Katherine Heigl: Get the inside scoop on her 'Grey's Anatomy' departure
Katherine Heigl left 'Grey's Anatomy' early in its run. Co-star Ellen Pompeo discussed Katherine Heigl's and Isaiah Washington's controversial departures in a recent interview.
Katherine Heigl poses at Variety's 4th annual Power of Women event in Beverly Hills, Calif., Oct. 5, 2012.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/File
Ellen Pompeo has finally broken her silence on the much-publicized drama behind-the-scenes with former 鈥淕rey鈥檚 Anatomy鈥� co-stars Katherine Heigl and Isaiah Washington that plagued the hit ABC series earlier in its run.
The actress certainly didn鈥檛 mince words over Heigl鈥檚 controversial 2010 departure from the Shonda Rhimes-created series.
鈥淲hen Katie left, it was tough. You could understand why she wanted to go 鈥� when you鈥檙e offered $12 million a movie and you鈥檙e only 26,鈥� Pompeo told the New York Post.
鈥淏ut Katie鈥檚 problem is that she should not have renewed her contract. She re-upped, took a big raise and then tried to get off the show. And then her movie career did not take off.鈥�
Ouch.
In the profile celebrating the show鈥檚 200th episode milestone, Pompeo also discussed objecting to her titular character, Meredith Grey, being potentially paired on-screen with fired co-star Isaiah Washington.
鈥淵ou know they wanted Isaiah Washington to be my boyfriend. Shonda really wanted to put a black man in the mix. I didn鈥檛 think they were really going to put an interracial couple on the show, and I didn鈥檛 want him,鈥� Pompeo said.
The actress felt the storyline too closely resembled her personal life. Pompeo is married to African-American music industry veteran Chris Ivery.
鈥淚t was too close to home 鈥� I said I wanted that Dempsey kid. I think that once Isaiah did not get the role it backfired,鈥� she said.
Washington鈥檚 ouster from the ABC series followed a heated on-set confrontation where he called homosexual co-star T.R. Knight a derogatory gay slur, and subsequent incident in which the actor dropped the F-bomb backstage at the 2007 Golden Globe Awards after 鈥淕rey鈥檚鈥� won best drama series.
Of the show鈥檚 backstage turmoil, Pompeo said: 鈥淗urt feelings, combined with instant success and huge paychecks started things spinning out of control. The crazier things got, as I watched all the tumult with Isaiah and then the Katie thing, I started to focus on the work.鈥�