If you're a fan of Grey's Anatomy like myself, you know the characters like the back of your hand - as well as the actors that portray them. Everything may seem glamorous and dramatic within the busy hospital walls that surround them on the screen. However, if you take it a step further and do some digging, you may discover that things in "Shondaland" do not run as smoothly as one may think. On the other side of the camera lens, there have actually been many dramatic occurrences between the cast and crew. Looking at the most dramatic and awkward cases certainly proves that Grey's is as dramatic and intense as it seems - it's like a real life soap opera.
1. Katherine Heigl refusing an Emmy nomination.
Sometime after season six, Katherine Heigl received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Izzie Stevens. Usually, any actor is honored to receive this kind of recognition, and thanks the cast, crew, and writers for their contribution to the season. Heigl's reaction was a little bit different - she withdrew her name from the category. When the media inquired about why she made this decision, her answer was that the writing that season did not deserve a nomination and therefore her performance didn't either. Ouch.
2. Katherine Heigl's departure.
I don't know about you, but I really miss Izzie Stevens. Unfortunately, the rumor is that Katherine Heigl is your classic diva - and extremely difficult to work with on set. Shonda had enough of her attitude, and also wasn't ready to compete with the movie contracts being offered to Katherine. At the end of the day, the actress chose to go down the Hollywood movie route. Those million dollar contracts were just too good to pass up.
3. T.R. Knight getting fed up.
Don't you hate it when people ignore you and don't answer your questions? Apparently, T.R. Knight felt the same exact way when Shonda Rimes refused to tell him anything about his character George, beyond what he received in the script. In addition, he wasn't exactly happy with the amount of screen time that he was getting compared to the rest of the cast. T.R. won't really go into detail about why he left, and prefers to keep it short and sweet.
4. Isaiah Washington being fired.
At times, Preston Burke could be quite a cold character. Isaiah Washington himself wasn't an extremely warm person, either. In a notorious altercation on the set, Washington violently grabbed Patrick Dempsey and referenced cast member T.R. Knight with a insulting slur. Rimes, the actors' agents, and the crew, tried to keep the incident discrete, saying that all families fight sometimes. Yet, this didn't stay downplayed for long - Isaiah then lied to the press, telling them that he had never used a slur against T.R. Knight after he had apologized for it. Knight fired back in a casual interview, simply saying that Isaiah did in fact reference him with the slur. Awkward. Thankfully, Shonda did not invite Washington to return for the next season.
5. Patrick Dempsey's affair?
This is one scandal that I would rather not believe. Yet, Derek's untimely exit from the show was an unexpected choice from Shonda Rimes. The "clean" explanation was that Dempsey wanted to be let out of his contract and move on to other projects. The "explicit" rumor is that he was having a messy affair with a younger woman who worked on the set. Apparently, it was influencing his behavior and work ethic during filming. Of course, the great Shonda Rimes has a "no nonsense" rule, therefore she that decided he had to go. Right around the same time frame, Dempsey and his wife got divorced. They have since rekindled things - only after he departed from the Grey's set.
In "Shondaland", it seems like life does imitate art.
