If the Hollywood
buzz is sawing right, Katherine Heigl is about to slice
off a chunk of movie stardom. This June she's
starring in the new Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old
Virgin) comedy, Knocked Up. But the
Connecticut-bred cutie cut her way into hearts as
Izzie Stevens, the earnest intern on ABC's smash
hit Grey's Anatomy, and earned her BGF
overnight by famously taking a Grey's costar
to task for some homophobic comments. Here the outspoken
actress talks about her BFF (our cover boy T.R.
Knight, of course!), her frustration with the f word,
and her yen to have a gay kid--just not for a
while.
So is there a challenge to starring in a movie
called Knocked Up?
Well, Judd Apatow likes to do a lot of
improvising. That's kind of his thing. And
I've never really improvised before. I'm used
to following a script and doing what they tell me to
do! So that was really nerve-wracking. It took me a
good couple weeks to find my footing and feel
confident enough to throw the improvised jokes like all the
big guys on set.
What was the wackiest thing you came up?
Oh, my God. I probably didn't come up
with any jokes that were that great. [Laughs] It was
all facial expressions. But it was really
thrilling to do something totally different.
You and your pal T.R. are very close. What's the
connection there?
We've tried to figure it out on occasion,
like, "Why are we such good friends? Why does
it work so well?" I gravitated toward him right from
the beginning. He has just the best sense of humor, and
he's really fun to be around. After a 14-hour
day you need someone to make you laugh.
How do you guys make each other laugh?
It's evolved into a very sort of crazy,
bantering, physically threatening friendship. We
constantly fake-fight. It's almost like I am with my
brother or my sister. There's a lot of camaraderie
there. Look, I know I can push the envelope with him
more than with anyone else because he gets me and gets
my sense of humor. We definitely have a lot of common ideas
too. I mean, we fight like in any other relationship in your
life. But I can be totally who I am with him, and he
can be totally himself with me. There's love
there no matter what.
When he came out, were you relieved for him?
I was terrified for him. The fact is that I was
scared for T.R. when he came out--that he would
be ridiculed, that he would be picked on, that he
would ostracized--all the reasons why people
don't come out. But I was so proud of his
strength. It's such a cliche to say this, but he
handled it courageously. It's also one of those
things where I think, Well, it's
nobody's business who you are really. You're
just an actor in a world where you can make-believe.
Why should people have that piece of you. Why should
they get to know that?
Well, it's such a catch-22. You have Anderson
Cooper who's rumored to be gay. People like him
could make such leaps for closeted kids who are
considering suicide. Otherwise, [being gay]
is always going to be a "shameful" thing.
Right. Exactly. And that's where the
relief came in. T.R. gets to look people in the eye
and not be intimidated about people finding something
"out" about him. He doesn't have to be
afraid.
Has T.R. ever commented on any on your men's "hotness"?
Not really. Well, I dated a friend of
T.R.'s whom he set me up with for a while. T.R.
thought he was really fantastic and great-looking. I did
too. He was a great guy--really nice.
Did T.R. want to hear the notes?
No. He never does! He's really bashful
and shy. I have to dig things out of him. It's
hilarious.
Would you like to see more famous gays and lesbians
come out?
It's such a personal thing that I would
never want to judge or say that I think somebody
should do something. They know their own souls and lives
better than anyone else. I do think it would make the burden
easier for other actors. If more actors came out, it
would dilute the stigma obviously.
If you found out one of your kids was gay or
lesbian, how would you handle it?
Well, I'm hoping I have at least
one--at least. People are people. I've
just been raised in an environment where the most important
thing is character--or integrity. Their sexual
orientation would be the least of my worries.
Do you have a maternal side?
God, I don't know. I was raised in the
Mormon church, and Mormons have a lot of kids. I
always loved when I was a kid [and got] to hold the babies
and be with the toddlers. But I kind of grew up and was
like, "Get them away from me!"
They are kind of cute for a while.
Yeah, exactly. The great thing about being an
aunt is that the kids can go home! [Laughs] Really, I
have a niece and a nephew, and I would kill for them.
They're the most beautiful and amazing children
I've ever met.
You have a very close relationship with your
own mom. What do you think you get from her?
I think, over time, some of her courage and
strength. She's dealt with a lot of terrible
things in her life, and she still remains very optimistic
about humanity and enjoying life. I can have a really bad
day at work and be like, "I hate my
life!" But the fact that my mother has lost a child
and had breast cancer and dealt with drug
addiction--not her own--that she can still
look at every day like it's a gift is amazing. And
she's fierce. She doesn't put up with a
lot of crap--lies and agendas. I think far too
often we all put up with stuff we really shouldn't be
putting up with because of whatever social
constricts--"Be polite!"
"Don't make waves!" My mother has
been making waves since the moment she was born.
You're a bit of a firebrand yourself.
I just think that when you face the world
head-on and not be bullied and not be put into boxes.
Speaking of which, any lady crushes of your own?
Oh, there's always been the occasion
where I run into a woman and I think, Wow,
she's really attractive. I'd do her.
How about crushes on gay male stars?
Hmm. Every once in a while I look at T.R. and
go, "Jeez, if only!" When I first met
him on the pilot and I didn't know he was gay, I was single
and I was makin' eyes and I was flirting. I was
getting nowhere! That should've been my first
clue.
So, considering your Mormon background, are you
going to vote for [Republican presidential candidate]
Mitt Romney?
I'm so awful about politics!
Katherine, if we're gonna change the world--
I know, it's embarrassing. You know what,
I've gotten so frustrated. Who do you believe?
Where are the facts? One hand is saying this, and one
hand is saying that. I just gave up and stopped following it
all. I should just TiVo The Daily Show and read
The Onion. I think that will help me. I'd
rather take that route.
Congratulations on your engagement [to pop rocker
Josh Kelley] by the way.
[Singing] Thank you.
In fact, your next flick is the wedding-themed
27 Dresses.
What the theme really is that I play a woman who
cannot say no. She's a total people-pleaser who
takes care of everybody else but can't find it
in herself to go out there and live the life that she
deserves.
Is that like you?
No-o-o! [Laughs] I'm a pretty
selfish person. That's where the kids come back
into play. I'm not sure I'm ready to sacrifice
my comfortable life. Anyway, when I was younger, I
wanted everyone to like me so that no one thought
badly of me. Then I grew up and realized that
it's impossible to make everyone like you.
