“There’s one particular scene that I will not watch with my children ever.
I don’t care how old they are.”
“I’ll bring the booze and the Depends.
Katherine Heigl and Jeffrey Dean Morgan on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
“It makes me cry.
And I never did, working with Heigl and having Shonda’s words.
That’s pretty special.”
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Katherine Heigl on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.Byron Cohen/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Together, they look back on that pretty special scene (and more).
Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Do you guys remember the first time you met?
JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN:It was on set, but it wasn’t at the studio.
Sandra Oh, T.R. Knight, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Katherine Heigl on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
It was at the hospital at the
KATHERINE HEIGL:Oh, at the VA?
MORGAN:At the VA, yeah.
HEIGL:And I dig hot chicks.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Katherine Heigl on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.Byron Cohen/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
I feel like you guys just answered my second question, because that means there was no chemistry read?
MORGAN:No, which is super freaking weird.
They were like, “Ah, it doesn’t matter if they have chemistry or not.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Katherine Heigl, and Justin Chambers on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
He’s only going to be around for three or four episodes.”
I’ve been chasing that chemistry for 20-some odd years.
I need it again.
Katherine Heigl and Jeffrey Dean Morgan on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
HEIGL:Oh, let’s do something.
The wheels are turning.
You want to be on a zombie show?
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Katherine Heigl on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
[Laughs]
HEIGL:Somebody call Shonda!
MORGAN:It’s time.
MORGAN:I did.
That was a complete conflict.
It was a big secret.
I put all this pressure on myself to do that well.
MORGAN:I didn’t have to do anything, obviously.
MORGAN:But I remember having so much empathy for what you were going through because it was rough.
So you cried for a good 15 hours that day
HEIGL:Yeah, it was very cathartic.
MORGAN:Which is not an easy job to do.
I really remember the “What about me?”
And you’re crying and I’m crying.
HEIGL:Oh yeah, they let us do that, which was kind of rare there.
MORGAN:It’s one of my favorite scenes.
You were so good.
HEIGL:You were so good.
You made it very easy to do.
One of my favorite things about Shonda as a writer is how beautifully she does these tortured love stories.
And I feel like that was Denny and Izzie, it was doomed from the start.
In this instance, it was magic.
It wasn’t like I had some big lead-up to, “This is coming for Izzie.”
It’s always secretive there and they don’t want to spill the beans too soon.
So you finding out as it’s going.
MORGAN:Especially then, it was so hush-hush.
We were really lucky.
I remember at the time, it was lightning in a bottle.
I remember people coming up to us and saying, “This is crazy.
You guys seem like you’ve known each other forever.”
We spent a lot of time [together].
HEIGL:Those were the good old days.
It was a really extraordinary time that I’m so grateful I had.
MORGAN:It was a really special time.
HEIGL:It was.
It was one of my favorites.
MORGAN:That set was magical.
And I know things happened later.
But when I came back in season 5, it had a complete different feel to it.
But years one, two, three, they were magic.
People were having the time of their lives and they loved each other.
HEIGL:We were so excited.
We were so gobsmacked that the success had even happened.
I don’t know that any of us expected that.
So we were just riding high.
MORGAN:Nobody had been on a show that was like the Super Bowl every week.
30 million people tuning in.
HEIGL:It was crazy.
And it was wonderful.
And then it was stressful.
MORGAN:I f—ing loved it.
I [would] basically go just hang out in Shonda’s office.
I think I was just trying to stay longer.
HEIGL:I think we did go in and take a stab at convince her not to kill you.
MORGAN:We did.
HEIGL:We were in there like, “Here’s what we’re thinking.
We’re thinking.”
And she was just like, “I hear you.
And it breaks my heart too, but he’s gotta die.”
Or, “What if we drag it out till next year?
Why do you got to end the year?”
And we never really knew.
She’d say, “Yeah, you got to die.”
But then… you wouldn’t have the script until the read-through.
It was so secretive.
And so there was always a little bit of hope like, “Maybe she’s fooling us.
She’s going to juke us here.”
Because she has a really good sense of humor as well.
I was like, “Maybe it’s not going to happen.”
But the day that I had to die, I didn’t come out of my trailer.
I wouldn’t come out of my trailer.
You’re just laying there.”
[Laughs] Wearing her prom dress.
I’m like, “All right.”
HEIGL:I love that season.
MORGAN:You won an Emmy.
HEIGL:Yeah, that’s still shocking to me.
I still feel a little like, “Did this get rigged?”
That was so rewarding and satisfying.
Obviously Denny would come back in season 3 and then in a much bigger way in season 5.
HEIGL:We have not watchedGrey’s.
Partly because I was like, “How do I explain that?”
I will be so embarrassed."
I don’t know how to explain this.
And she will make me embarrassed.
She will make fun of me.
No, it’s better not to give her that ammunition.
Do you know what I’m saying?
HEIGL:I know.
MORGAN:Because there’s a new fan group.
HEIGL:Yeah, me too.
Every time I go anywhere.
And I didn’t understand what was happening at first.
It’s crazy how popular it still is with new generations.
Looking back preparing for this chat, I did not remember just how many episodes Ghost Denny was in!
MORGAN:It’s funny because I don’t remember much of that season because it just…
I don’t know that anybody thought that was working when we were doing it.
HEIGL:Wish fulfillment, thank you.
MORGAN:She could never acknowledge me.
And I remember I was yelling at her while everybody else was giving her doctor information.
And it was throwing everybody off.
It was confusing for everyone.
There’s one particular scene that I will not watch with my children ever.
I don’t care how old they are.
I don’t care if they’re 60, I’m not watching this with them.
And Alex [Justin Chambers] and Izzie start messing around and he goes down on her.
And you’re just standing there.
[Laughs]
MORGAN:Yeah.
[Laughs]
HEIGL:I’m like, “I don’t know what to do.”
I was like, “I’ll give it my best.”
I think he would storm out."
[Laughs]
HEIGL:Yeah.
MORGAN:But it was great to be back, I’ll say that.
The work is always great.
It’s like Katie said, I don’t know that the story stuck.
And I think by the time we… She’s seeing a dead guy?
What the f— is going on?"
HEIGL:She’sf—ing a dead guy?
HEIGL:I’m sorry.
Don’t use that language, Samantha!
I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.
MORGAN:She’s messing around with a dead guy.
But it was fun.
We did have fun.
There was a lot of laughing, I’ll tell you that.
HEIGL: For me, I loved Izzie and I wanted her to get to have that with Denny.
I remember Shonda talking to me about it.
She referenced an old movie where the actress was sick and hallucinating.
Because at first I didn’t know why she was seeing him, and no one would tell me.
And then I was like, “Oh, that’s so sad.”
The last thing I’ll throw at you guys is the impact thatGrey’shad on you.
Jeff, I think you said Denny was the last audition you had?
It was the last audition I ever had.
It changed my life completely.
I was a journeyman actor who would do guest star spots and failed pilots up until then.
HEIGL:Yeah, me too.
I couldn’t go grocery shopping.
Women would tackle me, for real.
But it gave me a career.
Zack Snyder cast me inWatchmenbecause he lovedGrey’s Anatomy.
There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t thank Shonda Rhimes.
She gave me a career.
It’s pretty f—ing amazing.
HEIGL:The same thing happened to me.
I was job to job to job, just trying to live to fight another day.
I wanted to go doThird Watchbecause I was ready to get out of LA.
And at the time it was feeling like Meredith’s show.
And so I went for it and it changed my entire career.
I’ll be like 80 years old someday going, “How did that happen?”
I’m deeply grateful because it changed my whole life.
MORGAN:We’ll come up with that new show.
Like I said, “Somebody called Shonda!”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
