The Brutal Interviews That Soured Katherine Heigl's Reputation In Hollywood

Despite an impressive string of career successes, Katherine Heigl had a tough time in Hollywood for more than a decade following her departure from "Grey's Anatomy" in 2010. Even with hit rom-coms like "27 Dresses," "Knocked Up," and "The Ugly Truth" under her belt, Heigl got unfairly labeled as being difficult to work with, and many future job opportunities dried up as a result. It seems a series of unfortunate interviews Heigl did all the way back in 2007 is likely the reason for her career faltering for several years afterward.

Heigl sat down for an installment of Variety's "Actors on Actors" video series in June 2023, where she spoke with her former "Grey's Anatomy" co-star Ellen Pompeo. Heigl got candid about how her relationship with this industry – and with fans – soured due to her strongly worded and opinionated appearances during the height of her fame. She specifically pointed to an interview with Vanity Fair in 2007 in which she said she felt her film "Knocked Up" was "a little sexist," which later elicited a rebuke from co-star Seth Rogen.

She also took flack at the time for abstaining from being considered for an Emmy for her work on "Grey's Anatomy," because, as she told the Los Angeles Times (via Washington Post), she was not "given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination." Many saw this comment as Heigl throwing serious shade at the show's writers. Two years later, she took "Grey's Anatomy" to task for their strenuous 17-hour shooting days while appearing on "The Late Show With David Letterman." These outspoken complaints led to Heigl developing a reputation for being hard to work with. "I'm always the bad guy," Heigl told Pompeo. "People like me to be the bad guy."

Katherine Heigl has faced many tragedies throughout her life, and has remained resilient. However, the actress admitted that being chastised by many in Hollywood for speaking her truth did lead to something of an identity crisis in her 20s. Speaking with Ellen Pompeo, Heigl recalled how the blowback for her string of candid comments came as a surprise. "I was so naive... I got on my soapbox and I had some things to say, and I felt really passionate about this stuff," Heigl explained. "There was no part of me that imagined a bad reaction."

Regardless of how passionate she felt, the world's overwhelmingly negative response weighed heavily on her. She even left Hollywood as her home town and moved to a ranch in Utah with her husband, Josh Kelley, in 2010. According to Heigl, the backlash even made her question herself and whether or not she was a bad and ungrateful person. Eventually, however, she managed to find herself and even embraced her role as someone who will speak up against behavior she doesn't agree with. "I got comfortable with my role as the villain," Heigl said with a laugh, "and really enjoyed it."

Katherine Heigl on her controversial 2007 interview: "I was so naive. I got on my soapbox and I had some things to say, and I felt really passionate about this stuff." #ActorsOnActors https://t.co/lemCD7wIOj pic.twitter.com/uPfc9EF05s

— Variety (@Variety) June 6, 2023

Many of Heigl's friends and former co-stars, however, have come to her defense over the years. Pompeo herself said Heigl "was 100 percent right" about her critique of the "Grey's Anatomy." Meanwhile, her "27 Dresses" co-star James Marsden told The Washington Post she's a woman of "strong convictions" and opinions. "I can see how that can get construed as being difficult or ungrateful or whatever. But if you know Katie, it's simply because she has the courage to stand behind something she believes," Marsden added.