The question of whether Dr. George O'Malley would survive next season on Grey's Anatomy was pretty much answered when T.R. Knight announced in June that he would not be returning to the ABC medical drama, but the actor has revealed a few more details behind his departure in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Unsurprisingly, it had to do with the fact that Knight's screen time last season was dramatically reduced, as his character only appeared in 48 minutes of the first nine episodes. (Costar Sandra Oh, meanwhile, appeared in 114 minutes.)
"My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George]," Knight said, revealing that there was a gradual "breakdown of communication" with showrunner Shonda Rhimes that led to Knight asking to be let out of his lucrative, $14 million US contract instead of confronting his boss.
"From an outsider's perspective, I get the [impression that] 'He's just a spoiled actor...he doesn't know how good he has it,'" he added. "There are a lot of people who would like to be in my position. But in the end, I need to be fulfilled in my work."
The 36-year-old Emmy nominee also claimed that Rhimes discouraged him from coming out in the media after Isaiahgate, in which former costar Isaiah Washington called Patrick Dempsey a "f****t" during an argument.
"I think she was concerned about having my statement come out so close to the [initial] event," Knight said.
Rhimes denied this accusation, telling EW: "I said, 'If you want to come out, that's awesome.'"
Meanwhile, Katherine Heigl, whose character was also on the brink of death in the Grey's season finale, has returned to the set to film the upcoming sixth season. Although she recently lamented her 17-hour workdays to David Letterman, she still didn't reveal the fate of Dr. Izzie Stevens.
"I'm not going to give anything away, but I'm there, so I'm either there as a ghost, on the other side or I survived a disease no one survives," Heigl said on The Late Show on July 20. "What if I was in a bed in a coma for 17 hours? They could do that to me."
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