Katherine Heigl Shuns Emmy Race and Angers ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Producers (original) (raw)

Star Shuns Emmys, Angering Producers

June 14, 2008

LOS ANGELES Writers and producers for the ABC hit “Grey’s Anatomy” are fuming after one of the show’s stars, Katherine Heigl, said this week that she had opted out of the Emmy race this year because she was not given good enough material to work with last season.

The remark has fueled speculation in Hollywood that Ms. Heigl, 29, wants out of her contract on the series. This is the second time in little over a year that a dispute between Ms. Heigl and the show’s producers has spread beyond the studio soundstage.

The dispute has broader implications than just another celebrity tiff. “Grey’s Anatomy” commands the highest rate for commercials of any series on television after “American Idol,” making it one of ABC’s most profitable programs.

Following her high-profile roles in two feature films in the last year, “Knocked Up” and “27 Dresses,” Ms. Heigl may well be the show’s most visible star, although she is only one of several supporting members of an ensemble cast.

She has recently begun to produce films as well, most recently signing to star in and produce a feature based on the memoir of Carolyn Jessop, who in 2003 fled the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Latter-day Saints.

The latest disagreement flared on Wednesday, when a Los Angeles Times Web site devoted to Emmy coverage noted that Ms. Heigl, who last year won the award for best supporting actress in a drama series, was missing from the nomination ballot for the same award this year.

Asked why, Ms. Heigl said that she had decided not to have herself submitted for a nomination. “I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention,” she said in a statement. “In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.”

A spokeswoman for Ms. Heigl said Friday that the actress would not comment further. Spokeswomen for ABC Studios, which produces “Grey’s Anatomy,” and for the ABC broadcast network also declined to comment. And a spokesman for Shonda Rhimes, the creator of the series, said she would not comment either.

Two people involved in the production of the show said that the program’s writers and producers were angered by what they considered a slap by Ms. Heigl at the people in the writers’ room. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity, which was granted because they have been involved in discussions with the program’s top executives about the situation but were not authorized to speak on behalf of the series. The series is to begin production on its fifth season on June 25.

This was not the first time that Ms. Heigl has lashed out at the producers of “Grey’s Anatomy” or alienated colleagues on a creative project. In a cover story in the January issue of Vanity Fair, Ms. Heigl said that she found the film “Knocked Up,” which made her into a bona fide box-office star, to be “a little sexist,” adding that “it was hard for me to love the movie.”

In the same article, Ms. Heigl questioned some of the drama that the creators of “Grey’s Anatomy” had written for her character, Dr. Isobel Stevens, known as Izzie, who had an affair with a married friend. “It was a ratings ploy,” she said, adding that she wanted to see more “cooperation between the business end and the creative end.”

In February 2007 Ms. Heigl temporarily suspended contract talks with the show’s producers after she sought a raise that she felt would put her on par with other actresses, including Ellen Pompeo, who plays the title character, Dr. Meredith Grey. After ABC issued a statement saying it had already offered “to raise her compensation significantly above the terms of her current contract,” Ms. Heigl said she felt disrespected.

Ms. Heigl is currently under contract with the program through at least the 2009-10 season, according to one of the people involved in its production. But the thinking among the show’s executives, that person said, is that Ms. Heigl wants to be free of the commitment to pursue more feature film roles.

At times Ms. Heigl has been supportive of the “Grey’s Anatomy” writers. During the recent strike by television and film writers, she was a visible presence on the picket line in their support, and she was one of the first actors nominated for a Golden Globe award last year to say she would not cross a picket line to attend the ceremony.

If she were to depart, the effect on the series could be significant. Advertisers paid more than $400,000 for a 30-second spot last season, according to Television Week. That amount reflects the show’s popularity with young adult women as well as its prime spot on the Thursday night schedule, when many advertisers seek to influence consumers’ decisions about the coming weekend.

The next most costly series to advertisers, “Desperate Housewives,” commands only about two-thirds as much per commercial, even though it draws more viewers. Spots on “American Idol” cost close to $1 million, more than double what advertisers pay for “Grey’s Anatomy.”

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