win her Emmy last year.

She took herself out of the running for an Emmy this year, stating, "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination..." Seriously? Read the whole article here.

Anybody else amazed, or is it just me?

Don Allen · Jun 18, 2008

Its the old hollywood addiction to one's self.... I remember when David Caruso caught the bug and quit NYPD Blue seeking greatness in his own image only to find out he was actually a one dimensional actor who needed television mor e then television needed him. I think Heigle is utterly beautiful and a talent with a potential upside, but this ego thing of hers will be her undoing because truth be told she isn't so good that she can't be replaced.

kristie911 · Jun 18, 2008

I'm sick of her. I hope the Grey's writers write her right off the show. She's beautiful and probably a little talented but she's so stuck on herself that it's very unattractive. There are far more talented people on the show...and they are far more interesting to watch. Like Sara Ramirez, Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, Sandra Oh, Chandra Wilson...okay, probably everyone else on the show.

Sarita · Jun 18, 2008

I kinda like her. And she's right. The writing on Grey's SUCKED this season. Sure, it was in the middle of a strike and they had to stop and pick back up. And sure, the writing on the back 9 of the season was better than the front 9, but it still was NOT Emmy worthy. I'm with her on that.

Jcomp · Jun 18, 2008

It seems she's trying to distance herself from the show so she can pursue feature films, but there has to be an easier way to do that, no?

maestrowork · Jun 18, 2008

Jcomp said:
It seems she's trying to distance herself from the show so she can pursue feature films, but there has to be an easier way to do that, no?

But why? She's been pretty successful in features (as does Patrick Demsey). There's no reason for her to distance herself from the show. I think she's just speaking the truth (about the writing) but it came out sounding bad (wrapping it around her "Emmy nomination").

I know what it's like when the writers don't give you enough material to work on. Ming-Na was very frustrated when she was on ER -- most of the time she had nothing to do. She rarely got a good story line -- and it was one reason why she quit the show. But then again, she never publicly said that. So I guess it comes down to tact. Some may think Heigl's ego (and a few successful films) got to her head. Some may say she was just being outspoken.

Soccer Mom · Jun 18, 2008

She may have been right about the writing not being top notch, but publicly dissing your writers probably isn't the way to get better material.

Aglaia · Jun 18, 2008

maestrowork said:
Some may think Heigl's ego (and a few successful films) got to her head. Some may say she was just being outspoken.

I would completely agree if she hadn't done exactly the same thing before, running her mouth off about how Knocked Up was insulting to women about 6 months after the movie shot her to stardom. Why take a role if you don't believe in it? That said more to me about her character than it did about the movie. As does this.

I really want to like her because I think she's actually a pretty decent actress. And I agree that Grey's doesn't deserve much attention this year - I was just appalled that, once again, she's running her mouth about a role that she took (she signed another contract recently to stay on Grey's, as I understand). And if I were a writer on the show, I'd be pretty miffed.

Jcomp · Jun 18, 2008

maestrowork said:
But why? She's been pretty successful in features (as does Patrick Demsey). There's no reason for her to distance herself from the show.

True, but I imagine that at some point larger, more demanding roles are going to require more of her time. The schedule is probably pretty brutal as it is. There's a reason why a lot of television actors / actresses who make the leap to feature films leave television behind altogether to do so.

katiemac · Jun 18, 2008

Saritams8 said:
I kinda like her. And she's right. The writing on Grey's SUCKED this season. Sure, it was in the middle of a strike and they had to stop and pick back up. And sure, the writing on the back 9 of the season was better than the front 9, but it still was NOT Emmy worthy. I'm with her on that.

She may have been right about the writing not being top notch, but publicly dissing your writers probably isn't the way to get better material.

I agree with both of these. I like her as an actress (although I dislike her Grey's character very much), but the writing on Grey's wasn't very good--for both the show and for her character in particular.

But if she felt the need to respond to the comments to her press rep about leaving her name out of the Emmys, she could have responded in a much more diplomatic way that didn't include blaming the writers. Chalking it up to a personal decision based on her performance is the better way to go, IMO--and "blaming" the strike would have been an easier way to do that.

Then again, I didn't think she deserved the Emmy win last year. She has some good performances on the show, true, but other times ...

Sarita · Jun 18, 2008

Soccer Mom said:
She may have been right about the writing not being top notch, but publicly dissing your writers probably isn't the way to get better material.

Totally agree.

Katie's right. She could have been more diplomatic about it.

ChaosTitan · Jun 18, 2008

I saw an article like this a few days ago, and I was all set to dislike her until I got to this quote:

"In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials."

Maybe it was a publicity ploy, maybe she really is an outspoken bitch. I don't know. I honestly don't care, because she's nothing if not honest. And that's pretty rare to see in Hollywood. It takes guts to say you don't want to compete against your fellow actresses, because you don't feel you turned in an award-worthy performance.

I don't see it as a direct diss on the writers; her character was underused this year. As Ray mentioned with Ming-Na, it happens all the time when a series cast is that big. In the first three years, Izzie Stevens got the meaty storylines. Now it's time for other characters to shine.

Sarita · Jun 18, 2008

ChaosTitan said:
In the first three years, Izzie Stevens got the meaty storylines. Now it's time for other characters to shine.

*sigh* I miss Denny Duquette... I think I need to watch PS. I love you again

maestrowork · Jun 18, 2008

ChaosTitan said:
...she's nothing if not honest. And that's pretty rare to see in Hollywood. It takes guts to say you don't want to compete against your fellow actresses, because you don't feel you turned in an award-worthy performance.

That's how I see it, too. She may need tact, but I think she's just honest, and it's a rare thing. I don't see why an actress has to "keep her mouth shut" because she's offered $$ to play a role. If the writing sucks, the writing sucks. I think that may be her philosophy -- you say what you think. And the way she handled the TR Knight and Isaiah Washington debacle earned my respect -- she publicly dissed Washington (and told him to leave the Golden Globe ceremony) instead of "keeping her mouth shut." I applaud that.

Jcomp · Jun 18, 2008

maestrowork said:
That's how I see it, too. She may need tact, but I think she's just honest, and it's a rare thing. I don't see why an actress has to "keep her mouth shut" because she's offered $$ to play a role. If the writing sucks, the writing sucks. I think that may be her philosophy -- you say what you think. And the way she handled the TR Knight and Isaiah Washington debacle earned me my respect -- she publicly dissed Washington (and told him to leave the Golden Globe ceremony) instead of "keeping her mouth shut." I applaud that.

I remember that. She was very outspoken in that situation when other people were trying to keep it "in house" and speak somewhat diplomatically. Putting up the united front, etc. I liked that about her.

I think Ray's just a patent sucker for a pretty face though...

Aglaia · Jun 18, 2008

I totally agree regarding the Washington/Knight issue. And I'm not saying she should keep her mouth shut at all. What I'm saying is don't take the role if you think it's insulting (Knocked Up), and don't sign up again if you don't think it's worth your oh-so-special talent (Grey's). Period. Nothing more. If you've outgrown the role, good for you. Move on. Be a better actor somewhere else. But in an ensemble cast, sometimes other roles are going to, by necessity, take the focus away from you. That's what happens. Suck it up with dignity or move on. :Shrug:

maestrowork · Jun 18, 2008

Sometimes what you think the film/role is turns out very differently from the final version released to theater. Who knows what script she read when she accepted the role? As for Grey's -- she's under contract, and she has no control over the script. If she's not happy with it, I think she has every right to talk about it. Perhaps not so publicly, but gosh, we ALL talk about our work and frustration -- if our editors or publishers or bosses are not doing their job, we talk (and with celebrities, the media listens). What's so wrong with that?

I'm seriously not understanding why it's a bad thing to say "the writing wasn't up to par"? She's not saying, "the producers and writers are a bunch of idiots." Now, that's tactless.

Aglaia · Jun 18, 2008

maestrowork said:
Sometimes what you think the film/role is turns out very differently from the final version released to theater. Who knows what script she read when she accepted the role?

That's a good point.

nevada · Jun 18, 2008

My thought: if the writing sucked, she probably wouldn't have been nominated for an Emmy anyway. Why say you withdraw from consideration when it's not a sure thing you'll be nominated? To me that says that she pretty much figured she "would" be nominated, which to me is egocentric. If she honestly thought the work wasn't up to par then she also honestly should have realized that she might not have been nominated.

This is far different than Candice Bergen for example, who withdrew after winning a gazillion of them, saying enough is enough. That I admired. Heigl's move not so much. "I'm soooo good I am for sure going to get nominated so I will withdraw myself in a noble gesture." or, and here's another way of looking at it. "Oh my god, it all sucked so I won't be nominated which will totally humiliate me so I'm going to withdraw before it even happens."

katiemac · Jun 18, 2008

Maybe it was a publicity ploy, maybe she really is an outspoken bitch. I don't know. I honestly don't care, because she's nothing if not honest. And that's pretty rare to see in Hollywood. It takes guts to say you don't want to compete against your fellow actresses, because you don't feel you turned in an award-worthy performance.

I agree with this statement too--but another option I saw rather than to say "the writing didn't work," true or not, was to make the statement about taking away a spot for someone else the main issue. It's too bad the gossip magazines chose to contact her about the issue, anyway, and spin it into a big news story.

ACEnders · Jun 18, 2008

I like her. I love her character on Grey's, and I like everything I've seen about her. I don't think this is a big deal at all. I agree with Ray. I think it's admirable that she speaks her mind truthfully. No one in Hollywood does that. And I don't think it was meant as a "screw you" to the writers. This season sucked for everyone because of the writer's strike. I really don't see why everyone's so upset.

katiemac · Jun 18, 2008

I'm looking at this from a PR standpoint. Yes, it was truthful of her and it's good to be honest. But for her own protection, if nothing else, that statement should not have been released the way it was.

The only reason there's a story is because the news mags and entertainment shows chose to ask the question "What about the writers? Is she being a b*tch?" The statement really isn't that negative. But someone should have advised her it could lead to some bad opinions. If that's something she's comfortable about, then that's another story.

Aglaia · Jun 18, 2008

katiemac said:
I'm looking at this from a PR standpoint. Yes, it was truthful of her and it's good to be honest. But for her own protection, if nothing else, that statement should not have been released the way it was.

The only reason there's a story is because the news mags and entertainment shows chose to ask the question "What about the writers? Is she being a b*tch?" The statement really isn't that negative. But someone should have advised her it could lead to some bad opinions. If that's something she's comfortable about, then that's another story.

See now, you just said what I've been trying to say much better than me (obviously).

I basically look at it like this: I bitch about my job all the time. Privately. I can totally understand her not being happy about what's gone down at work. I just don't think it's cool that she's aired it this way - in a way that does, intentionally or not, infer that she's blaming the writers.

Look, I don't know how TV is made. I'm a secretary. But when I work on a project with several people, I'm a nice enough person that I don't go running off to make announcements in meetings that the work isn't up to par because the rest of the people on my team sucked ass. I'm better than that. I think it's rather sad that she's not.

She got my hackles up when she went all "feminist" with Knocked Up but never followed through with anything else. (Meaning, I've never seen her do any press to try to further women's issues since then, so I read that as her basically trying to use the issue for her own gain, which pissed me off. Maybe I missed it. Somehow I doubt it.) The more I see of her, the more I question her character, which means the less I like her as an actor, and that makes me sad, because I do think she has talent. *sigh*

Okay, I'm done now. :tongue

kristie911 · Jun 18, 2008

Aglaia said:
The more I see of her, the more I question her character, which means the less I like her as an actor, and that makes me sad, because I do think she has talent. *sigh*

This is exactly how I feel. I read an interview with her in a magazine several months ago (I can't for the life of me remember where or when...it was Glamour or Cosmo or some such magazine) and as I read it all I could think was, "wow is she self-centered." The whole tone of it just rubbed me the wrong way and she's sort of bugged me ever since...and comments like she made here don't help.

maestrowork · Jun 18, 2008

Actors are usually quite self-centered, especially in a magazine interview.

Katherine Heigl bites the hand that feeds her... again.

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