Katherine Heigl is a Screen Siren with Morals

Emmy-winning actress, Katherine Heigl, of Grey’s Anatomy fame, is the January 2008 cover girl for Vanity Fair. In this issue she’s channeling the screen sirens of yore, looking glamorous and seductive. You can pick up your own copy of this issue on stands everywhere on December 11th. But until then, relax, get your beverage of choice (Diet Coke? Mine too! I know, we should be drinking more water…), and let me share with you.

In the article, Heigl discusses the changes that have come over her character, Dr. Izzie Stevens. Izzie has started an affair with her friend and co-worker, Dr. George O’Malley. And George is married. Very, very married.

Not only does this go against Izzie’s character, but it also goes against Heigl’s. Heigl told Leslie Bennett of Vanity Fair,

“That was kind of a big change for Izzie, wasn’t it, after she was so up on her moral high ground. They really hurt somebody, and they didn’t seem to be taking a lot of responsibility for it. I have a really hard time with that kind of thing. I’m maybe a little too black-and-white about it. I don’t really know Izzie very well right now. She’s changed a lot. I’m trying to figure her out and keep her real.”

Heigl went on to blatantly explain that the cheating between George and Izzie was a “ratings ploy.” She also said,

“It was absolutely something that shocked people; it wasn’t predictable, and people didn’t see it coming. It’s our fourth season; there’s not a lot of spontaneity left.”

Now, I’m not sure how to interpret that, myself. Does Heigl not have faith in the writers and/or the characters personal development to propel them into many more seasons? I personally dislike to see characters I love doing something that is out of character for them, purely to advance a storyline, or make it more interesting. Now, sometimes this is needed, sometimes it can’t be helped. But sometimes, just sometimes, I think that perhaps people aren’t being creative enough with what they have.

Of course, there is something interesting about a character who suddenly goes against everything they’ve previously established as their viewpoint, I just hope we get follow-through on Grey’s to explain the aftermath of this fallout - for both characters.

Something I really enjoy about this particular article in Vanity Fair, is Heigl explaining her regrets about her Blockbuster Knocked Up. I found this movie to be very sexist, and apparently, Heigl has been having some very similar thoughts.

Heigl expressed that the movie was,

“a little sexist. It 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? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie.”

I supposed if I wanted to be uber manipulative I could edit that creativley to say: “Sexist. It paints the women as shrews. I had a hard time… ninety-eight percent of the time… it was hard for me..”

I’d personally rather watch a guilty pleasure movie like Center Stage (Zoe Saldana) or Simply Irresistible (Sarah Michelle Gellar) for the 30th time, instead of giving Knocked Up a second chance.

And the movie with Sarah Michelle has a magical crab.

For more news on Grey’s Anatomy celebrities, like Katherine Heigl, check out: CelebritySpider.com

Photographs by Norman Jean Roy, for Vanity Fair

Popularity: 15% [?]