What does it say about Grey's Anatomy writers that they can more easily create storylines for a dead character than a live one? In a season that has brought back the deceased Denny Duquette for endless, cringe-worthy scenes with Izzie, George has done little else but the occasional appearance, basically reducing T.R. Knight from series regular to background scenery.
In the wake of a blind item hinting that ABC executives may have grown weary of Knight and the character of George O'Malley, the rumour mill went into overdrive yesterday when an entertainment lawyer posted on CrazyDaysandNights.net that the 35-year-old actor had walked off the set.
"So, I got a little more information from my source and they say, 'He hasn’t attended table reads since episode 2. He is pissed and miserable and thinks his story line is stupid,'" the lawyer wrote. "He said goodbye to his hair and makeup people last week. He says he is done and has quit. ABC has not released him. Shonda Rhimes, the producer called him and he told her he had nothing to say. He has packed his dressing room."
However, a representative for Grey's Anatomy immediately denied the reports, and since Knight is still under contract, he will continue performing his two lines per episode for the foreseeable future.
"T.R. has never walked off set in the middle of filming," the rep told Us Weekly. "He attended the table read today and will be shooting this week, like any other week of production."
But Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello cites several inside sources at the drama who claim the actor has indeed asked showrunner Shonda Rhimes to release him from his contract, a request Rhimes is close to granting. You mean ABC and Grey’s Anatomy misled us? No!
The news comes soon after the firing of Brooke Smith, who was shown the door when network executives voiced their unhappiness with Dr. Hahn and the character's lesbian relationship with Dr. Callie Torres. In her place, Grey's brought in actress Melissa George to play Callie's new love interest, teaching America the important lesson that lesbians are OK as long as the women are young and hot.
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