There have been some truly heartbreaking and shocking deaths on Grey’s Anatomy, whose 21st season is currently airing on the 2025 TV schedule. George O’Malley and his “007” reveal is one that sticks out, as well as Derek Shepherd, of course (although I still think the McDreamy death episode was terrible). However, there’s another character fans just can’t get over — Denny Duquette — and it turns out Katherine Heigl and Jeffrey Dean Morgan tried to save him.
Denny Duquette made such an impression on Grey’s Anatomy fans that I’d go so far as to say it’s one of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s best roles. Not even Shonda Rhimes could have predicted how upset fans would still be over that Season 2 storyline, and it’s not just us. Morgan reunited with Katherine Heigl to talk about their time together on Grey’s, and they revealed they’d actually asked Rhimes to let Denny live. Check out a portion of their viral TikTok chat with EW:
@entertainment_weekly ♬ original sound - Entertainment Weekly
It's well-known that Katherine Heigl and Shonda Rhimes butted heads at times on the Grey’s set. However, Heigl felt strongly enough about this that she and Jeffrey Dean Morgan approached the showrunner in an attempt to get her to tweak the Denny storyline. Heigl said:
We were in there like, ‘Here's what we're thinking. We're thinking…’ We tried. And she was just like, ‘I hear you. And it breaks my heart too, but he's gotta die.’
I guess you don’t get to be as successful as Shonda Rhimes if you cater to every actor’s request, like Katherine Heigl bargaining that they could still bring Denny “close to death.” Jeffrey Dean Morgan added that Rhimes was set in her ways, even when he tried to buy his character another season.
When the day came to film that heartbreaking scene for “Losing My Religion” — one of Grey’s Anatomy’s best episodes — Jeffrey Dean Morgan said he refused to go to set. He recalled:
But the day that I had to die, I didn't come out of my trailer. I wouldn't come out of my trailer. I think they finally sent Katie and Katie was like, ‘Jesus Christ, Jeff, I have to cry all day. You're just laying there.’ Wearing her prom dress. I'm like, ‘All right.’
I can’t imagine how difficult that day was for Katherine Heigl, especially knowing the dark places Heigl took herself in order to show Izzie’s grief for Denny. The two actors involved aren’t the only ones still traumatized, though. Fans spoke out in the comments, writing:
- Denny and Izzie was the end game sorry – sunflower_2046
- Them going to Shonda and asking for Denny to not die is so Izzie and Denny coded though. – jacketpotato24601
- TBH Denny dying hurt worse than Derek 😭 – brittanychapman153
- No one wanted Denny to die… but Owen Hunt is still around!! – nic.marq
- No one will get over Denny Duquette's death 😭😭😭 – klshhhhhhhhhh
- Denny was the worst death. I’ll die on this hill – _arianaharrington
Jeffrey Dean Morgan has said that playing Denny changed his life, as it got him noticed and led to other big roles, and I love that the actor who may be more well-known these days for his roles on Supernatural, The Walking Dead or The Boys, seems to have a soft spot in his heart for Grey’s Anatomy.
The Denny and Izzie love story is without questions one of the best starting points for a Grey’s Anatomy rewatch, with the first 20 seasons of the medical drama being among the best shows to binge on Netflix right now. Meanwhile, all 21 seasons are also available to stream with a Hulu subscription, as new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy continue at 10 p.m. ET Thursdays on ABC.
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