Katherine Heigl is "done apologizing" for her difficult reputation - and we’re done talking about it.
After responding to accusations more than a decade old of her so-called unprofessional behavior, the former Grey’s Anatomy star’s impressive career has once again been overshadowed by her past.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Katherine’s previous struggles were unearthed from the archives and rehashed into an article that reads more like a ‘Where are they now?’ tidbit.
It does not spend much time on her upcoming Netflix series, Firefly Lane, which she stars in and executive produces through her own company. Stories that got her labeled "difficult" in the late noughties are front and center, with updates on Katherine’s recent achievements squeezed in.
The article illustrates yet again how women in any industry are raked over the coals for their supposed transgressions. In this case, declining an Emmy nomination and daring to call a movie in which she starred "a little sexist" in its portrayal of women.
The message is clear: this woman’s achievements will always come second to her public persona.
By centering its interview on the low points of Katherine’s past, it fails to acknowledge the triumphs of her present. And in case you didn’t already know, there’s plenty of those.
Katherine is set to hit our screens once again on February 3, having landed the main role in Firefly Lane, Netflix’s adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s 2008 bestselling book. The actor stars alongside Sarah Chalke as one half of the best friend duo, Tully and Kate. The series explores the lifelong friendship of Tully (Katherine) and Kate (Sarah), documenting all the ups and downs that exist in friendships among women.
“Any relationship that has stood the test of that kind of time is going to have moments of fallout, and if it doesn’t, that means somebody is not being honest,” Katherine said. “Somebody is not being allowed to grow, and somebody is not creating boundaries.”
Katherine’s involvement in Firefly Lane went beyond acting. She also worked behind the camera, as an executive producer alongside Peter O'Fallon, Shawn Williamson, and Lee Rose.
“I feel now I have enough experience and enough wisdom to have a voice, to collaborate about character, about story, about cast. It's about having a seat at the table,” she said.
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For Katherine’s next venture, she is confirmed to play feminist legend, Victoria Woodhull. The project, which is simply titled Woodhull, will follow the incredible story of the first woman to run for president in the U.S. back in 1872. As a supporter of the Suffrage movement, Victoria Woodhull was known for her radical approach to equal rights and is often credited for permanently changing the place of women in American society.
“Victoria’s outrageous courage, determination, intelligence and hutzpah would be remarkable in our modern times but was downright revolutionary in hers,” said Katherine. “Her name and her story has not been celebrated nearly enough for the trails she blazed and the paths she forged for all the women who came after her. I cannot wait to tell the story of this woman who would not be stopped in a time that forbade her to even start.”
We can’t wait either.
