CALM DOWN! Katherine Heigl Did Not “Slam” Knocked Up

Heigl-Bash-KnockedHoly crap. It’s crazy how we (and I seriously mean “WE”, because we all do this sometimes… me included) can sometimes take one statement made by someone, and build an entire thesis about them. Take today’s uproar over a statement made by Katherine Heigl, who was the co-star with Seth Rogen in Knocked Up.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Heigl said 98% of the movie was an amazing experience, but that it was a “little bit sexist” in parts. Ok… do we have that…. she 98% LOVED the movie, but had one criticism for it. We clear on that?

Today, I read no less than 4 other websites (all run by cool people who are either friends of mine or that I at least know and highly respect) running posts about how Katherine Heigl is an ungrateful traitor, or a hypocrite, or forgetting where she came from. Can you believe it?!?!

All she basically said was that the movie wasn’t perfect. She says 98% was an amazing experience, had one criticism for the film… and people are jumping all over her for it??? Calm down folks. Heigl did not “SLAM” or “BASH” Knocked Up.

I don’t hear people calling George Clooney ungrateful when he mentions Batman as a low point for him. Someone asked her an honest question… the movie has already come out in theaters and on DVD so she can be open with her thoughts on it… and she says she 98% loved it. Is that the new definition of “BASHING” and “SLAMMING”?

You can agree or disagree with Heigl’s opinion (personally I disagree with her assessment) but she was hardly bashing the movie.

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28 thoughts on “CALM DOWN! Katherine Heigl Did Not “Slam” Knocked Up

  1. It’s pretty clear to me that not only did Heigl not slam the film, but she was correct. Knocked Up was a buddy comedy with a pregnancy/romcom situation driving the plotline. It was more mature than most, but in its depiction of a spying, paranoid wife and a flatly-written preggers-chick girlfriend it was, undoubtedly, at least “a little sexist.”

    And what gives, calling her a bitch just for voicing her opinion? Seth Rogen was not personally insulted by her comments to Vanity Fair, and he was out of line personally insulting her for them the way he did.
    Now THAT’S sexist.

  2. I think this case is purely a matter of opinon.

    I for one, see this movie as being highly sexist. I don’t think it is easy for most men and some women to understand the sexism portrayed in this movie because it is so ingrained into our culture. It conveys the concept that men are volitional, interesting, funny, and mistake-filled. Women on the other hand, have everything together and are cold and boring.

    My question is, can you honestly say that these ideas don’t permeate through our society? What about boys must be boys? How many comedies starring a female role exist out there right now? Beyond Tina Fey? Would a female ever be portrayed as a pot smoking loser with ten extra pounds trying to hook up with hot guys and still be considered redeemable and loveable (similar to the Seth Rogan character)? No, probably not.

    I don’t know who to blame, but why is it so rare for women to be considered something beyond sexy, smart and in control?

    So, I don’t blame Heigel. She is playing the parts that are available to her in Hollywood. However, if she really wanted to do something about sexism, why would she sell out? I think it was a little too late for her to get a moral conscience about how her character comes off.

    I really do applaud her for being honest though. I’m sure many actors have feelings like this about their movies and we just don’t hear it.

  3. Batman with George Clooney was an awful movie, everyone agrees on that. I think the director agrees hah. Knocked Up is a great movie. She is a moron. You’re telling me 27 Dresses isn’t sexist? “oh I’m always the bridesmaid why doesn’t a man come along and marry me so I can feel fulfilled?

  4. ok this persons whole argument hinges on the fact that she says that 98% of the time she loved being in the movie

    but seriously has anyone read the interveiw because that 98% statement was total backpeddaling youd be stupid to miss what was really going on she sat there and bashed the movie for a good 10-15 minutes realised how she was going to be making herself look so she droped that 1 single little notion at the very end of her rant about it being a great experience 98% of the time

    come on people surely its obviouse that she was just backpeddaling to save face

  5. Can I ask this please? How many people really give a damn about what she says or doesn’t say? Honestly, I’ve seen her on interviews and her and her ‘craft’ really need to sit back and take a break from being so serious. It’s ACTING – she’s not saving the world for God’s sake.

  6. Jeff,

    From what I’ve read, I don’t think her criticism of Grey’s falls into the “bashing” category, either. She expressing frustration with how her character has recently been portrayed. She’s not saying that the show sucks.

    Regardless, in the case of Grey’s, I’m less likely to have a problem with what she’s saying anyway, because I agree with her. The behavior she’s criticizing (her character’s affair with George) is exactly why I stopped watching the show, a show that, up to that point, I had really enjoyed.

  7. Well, due to the overreactions Heigl’s rep released a statement
    Katie’s rep did a statement:
    [quote]Despite her candid comments, Heigl’s rep insists,[b] “Katherine’s intention was never to bash a film that opened doors for her. She loves Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen and had a great time making Knocked Up and states that in her quote.”[/b][/quote]
    http://www.eonline.com/gossip/planetgossip/detail/index.jsp?uuid=722215ea-18c0-49b0-b91a-540aa2fe8e89&sid=fd-planet

    I think it has a lot to misrepresentation, and Vanity Fair trying to get sales. I can recall Seth Rogan, in his KU press junkets, criticizing his character Ben Stone. However, he was slammed *shrugs*. To me both Seth and Katherine criticized the film the thing is Seth did his while it in promotion. So I don’t know seems not much to be pissed about. I think people are overreacting to this, and due to this hence the statement of Heigl’s intention.

  8. John, I think having the whole statement totally changes the dynamic of the comment. In the condensed version, it makes one bold statement, whereas the whole statement conveys where her true feelings lie and why. I can see that the women in the show (the sisters, at least) were shown to be a little more uptight and not so easy going, and the men were the “cool ones”. I can totally agree that Heigl has the right to express her opinion, but it does come off slightly harsh in people’s minds because the movie was such a success. I agree with you that it’s been blown way out of proportion, but then, people are only human and they get upset at lots of little things. It’ll all be forgotten soon enough.

  9. @Jeff

    That is what is making her sound like a whiny, ungrateful suck. She’s taking roles and then whining about their content. If it bothers you that much, don’t do it. She wasn’t shooting her mouth off when the movie was bringing in cash and putting her ass on magazine covers. I didn’t enjoy the movie that much, so I’m not trying to defend it, but I don’t like how she is behaving. She’ll gladly take the money, but then whine about it later on. Wah wah wah.

  10. I would probably argue that her role in a television show that has an average weekly audience of almost 20 million viewers was her big break.

    Not to say that Knocked Up has been bad for her career, but having her name attached didn’t do anything to hurt the movie’s prospects, either. Think about it, this was Seth Rogen’s big break movie, and your average movie goer has never heard of Judd Apatow (great as he is)… She was the name (or, more accurately, the face) on this film.

    Not that that would excuse her bashing the project (if she had done so, which I don’t think she did) but calls of “biting the hand that fed her” are a bit overwrought.

  11. Still, it was only one criticism. Just one small one, and I think people yesterday were blowing this out of proportion. Instead of giving the company line of boringness Heigl was honest about one thing she didn’t like in the movie. She’s a mind, and an opinion. She doesn’t hide, and I honestly think it’s sad for entertainers to hide their opinion about their work when, in fact, many of us criticize our own bosses *shrugs*.

  12. The reason for the uproar is that Heigl made some statements about a film that essentially raised her to the “A” list. She did the film for career betterment, and now that she’s reaped the benefits, she feels like it’s okay to make negative remarks regarding a film she used to enhance herself. That’s the root of the problem.

  13. John, an interesting take as always, but I wanted to throw something out there.

    Jackie Chan came out publicly against the Rush Hour movies, particularly the latest abomination, and that was news. Sure, his comments were a little more cut and dry, but I don’t see the difference here.

    I’m not sure it has as much to do with the fan base for each of these movies. It’s simply a star saying negative things (however large or small) about a movie they were in that’s interesting. It doesn’t happen very often, especially from an actor on a movie that was their big break. (Heigl in Knocked Up, Chan in Rush Hour)

  14. Um, okay? I don’t get. When did 2% outweigh the 98%? Maybe I’m being unfair because I haven’t watched the movie, nor do I care to. Don’t take that statement the wrong way, I’m sure it is very good, but I don’t see EVERY good film (like The Wrath of Khan), especially when I am getting low on money.

    Let me put it this way: Say Michael Keaton said, “Overall, I had a great time working with Tim Burton on Batman. But I’m not too commited with working on a ‘comic book’ movie.” Would he get the same treatment? I mean seriously, I heard him say on the Batman DVD that Burton convinced him to take the role despite that he wasn’t too interested at first.

    Then again, I watched an interview with the cast of The Da Vinci Code where Ian McKellen said the Bible could be considered fake. And remember Jodie Foster saying she doesn’t like Sin City because of its ‘fun’ description of violence?

    Freedom of speech. Nearly took Campea’s review of Reno 911 movie off Youtube. I think were taking this a bit too much. Now the casting choices of JLA; THAT’S a real reason to be pissed off! My 2 cents.

  15. It’s a classic comedy formula, you have the funny man and the straight man (in this case women) and it’s the interplay between the two character types that emphasizes the humour. Heigl is interpreting this as sexism.

    Surely she read the script before taking the role and presumably saw the 40 year old virgin. If she thought it was sexist humour maybe she should have passed.

    And John, despite the fact that she said she loved %98 of the movie, the majority of the quote is negative towards it. In my opinion the quote is negative in tone.

  16. I’m reminded of how Halle Berry was almost universally praised for cashing her paycheck and then going on the Razzies and thanking the creators of Catwoman for “putting [her] in a God-awful movie.” Because, really, she wasn’t given a choice.

    I think John is right, if no one had liked Knocked Up, this would be a non-issue. Heigl’s comment will in no way hurt this film; she’s not biting the hand that fed her. It’s one critical point about a movie that she claims (in the same sentence no less) to have really enjoyed making.

    Whether or not she’s correct is really irrelevant, as no one really seems to care what she said, just that she said anything at all against a movie that was almost universally enjoyed.

  17. Too be honest, who really cares. Why do people feel the need to get upset over this. There are more important things. Besides, on every project, I wholly believe there is at least one thing everyone would change, from the role they were in to the book or artwork they created. Just let it go, go get upset over something important, like a starving child for goodness sake.

  18. Hey Kristina,

    I totally disagree. I found what she said to be harmless, and in context totally innocent. I think people (not necessarily you) are only saying this stuff because heaven forbid anyone should say anything negative about a movie they all like (I loved Knocked Up), if this were another movie that most people didn’t love, no one would think twice about what she said.

  19. “Soooo… the difference between just expressing your honest opinion, and being “negative” is if other people liked the movie?”

    I certainly didn’t put it in terms as general as those. I was referencing a specific movie, BATMAN & ROBIN, which you compared this situation to. If, say, Catherine Keener or Elizabeth Banks said “The 40 Year Old Virgin” was a little sexist after reading the script, doing the movie, and cashing the paycheck, I would think they were morons too. I don’t care if Heigl was being honest or not. She was still biting the hand that fed her, the hand that made her a star.

    The “sexism” was part of the characters, and it was equal opportunity with both sexes. Rachel McAdams would never be dumb enough to complain about Wedding Crashers being “a little sexist.”

  20. I don’t think she was BASHING the film per se, but it is a little…I don’t what the right word here is, but when I read her comments as she whined about the characters that she gets paid a hefty amount to portray, I didn’t feel sympathy for her. No one put a gun to her head and MADE her star in that film or the TV show that she’s on. And God knows, I’m not a feminazi, but when I see sexist shit it does piss me off. I can’t see how her character in Knocked Up was portrayed in a sexist manner whatsoever. And John, even though she might not have meant to bash Knocked Up, she is coming across as a whiny suck that is biting the hand that fed her.

  21. Hey Colin…

    Soooo… the difference between just expressing your honest opinion, and being “negative” is if other people liked the movie? So if other people DIDN’T like the movie, it’s not being negative… but if other people DID like the movie, then it’s being ungrateful?

    There was nothing wrong with Heigl’s statement. She was asked a question… she gave her honest answer and in that answer also spoke very highly of the movie with her one criticism. Nothing wrong with that… and you can bet your ass Universal will put her in the next project they think works with her if they feel it will make them money.

  22. All that said, I agree she wasn’t flat-out “bashing” the movie, but “ungrateful” certainly applies. If she 98% loved it, why say anything at all? And the rest of what she says doesn’t jibe with “98% loved it.” I wouldn’t expect to see Universal casting her in anything anytime soon — a shame, since she was actually great in KNOCKED UP. As for Clooney bashing B&R — completely different. That movie is considered one of the worst ever, and Schumacher himself has ripped it. Clooney would look like an utter ass defending it, whereas Heigl is speaking negatively (no, not bashing or slamming, but speaking negatively) about a movie that gave her tremendous exposure, was acclaimed critically, and loved by audiences.

  23. Hey Colin,

    Because it doesn’t change anything. She said she 98% of the time had an azmazing experience… but she offered ONE criticism of the film. Weather you agree with her or not isn’t the issue… the issue is that by saying 98% was great, but she had a problem with one thing does NOT make her a hypocrite or ungrateful or “forget where she comes from”.

    You can think she’s incorrect (I do), but that doesn’t mean she’s “BASHING” the movie.

  24. John, why don’t you update this story with the FULL quote from Heigl? You know, the one where she says the movie is “a little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I’m playing such a bitch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie.”

    This is IDIOTIC. How was the movie portraying women as killjoys? Her character was conflicted about being pregnant with the child of a pothead who lives off insurance money after getting hit by a bus (or some vehicle). Is she a bitch for that? No. But Heigl is for saying this shit after she did the movie, and after it boosted her asking price from $300,000 to $6 million. And I guess she has a HISTORY of this shit, bashing ROSWELL, and now publicly bitching about her character on Grey’s Anatomy. If playing the charater makes her so uncomfortable, she start donating the checks to charity.

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