Although it was rumored that Heigl left the show on bad terms, she said it was because she wanted to focus on her daughter, Naleigh.
“That was a really, really difficult decision,’’ she said. “You know, you are always going to grapple with something like that because it was a great experience and I didn’t really want to go. But I felt … like I need to make her and my husband and our life together as a family my priority.’’
Heigl has been busy promoting her latest comedy, “One for the Money,’’ with 3-year-old Naleigh joining her on the talk-show circuit. (Heigl is one of the movie’s executive producers.)
The film, in theaters Friday, is based on the first book in the popular Stephanie Plum mystery series by Janet Evanovich.
Heigl stars as Plum, a New Jersey lingerie saleswoman-turned-bounty hunter charged with bringing in her high school flame.
AP: Why do you want to set the record straight about “Grey’s Anatomy’’?
Heigl: I feel like it was a very innocent question asked last week, and my first instinct and innocent answer was, `Oh yeah, I’d love to go back if they wanted me to.’ And it’s turned into this story! … I wouldn’t want anyone to feel misled or feel confused by my answer and I just want everyone to know, `Hey I love that show and I love that character just as much as you do.’
AP: Since leaving the show, you’ve starred in several romantic comedies. Are you worried about being typecast?
Heigl: They tend to be the movies I watch when I’m home and hanging out and want to relax. I want to watch Kate Hudson, I want to watch Reese Witherspoon, I want to watch all those great movies that make you feel good. So I loved being a part of them and I didn’t mind being typecast, but any time you start to wander outside the box a little bit people start to get confused. … This one is an interesting one because it wasn’t a conscious decision not to do romantic comedy. … The book explores so many different themes that in order to honor it properly and do right by it we couldn’t just turn it into a romantic comedy.
AP: You’re in a scene where you’re naked and handcuffed to a shower-curtain rod. Was that scary to shoot?
