Grey’s Anatomy Stars Ellen Pompeo and Katherine Heigl Spill the Tea on Their Dramatic Departures

It’s been 13 years since Katherine Heigl left Grey’s Anatomy, but she and Ellen Pompeo are still close friends. The two actresses recently sat down for a candid conversation for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, where they reflected on their time on the hit medical drama, their career choices and their personal lives. Pompeo, who has played Meredith Grey since the show’s inception in 2,005, praised Heigl for being “ballsy” and “honest” when she spoke out about the long and grueling hours on the Grey’s Anatomy set in 2,009. Heigl, who played Izzie Stevens until 2,010, said she was “so naive” and didn’t realize how her comments would be perceived by the media and the public. “I remember Heigl said something on a talk show about the insane hours we were working and she was 100 percent right,” Pompeo said. “And had she said that today, she’d be a complete hero. But she’s ahead of her time, made a statement about our crazy hours and of course, [it was like] let’s slam a woman and call her ungrateful