CMU School of Drama


Friday, April 22, 2022

Ellen Pompeo Backs Former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Costar Katherine Heigl’s Claims of ‘Cruel’ Production Schedule

www.thewrap.com: Ellen Pompeo says there’s truth to her former “Grey’s Anatomy” costar Katherine Heigl’s 2009 claims about the medical drama’s long and grueling work hours.

2 comments:

Megan Hanna said...

I have watched Grey’s Anatomy since I was in middle school and I was always so confused as to why they wrote Izzy off the show. She was such an integral part of the show, although all Grey’s Anatomy fans know now that they aren’t afraid to kill any character on that show no matter the size. Looking back now as an adult at what occured in 2009, Katherine was brave and right for standing against harsh working conditions and should’ve never been blacklisted because of it. Apparently, at that point in time she was on her way to being Hollywoods next it girl, but she put her own beliefs ahead of that. It’s nice that Ellen is able to confirm this considering she still has ties with Shonda, but why after 13 years. You also can’t blame it on the fact that Katherine was just ahead of her time especially when people framed her as being crazy and a diva.

Liberty Lapayowker said...

As someone who has been watching Grey’s Anatomy with my family for as long as I can remember, this article particularly stood out to me. I never thought twice while watching this tv series before I became interested in theatre, but now I watch these episodes asking myself questions like “I wonder how they decided that camera angle” or “are they re-configuring one set to make it look like another?”. With my found interest for technical theatre, came the reality that there are people behind these characters that continue to their own (somewhat) private lives. Therefore, I find it interesting that people are only realizing just now that what Katherine Heigl said in 2009 was extremely valid. I also appreciate the way Ellen Pompeo speaks about her costar because she does so in a manner of respect. One reason I enjoy being a stage manager is to be able to work with a team of people and the cast of Grey’s Anatomy is truly a family that supports one another.