Katherine Heigl Addresses Her 'Grey's Anatomy' Exit With Ellen Pompeo: 'I Was So Naive'

etonline.com:

Ellen Pompeo and Katherine Heigl are saying «all the things we weren’t going to say» in their new one-on-one interview for 's «Actors on Actors» series.The former co-stars sat down with one another to discuss everything from their least-favorite iconic scenes from the hit medical drama, to the ABC executive who almost didn't put it on the air.And, of course, they get into Heigl's controversial exit from the show in 2010, with the actress admitting, «I would not trade anything for my 20s, but I absolutely had no idea who I was and what I wanted and who I was supposed to be and who to make happy.»Controversy around Heigl's role on the show started during the 2008-09 season, when the actress publicly announced that she wouldn't be submitting herself for consideration at that year's Emmy Awards, saying that she «did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination.»Tensions between Heigl and creator Shonda Rhimes continued to rise until March 2010, when they reached an agreement to immediately release her from her contract, making the Jan.

21 episode her final appearance on the show — until an unexpected cameo in season 16, in an episode marking Justin Chambers' departure from the show.In their sit-down, Heigl and Pompeo discuss how the show's overnight success thrust them into the spotlight, paving the way for intense emotions on set.«I think that gave me this confidence that was a false sense of confidence,» Heigl recalls. «It was rooted in something that couldn’t and maybe wouldn’t always last for me.

So then I started getting real mouthy, because I did have a lot to say, and there were certain boundaries and things that I was not OK with being crossed.