By Christina Radish
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Katherine Heigl at the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Calif. on September 16, 2007.
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The 20th Century Fox film 27 Dresses centers on Jane (Katherine Heigl), an idealistic, romantic and completely selfless woman. Always a bridesmaid, but never a bride, Jane’s own happy ending seems nowhere in sight. And, when her younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman) captures the heart of Jane’s boss, George (Edward Burns), with whom she is secretly in love, Jane begins to re-examine her lifestyle.
Good at taking care of others, but not so much in looking at herself, Jane’s entire life has been about making people happy, and she has a closet full of 27 bridesmaid dresses to prove it. When Kevin (James Marsden), a newspaper reporter for the New York Journal, witnesses Jane managing to shuttle between wedding receptions in Manhattan and Brooklyn, he realizes that a story about the wedding junkie is his ticket off the newspaper’s bridal beat. The two quickly lock horns, further complicating Jane’s once perfectly-ordered life.
With an Emmy win for her role as surgical resident Izzie Stevens on the popular television series Grey’s Anatomy, and the hit comedy Knocked Up on her resume, Washington, D.C. native Katherine Heigl has had a remarkable year. The 29-year-old wife of singer/songwriter Josh Kelley spoke with MediaBlvd Magazine about being a bridesmaid for her sister in real life, as well as planning her own wedding.
MediaBlvd Magazine> What was it like, planning your own wedding while you were working on a film about weddings?
Katherine Heigl> It was very coincidental timing. I have been planning my wedding for a year and a half, and Fox just decided to release this film in January, so that’s not my fault. I thought it was interesting because Malin Ackerman was planning her wedding during the movie. She actually went off and got married, came back to work, and there was a ton of wedding talk. It was just really funny to see. She could not stop saying, “My husband . . . ,” over and over. It was awesome, and it was exciting.
MediaBlvd> Do you love weddings and wedding movies?
Katherine> I am not that kind of girl, really. I haven’t been to very many weddings. I’ve only been to a total of four weddings, in my whole life. One was my friend’s, where I was a bridesmaid, but that was so long ago, I barely remember it. It was also a Mormon wedding, so you don’t actually get to go to the ceremony. You are just there for the reception. One was an ex-boyfriend’s brother’s wedding, which I don’t really remember either. Then, recently I went to Kate Walsh’s and my sister’s. At Kate’s wedding, I was so not going to cry, it didn’t even come into my brain. I had nothing on me, no tissues or anything, and I was looking at people with their tissues, thinking, “Oh, you guys are lame. It’s not that dramatic.” And then, as soon as the music started, I started crying. She hadn’t even walked out yet, and I was crying. I was sharing a corner of tissue with Keisha Chambers, Justin Chambers’ wife, trying to stop the flow. Obviously, I’m a little more sentimental than I originally thought. I do love a great wedding. And, that was a particularly awesome and fun wedding, with a gospel choir. With my sister, it was the most glorious day, and she was glorious and perfect. I cried, pretty much constantly. I wanted to do this movie, not because it was wedding themed, but because I loved the character so much. It was such an awesome opportunity to get to do some comedy as well, and not just be the foil, the girlfriend, the daughter or the sister. I got to actually play a major part in the comedy, which is what I love to do.
MediaBlvd> Do you have a memory of having to wear a particularly bad bridesmaid dress? Which was your favorite of the ones that you had to wear in the film?
Katherine> I haven’t yet had to wear a terrible bride’s maid dress. My older sister, who got married in October, was very considerate about her bridesmaid dresses. My best friend, who got married like 8 years ago, was also very considerate. No one was trying to make us look bad, which was nice. My favorite of the bridesmaid dresses in the film was the Gone With the Wind one. I felt very Scarlett O’Hara, which was fun for me.
MediaBlvd> Do you have any wedding memories in your own life that particularly stand out for you?
Katherine> My sister got married in October and I was the maid of honor. That was the first time that I really had the role for real. I wished it had happened before the movie. I would have had a better perspective on why Jane was so insane. It’s a stressful role because you want to make sure that you take care of everything that needs to be taken care of, so that the bride herself will have an amazing day. It was also a big honor because I adore my sister. The fact that she wanted me by her side that day was really important to me, but it’s stressful. I wouldn’t do it twice in a day, let alone every other weekend.
MediaBlvd> Were you able to identify with Jane?
Katherine> I identified with aspects of her. She was an extreme, but I’ve met and known women like her. They have taken a back seat to what everyone else wants. They don’t really go after their own happiness. What I loved about Jane was the progression of her character. She starts out as just a doormat. There are very clear and honest reasons for that, like her mother dying when she was little and her relations with her sister, which help you understand why she doesn’t go after George. She’s his assistant. She works for him and it would be unprofessional. At the same time, it’s easier than proclaiming your love for somebody and being turned down. She’s chosen the path of least resistance for herself, and it ends up hurting her. By the end of the movie, she is able to break the habit of it and find happiness for herself. She makes that a priority, and I liked that part.
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Katherine Heigl with husband, Josh Kelley, at the William S. Paley Television Festival night honoring "Grey's Anatomy" held at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood, Calif. on February 28, 2006.
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MediaBlvd> Have you ever been as selfless as she is?
Katherine> In terms of not wanting to hurt people’s feelings, maybe what the people you really care about need to hear, is not what they need to hear in that moment. You pick and choose your moments to be brutally honest. I have never been as selfless as Jane. Most women have been in a position of being of being a real people pleaser, at one time or another, in their lives. I got over that in my early 20's. It took Jane a lot longer, and she did it in a way more dramatic way. If you couch how you feel too often, then you are not really being true to yourself. You don’t know yourself or what you want.
MediaBlvd> Do you have any advice for single women?
Katherine> I met my fiancé when I wasn’t looking. I know that is a cliché thing to say, and it doesn’t really help all that much, but I had given up on the idea of marriage and family. I had a relationship that ended and I was really disappointed because I had all these high hopes. I just said, “Screw it, I don’t need a man.” I had given up on the concept of it and figured I could do it on my own, if I wanted to have a family. Then boom, I met this guy that I couldn’t imagine living without. I think that the more you want it and the more you are looking for it, the more you repel it, for whatever reason. I don’t know why. If you create this vacuum and just let life take its course, then you tend to free yourself up for the unexpected. For Jane, in 27 Dresses, Kevin was clearly the unexpected choice for her, but that is what ended up working out, when she was able to let go of her idea of what the perfect man should be.
MediaBlvd> What do you think the secret is to a great relationship?
Katherine> Laughter and communication. That is what really works for Josh and me.
MediaBlvd> How romantic are you, and what does romance mean to you? Is it flowers, or something simpler?
Katherine> I’m not terribly sentimental. I have my moments, but generally speaking, I shy away from being too lovey dovey. I don’t know why. I must have issues that I probably need to address. I think Josh’s biggest complaint is that, when he’s on tour and we are talking on the phone, I’m like, “Yeah, I love you too.” I don’t say things like, “I miss you so much and I love you!” I just can’t. It’s just not my thing. But, I definitely try, on special occasions, or just spontaneously, to do something really special for him. It can be as simple as making dinner, or tickling his back. I don’t generally make big grand gestures. Maybe I should.
MediaBlvd> With Grey’s Anatomy being such a huge hit, and Knocked Up taking off at the box office, did you notice yourself entering another level, after the summer?
Katherine> The nature of my career certainly changed, drastically. It seemed to happen all at once, so it was hard to keep a perspective on it. It’s just been the most gratifying and gracious year of my life, personally and professionally. I can only hope that 2008 is just as wonderful, maybe in a different way, because I’m scared to hope that it would be just as awesome as this year.
MediaBlvd> What does a hit movie do differently for your career than a hit show?
Katherine> I don’t know. I think that way more people actually see the television show than see movies, so there is suddenly a huge fan base. That is super exciting. It is always really nice that people actually watch your work and enjoy it. The movie took it a different level, in my career, as far as having a film career and being able to star in a movie. People will actually take that chance on me now. Then, there is the constant press coverage and the constant paparazzi. That is very different now. No one used to care if I went to Ralph’s before.
