By Andrew Cristi
Katherine Heigl; Photo Courtesy Of USA
So, this is not easy to write and before I begin, I should make a confession;
I was one of the original Katherine Heigl haters.
However, unlike most of the haters of the polarizing actress who developed a distaste for her because of the never-ending negative narrative attached to her by the media, the aftermath of her comments from “Knocked Up,” or because of her exile from “Grey’s Anatomy” and Shondaland, my anger toward Heigl comes earlier on from something that is rarely referenced in her career in any capacity; “Roswell,” a science-fiction series that developed an extremely passionate cult-like following- almost rivaling Trekkies in their devotion, and I’m proud to say I’m one of them.
You see, “Roswell” fans were the first on the bandwagon to hate Katherine Heigl- and in retrospect, and I now feel bad for this, it really wasn’t her fault. A little background on the show; too good for its audience, “Roswell” premiered at a time when The CW was The WB- and it was just transitioning from teen angst soap opera channel to supernatural sci-fi channel, and a show that was very much “My So-Called Life” meets “The X-Files” it had a really hard time finding its audience. Was this a guy’s show? Was this a girl’s show? The network didn’t know- and they didn’t know how to sell it. It wasn’t ass-kicking like “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” and yet, it wasn’t really a sob-fest like “Dawson’s Creek,” and as the network transitioned, it kept interfering to rearrange the tone of “Roswell”– a move that very much angered fans that felt the show was perfect as it is.
One of the major changes that went on was altering the leading focus- another move that made fans go ballistic. However, this was not just a network move- it was later revealed that current lead Shiri Appleby did not want to promote the show and become the Katie Holmes-style lead they were looking for, so, they looked elsewhere and found Heigl to step in and be more of a Sarah Michelle Gellar, blond bombshell type as they tried to revamp the series to be more action-packed like “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” And, like any ambitious actress, Katherine Heigl stepped up to the plate and took center stage. At the time, there was extreme fan frustration watching as everyone assumed Heigl stole the spotlight, coming between the centralized couple since in real life she was dating leading man Jason Behr. This was all very similar to the first and second season of “Twin Peaks” as fans rallied around Sherilyn Fenn’s character getting together with Kyle MacLachlan’s Agent Cooper, and were horrified when MacLachlan’s real life girlfriend Lara Flynn Boyle was awarded more screen time in the second season. Fans become so deeply attached to these characters that they forget that this is a business for the people behind the cameras, and again, this has to be stressed, anyone working in the entertainment industry would have done the same thing Heigl did- the network and producers asked for her to take a more important role, and no actor would turn that down. But, that didn’t stop the outrage from fans who saw their show changing and the leads they loved not in each other’s arms, and when the show got cancelled shortly thereafter, it was easy to push the blame entirely on Katherine Heigl for “destroying the romance that viewers loved.”
And then, as if taking a dagger to the heart of every “Roswell” fan, Heigl went on to add insult to injury by then starring on “Grey’s Anatomy” with the character name Isobel Stevens (her character on “Roswell” was Isabel Evans.) Fans of the cult sci-fi series had to watch the then-praised star become hailed as “America’s Sweetheart,” as DVD’s of their favorite show got reworked with her face becoming the main focal point. She then went on to become the biggest movie star in the world at the time, entering the elite group of actresses to score very high pay days- which up until recently (and even still) it was very hard for women to be paid at all fairly next to their male co-stars, and she even won an Emmy. That’s right- “Roswell” had failed and Katherine Heigl had more than succeeded. It was a very dismal day for “Roswell” fans, and again, none of this was Katherine Heigl’s fault. As much as “Roswell” fans would have loved to hate the superstar for her success as she so quickly moved on from their fizzled show, she was really just doing what any actress in their right mind would do- and really, at that time, “Roswell” fans were very alone in their hatred of Katherine Heigl.
But, then the tides turned, and it seemed like Katherine Heigl was finally getting what was coming to her- “Roswell” fans everywhere could rejoice, the actress who “helped destroy their show by making it all about her” was “finally showing her true colors” and earning herself a horrendous reputation in Hollywood. With what seemed to be one bad move after another, like most actresses who rise so swiftly to the top, the beloved actress fell as fast as she ascended- and “Roswell” fans everywhere finally felt vindicated in their hatred for the now mega-movie star as the world and media began to hate her as well.
Now, don’t get this message entirely twisted; Heigl is not completely blameless in her fall from grace. Yes, there were tremendous fuck-ups along the way and she did bite the hand that fed her a bit. Her biggest mistake being when after she had won her Emmy she had refused to submit a tape in again because she had said that she didn’t think that season of “Grey’s Anatomy” was up to Emmy standards and that she had more respect for the Emmys than to do that. This was definitely a horrendous and ungrateful move on her part, and it makes total sense as to why “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes no longer wanted to work with Heigl anymore. However, in all fairness, her character also brought a deer back to life that season, so, her saving Emmy voters the time wasn’t really a totally bad decision.
That said, Heigl has more than apologized for the guffaw. In fact, the past ten years of her career has been an apology tour, and when you put things in perspective, did she really do anything that wrong that she deserves a decade of begging for forgiveness and failure? With another actor or industry insider being blacklisted every day minute by minute thanks to the never-ending news cycle and social media, does Heigl’s dumb comment anywhere compare to the sins of anyone else in Hollywood including racial and bigoted slurs, crime, substance abuse leading to the loss of lives, molestation, or rape? Let’s put things under heavy perspective; Katherine Heigl is far from Harvey Weinstein.
In fact, the strong-willed actress is the physical embodiment of everything the #timesup and #metoo movements are supposed to stand for- she was just a little too early to the party and very much taken to task for the very convictions that most actresses are trying to assert in Hollywood now. Case in point? Her backlash from her comments regarding major blockbuster smash “Knocked Up.”
One of the main catalysts to jumpstart Heigl’s reputation as an “ungrateful diva,” the former “Grey’s Anatomy” star received rave reviews for her performance in the male-driven romp only to go on to critique her role in the film later. In an interview in Vanity Fair in 2008, Heigl stated that the movie “paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I’m playing such a bitch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women?” Her comments were met with worldwide condemnation from viewers, critics, and even fellow co-workers, and soon enough she was deemed difficult and unappreciative, and the comments continued to haunt her for the entire decade.
Now, given that she went on to so publicly shame “Grey’s Anatomy” with her Emmy fiasco that year, it may seem reasonable on how Heigl was earning herself a reputation as an ungrateful bitch, however, with a fresh Time’s Up perspective on things, was the intuitive performer really so wrong to stand up for herself and call out the fact that the movie she had just made offered a less than favorable role for women? Maybe it was a little soon after the release and perhaps she should have simply been a little more grateful to have been in a hit, but, reviewing her comments, she didn’t say she hated the film, she said she didn’t like her character and she wished there was more for her to do. If this was any male actor reflecting on a role that offered him less substance, would the world have taken it as seriously? If James Franco turned around and perhaps laughed at his character in “Whatever It Takes,” would the press have vilified him so heavily? It’s no secret that the media loves to create idols only to watch them fall- and they love it most when it’s an “it girl,” and with Katherine Heigl being such an easy target, the press simply seized the day and ran with it. In the case of “Knocked Up” it’s a shame that this one interview is still a part of the narrative when Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, or Katherine Heigl are interviewed as really, the comment was not that “ungrateful.” It doesn’t make an actress unappreciative to realize their worth in the world of TV and cinema and to know that the roles they are being offered are less than their male counterparts. We’re supposed to be growing as a society, and it’s reflection like that which helps us do it- realizing that we know more now than we knew then, the same way we can reflect on “The Honeymooners” and know that Alice was nowhere near as fleshed out as Ralph, or that while groundbreaking in many ways, the role of Mammy in “Gone With The Wind” was most certainly flawed also. It’s exactly this kind of reflection that makes us better, and there’s no reason Heigl should be vilified for doing so, nor pit against her former co-workers from the film in an endless feud.
But, beyond the “unappreciative bitch” label she was earning herself, Heigl was racking up quite a few feuds in Tinsel Town as the “Knocked Up” and “Grey’s Anatomy” scandals began to spread like a cancer throughout the press. Outside of her Emmy debacle and growing issues with Shonda Rhimes, Heigl was also at war with co-star Isaiah Washington stating; “I’m going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public. Period.” Now once again, the assertive actress was making headlines for on-set bad blood, but again, putting the situation in perspective, Heigl actually comes out as the hero.
In this particular case, Washington had made a homophobic slur against then co-star T.R. Knight, calling him a “faggot,” and quick to rush to his defense, Heigl immediately said; “T.R. is my best friend. I will throw down for that kid.” So, here’s the other thing about the outspoken star; in the world of Hollywood bullshit- particularly with white women using the LGBTQ community as a gimmick to gain positive press, Katherine Heigl is very much the real deal- the kind of person that isn’t doing it for a PR stunt, and in fact- she doesn’t care if it brings her negative press, she’s going to stand up for her gay friend no matter what. Who wouldn’t applaud that?
But, by this point, the damage was done, and Heigl had already earned herself the reputation of being difficult and ungrateful all across Hollywood- and usually when anyone has the media attacking them all the time, it only plays into their psyche to make them worse. Say enough bad things about a person, it’s bound to become true- and Heigl couldn’t walk on to a set without everyone instantly knowing to fear her and the overbearing mother she supposedly traveled around with.
Which brings us to the final point on why Katherine Heigl is the early embodiment of the Time’s Up and Me Too movements, and why it’s very much time to give her a second chance- and that is “My Father The Hero.” Her first starring role, Heigl made the film when she was fourteen- and she was heavily over-sexualized in it. There is a point in the movie when she stands from a chair only to reveal her bare naked bottom in a thong- and keep in mind, she is fourteen years old. How on earth did NO ONE on set stand up and say that this was very, very wrong? For anyone that might have any complaints about her overbearing mother that supposedly traveled around with her, imagine letting your fourteen year old daughter make a movie and then watching it to find out that she is up on screen in a thong. Who in their right mind would not continue to want to be on every single set with that daughter and protect her?
In truth, “My Father The Hero” was a wonderful movie, and Katherine Heigl was incredible in it. She showed more talent at fourteen than most people show in a lifetime, and she was downright breathtaking in the film, looking way older than her years. Confession time, when the movie came out I was much younger than Heigl and like every other millennial, I worshiped her- in fact, she was the entire reason I tuned in to “Roswell” to begin with. I was not even ten years old, and I didn’t know enough to see that she was being exploited on screen- I figured she was just like the kids from “Beverly Hills, 90210.” I didn’t realize that in many ways, many of these scenes, lingering close-ups, and camera angles shouldn’t have happened. There is one moment at the end of “My Father The Hero” where she is kissing the main guy in film and her skirt blows up to reveal her underwear- totally unnecessary and something that easily could have been edited out. Why are we looking at this fourteen year old girl’s underwear? A panty shot? Really?
And yet, as Time’s Up and Me Too has broke, the assertive and out-spoken Katherine Heigl who has fought so hard for her place at the table, for her equal pay, for her right to better roles, and to ultimately not be exploited- has remained silent. And why? Because we as a society have silenced her. We told Katherine Heigl that by standing up for herself on all these accounts made her an ungrateful, unpleasant, difficult bitch. We have silenced an actress to the point that she is afraid to stand up for herself in any way for the fear that her reputation will once again follow her and keep her from getting work- and that is a shame, and yes, I carry part of that blame, and to Katherine Heigl; I am sorry. I stupidly let my fandom of a fictional show allow me to enjoy the narrative that a wicked media created of you, and that was wrong- I’m sorry.
Now, again, I’m not discounting the mistakes Heigl might have made here, but everybody makes mistakes- and in the grand scheme of Hollywood mistakes right now, hers seem like small potatoes. As a society, and certainly as an industry, we have become way too happy to blacklist somebody- not realizing that it could be any one of us on that chopping block the very next day. It seems like every other day a new celebrity is picked for exile and all of social media cheers to watch them fall. What is wrong with the world? What did Katherine Heigl do that was that bad? Even if she can’t work with Shonda Rhimes and Judd Apatow, can’t she work with other people? Can’t we live in a world where we can accept that some people work well together, and some people don’t? Tons of people go to work every day and leave a job because it isn’t for them, then start at another one that’s a better fit- why can’t the same happen in Hollywood? There’s certainly enough projects to go around. Is there really any reason why every single time Heigl starts a new project it should be met with immediate scrutiny and bad expectations?
One of the biggest shames of all of this is the fact that the gifted actress didn’t get to the top by accident- she earned her success. While she may have had her troubles with certain people, she was never unqualified for the job. This is a woman who has been working since she was a mere child- and she is a very hard worker, and when it comes to actual talent she has it in spades. There is a reason she got her Emmy- the “Seven Seconds” scene with Denny on “Grey’s Anatomy” was without a doubt one of the best scenes of the show ever, and Heigl acted the fuck out of it. She can do drama, she can do comedy- and she was able to do it all even from when she was just a little girl. This is a true actress and to continue to punish her because she made one or two dumb career moves ten years ago is highly unfair.
This summer, Heigl saddles up to join the highly beloved USA series “Suits” following the exit of new princess Meghan Markle, and given that the show is already a hit, it’s time for critics and fans to finally warmly welcome back the atoned actress with open arms and open minds. She has said she’s sorry for ten years- she doesn’t have anything to be sorry for anymore. Time’s up.
However, if a “Roswell” reunion happens and she thinks it’s beneath her? There’s really no apology tour big enough.
The eighth season of “Suits” premieres on USA on July 18th, 2018.
Mike McCarthy