Sources confirm to me exclusively that series creator Shonda
Rhimes has agreed to release the fast-rising movie star from her contract. It's
now up to ABC Studios and Heigl's reps to hash out a final exit agreement. (A
rep for ABC Studios declined to comment. Coincidentally, as of today Heigl is
without a publicist.) Why is this all coming down now? That's where things get
interesting...
After taking more than half of the current season off to
make another movie and connect with her adopted daughter, Heigl -- who picked up
an Emmy in 2007 for her Grey's work -- was scheduled to return to the Grey's set
on March 1 to begin work on the five remaining episodes of the season. There's
just one problem: March 1 came and went and there was no Heigl.
A source within the actress' camp claims Heigl "was at home
and ready to return to work." Another insider, however, "insists it's much more
complicated than that." The source adds that talks between Heigl and ABC have
been going on for months and last week both sides mutually decided that the
best solution would be to part ways now as opposed to at the end of the season.
As a result, Heigl is not expected to return to the Grey's set, which means her
final episode as Izzie has already aired.
The break-up caps a long history of tumult between Heigl and
Grey's. Here's a quick recap of some of the more high-profile squabbles:
* In 2007, Heigl found herself in the middle of the TR
Knight/Isaiah Washington feud when she publicly dissed Washington for repeating
the F word at the Golden Globes.
* In 2008, Heigl took a swipe at Grey's writers when she
announced that she wasn't entering the Emmy race because "did not feel I was
given the material... to warrant a nomination."
* Over the summer, she groused to David Letterman that
Grey's was subjecting her to intolerable working conditions. "Our first day
back was Wednesday," she said, "and it was -- I'm going to keep saying this
because I hope it embarrasses them -- a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and
mean."
Bottom line: There's no love lost on either side as this
whole sordid chapter comes to an end.]
Being unreliable and difficult to work with is an excellent plan, if you want to get fired. But hired on a regular basis in the rarified world of "leading lady?" Not so much. As for her continuing transition into movie "stardom" - I think she's taking quite a gamble at this point. She's already burned through her Knocked Up goodwill (yeah, she trashed that project too) and her subsequent films have been lacking in both positive reviews and box office returns. She could have been a rom-com staple, but will her fans continue to support her ungrateful attitude? Her next film project not only looks terrible; she costars with Ashton Kutcher as well. That's a double whammy for the straight-to-DVD pile...
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