Katherine Heigl Talks to Ellen Pompeo About 'Mouthy' Comments: 'I Was So Naive'

In a wide-ranging conversation with her former "Grey's" co-star, Ellen Pompeo, as part of Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, Heigl reflected on the controversial remarks that led to her being branded "difficult" in Hollywood.

If you recall, in 2007, the actress described the comedy “Knocked Up,” in which she starred, as “a little sexist,” saying the women in the movie were “humorless and uptight.” The following year, she spoke out about her 17-hour workday at “Grey’s Anatomy,” before making headlines for withdrawing her name from Emmy consideration because she felt she wasn’t “given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination.” In 2010, she quit “Grey’s Anatomy,” in which she starred on the first six seasons, opposite Pompeo’s Dr. Meredith Grey.

"I was so naive. I got on my soapbox and I had some things to say, and I felt really passionate about this stuff," Heigl told Pompeo. "I felt really strongly. I felt so strongly that I also got a megaphone out on my soapbox. There was no part of me that imagined a bad reaction. I felt really justified in how I felt about it and where I was coming from."

She continued, "It took me a minute to really stop being a victim because of the reaction that I got and tuning out all that noise."

"I've spent most of my life -- I think most women do -- being in that people-pleasing mode. It's really disconcerting when you feel like you have really displeased everybody," she added. "It was not my intention to do so, but I had some things to say, and I didn't think I was going to get such a strong reaction. I was in my late 20s."

The "Firefly Lane" star said it wasn't until her "mid-to-late-30s" that she was able to "really get back to tuning out all the noise" and ask herself: "But who are you? Are you this bad person? Are you ungrateful? Are you unprofessional? Are you difficult?"

"Because I was confused! I thought maybe I was," she told Pompeo. "I literally believed that version, and felt such shame for such a long time, and then had to go, 'Wait. Who am I listening to? I'm not even listening to myself. I know who I am.'"

Pompeo -- who previously showed her support for Heigl -- told her former co-star that she was "just a little early," joking that she could have had her "own megaphone" if she waited until Twitter came out.

Pompeo went on to express that "nobody likes a super confident woman," citing the notion as to why "they're taking away reproductive rights, and voting rights all over this country, is because they don't want women to find their power."

"They don't want women to have a voice. They don’t want women to have control because they know that we can do it better than they can," she added, to which Heigl replied, "I think for me, I just felt that 40 was freedom, because I didn’t have to be the young, sweet, naive, people-pleasing ingénue anymore. I had outgrown it."

In response, Pompeo quipped, "I don't know about the 'sweet' part. I wouldn't describe you as sweet. And that's what people had a problem with. Sweet, they can handle."

Meanwhile, the 53-year-old actress pointed out to Heigl that she was a child actor and "grew up on sets, being told what to do, where to go, what to say, what to feel, what to think, what to eat, when to eat, when to sleep."

"It made life easier. But then you get older, and they expect you to make some choices for yourself. Then 'Grey's' hit, and the success happened," Heigl said. "I think that gave me this confidence that was a false sense of confidence. It was rooted in something that couldn't and maybe wouldn't always last for me. So then I started getting real mouthy, because I did have a lot to say, and there were certain boundaries and things that I was not OK with being crossed. I didn't know how to fight that."

Throughout the conversation, the two ladies, of course, discussed "Grey's Anatomy," with Pompeo at one point revealing a scene people often bring up to her.

Back in Season 2, Pompeo's Meredith Grey begs Dr. Derek Sheppard (Patrick Dempsey) to choose to be with her. At one point, she says, "Pick me, choose me, love me." The line went on to become famous, however, Pompeo said she wasn't a fan, and "fought" against it at the time.

"I'm sure for you there are lines of dialogue that people quote to you all the time," Heigl said to Pompeo, who replied, "So, OK, this is a real thing. My daughter and her friends, they sit around and they're like, 'Oh, she's a 'pick me girl.'"

"Oh, my God! Is that what that means?" Heigl asked, to which Pompeo replied, "Yes. I'm like, 'What's a pick me girl?' They were like, 'You know, girls who are like, "Pick me, choose me!"' And I'm like, 'Hello?! Do you know who invented the "pick me girl"?'"

"Listen, I don’t know if you remember that I fought that speech so hard," Pompeo said. "That's another really interesting thing about life -- some things that I was so against, and I was like, 'I can't beg a man on TV! This is so embarrassing.' And then it turns out to be one of the most famous scenes ever."

Heigl agreed, adding, "It was a beautiful scene."

Check out Heigl and Pompeo's full conversation in the video, above!