Not all characters get the ending their actors intended, and many actors are never consulted about the fate years after they’ve left the show. And Katherine Heigl, who once played Izzie Stevens on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy had some choice words when she found out what became of her character. Although she left the show over a decade ago, Izzie was brought up once again in season 16 after one of the show's major characters left Seattle.
The actress left the series after the first six seasons and had oftentimes been viewed as difficult to work with. In terms of the show, Izzie had left Seattle after Alex (Justin Chambers) refused to resume their marriage. Katherine Heigl recently spoke to ET about Alex’s choice to leave Grey Sloan Memorial in Season 16 and return to Izzie, whom had given birth to Alex’s twins. She was not a fan of how the two former lovebirds reunited -- much like many fans -- and, even though she didn't say much about it, what she said was on point. Heigl said:
That’s an a-hole move.
Katherine Heigl hadn't even watched the episode in question but knew Alex was already with someone. The news that Alex had left Jo (Camilla Luddington) for Izzie was a shock to fans everywhere. When it was announced that Justin Chambers would be leaving the series, not many fans seemed to have considered the ending the writers planned for Alex would be an ending that most would not like. In the end, Alex wrote letters for his friends at Grey Sloan and only then was it found out that Alex went back to Izzie.
Alex and Izzie had a tumultuous relationship throughout the show’s first six seasons. While it started off as pure hate for one another, the two interns slowly got closer over time. When Izzie was diagnosed with cancer, the two got married but then grew further apart, leading Izzie to leave the Seattle hospital. As the seasons went by and Jo was introduced, Alex finally found the one person he could spend the rest of his life with, until it was time for him to leave for his real true love.
Alex’s ending was definitely one fans were not happy with, and Katherine Heigl has certainly made it clear she's on the same page as everyone else. The fact that Alex left Jo with no warning, left Meredith and Bailey, and departed Grey Sloan after everything he and his colleagues had been through was something not many expected. And although Heigl has showed no interest in returning to the long-running medical drama, she seems like she may be warming up to the idea, so fans will have to remain optimistic on whether Alex returning to Izzie was for the best.
Grey's Anatomy Season 17 returns to ABC on March 11 at 9 p.m. ET.
