"I stand with you": Grey’s Anatomy star speaks out after decade of silence
Katherine Heigl, who played Dr. Izzie Stevens on Grey’s Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, has spoken out once more about the “cruel and mean” working conditions on the show.
In a 2009 interview with David Letterman on his late-night show, she told Letterman about her experience working on the Shonda-Rimes-created medical drama, saying, “Our first day back was Wednesday. 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.”
The backlash to that interview was swift and immense, with US broadcaster Diane Sawyer informing Heigl “no one feels sorry for you”, and whispers of Heigl being “difficult to work with” and “ungrateful” following her for the decade since.
Posting on Instagram in support the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) strike over the weekend, Heigl wrote, “Some of you may remember over ten years ago I was very vocal about the absurdity of the working hours crews and actors were being forced into by production. Even Diane Sawyer interviewed me and not so kindly informed me “no one feels sorry for you.” I very publicly and for many many years after got my ass kicked for speaking up.
When I first spoke up I was speaking on behalf of myself and my crew on Grey’s. Today things are a little different for me. I am in the fortunate position of being able to say no. To turn down a job if it requires more than I can bear. And in all honesty… I’ve kind of aged out of giving a shit if I piss people off by creating boundaries that protect my health, sanity and work. So this post is not for me. It is for the crew. It is for my family from another mother. It is for the champions and support systems and talented bad asses that I have the privilege of working with. I stand with IATSE. It is time for reasonable and fair work conditions, wages and hours to be more than just a priority, they need to be the norm. Period. To all the crews on all the sets all over this great big world of ours. I support you. I stand with you. I thank you. Not one show. Not one movie. Can exist without you.”
Heigl’s post comes ahead of a strike vote amongst IATSE members, following the breakdown of talks between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. IATSE members are campaigning for, amongst other things, longer turnarounds between production days and improvements on meal and rest periods. The union is concerned about harmful working hours (which Heigl addressed in her 2009 comments and recent Instagram post), unlivable wages for the lowest-paid workers and consistent failure to provide reasonable rest during meal breaks, between workdays, and on weekends.
In an interview with the Washington Post earlier this year, Heigl talked about the anxiety she experienced during the “shunning”, culminating in her decision to seek help in 2015, following a flare-up of anxiety after the birth of her son.
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