Katherine Heigl Accidentally Became a Child Model
Katherine Heigl is well-known for her rom-com prowess. Having starred in some of the genre’s most popular movies over the years (plus her award-winning stint on Grey’s Anatomy), fans are always happy to see her pop up as the lead opposite an unlikely bachelor. Acting wasn’t her first brush with fame, however — she was a model to start.
Katherine Heigl’s first gig was as a child model
Heigl’s discovery is a long story with little to do with acting at the start. Like MovieWeb reminds us, her first “gig” was as a model. Specifically, it was for her aunt’s new hair product. Her aunt used it on her and took pictures for the advertisements. After that, she sent the headshots to various New York modeling agencies.
Wilhelmina Models saw something they liked, so they signed Heigl to work with them when she was just nine years old. With them, she got many lucrative jobs posing for different clothing catalogs. She even starred in a nationally-syndicated Cheerios ad. This was only the start of Heigl’s rise to fame. Her film debut arrived six years after those first pictures went to print.
Katherine Heigl faced controversy as an actor
While modeling, Heigl began taking acting lessons. At 14, she used those newfound skills in her 1992 debut film, That Night. Though a minor role, she continued to get work over the next two years until her first leading role in 1994. She continued modeling and attending high school during this time, though she’d later drop out to pursue her acting career in Hollywood.
From there, Heigl featured in several projects, including her turn as Isabel Evans in the 1999 series Roswell. However, many didn’t recognize her until she began starring in the first season of Grey’s Anatomy. At the time, no one expected the series to become the ratings sensation that it would one day become or that her character of Dr. Izzie Stevens would become a fan favorite.
During this time, Heigl also started to make a name for herself in the world of romantic comedies. Among her notable features, most remember 2007’s Knocked Up. However, things got a bit rough in the next few years, as Heigl didn’t hold back in interviews when talking about how she thought of some of her projects. Her comments calling Knocked Up “a little sexist” and her criticisms of Grey’s Anatomy‘s working conditions drew backlash.
Heigl has admitted that this undoubtedly hurt her career. But she still stands by her comments. While things did slow down for her at the time, she’s returned to the small screen in recent years.
Heigl has taken on more dramatic roles
While Heigl previously embraced romantic comedies, her recent endeavors take her back to the more dramatic ones. Currently, she stars as Tully Hart in the Netflix series Firefly Lane, which has already been renewed for a second season. She’s also preparing to play Victoria Woodhull, famous suffragist and first female candidate for United States President, in the series Woodhull.
