Katherine Heigl Talks Motherhood & Career: "You Have to Get Really Comfortable with Publicly Failing"

Katherine Heigl in Jackie & Ryan. Photo: ?2015 Entertainment One Films US

Katherine Heigl’s done the TV thing—twice. First as Dr. Izzie Stevens on Grey’s Anatomy, and more recently on the short-lived CIA drama, State of Affairs. She’s done rom-coms and done them well, from Knocked Up to 27 Dresses. So now, after a brief break to raise her two young daughters, she’s taking that all-important career makeover step: the indie.

Jackie & Ryan, costarring Ben Barnes, debuted at the Venice Film Festival last year. The musical drama directed by Ami Canaan Mann, who was inspired by a banjo player she saw at SXSW, hits theaters and VOD on July 3. And on July 31, she’s married to Alexis Bledel in Jenny’s Wedding, written by Mary Agnes Donoghue (Beaches, White Oleander). So Yahoo Style caught up with Heigl to discuss lending her pipes to her Jackie & Ryan character, how she’s choosing her new roles, and why she doesn’t want to be (only) a mother 24/7.

Yahoo Style: We’ve seen fun Instagram videos of you singing with your husband [singer Josh Kelley] and kids in the car, but you actually recorded a song for this movie. What was that like?

Katherine Heigl: It was insane! I was so enthralled with the script and the character and the project and loved the idea of it so much. I’ve been sort of singing along with Josh for the last 10 years. He sings all the time, everywhere. He’s sort of taught me how to harmonize—or at least stay in my key while he harmonizes—and so I kind of went, “Oh maybe I could.” Josh is an extraordinary singer; I don’t think I could have done it without him because I was able to at least go to him and say, “OK. Here is the song that she wants me to sing. Can you help me?” He put it in my key. He redid the instrumental and everything so it would showcase what my voice, in its very limit, can do. And then I recorded it in his studio at our ranch. The only problem is when your husband starts directing you, it doesn’t go well!

YS: In Jackie & Ryan, you play a failed musician who is a mom on the verge of divorce, and then you have Jenny’s Wedding coming out soon where you are in an openly gay relationship but afraid to tell your family. What drew you to those projects?

KH: It is not as planned or strategic as it seems because it’s sort of what comes to you as it comes to you, and whether you respond to the material or don’t at that time. I did Jenny’s Wedding [which comes out July 31] in November of 2013. And I did Jackie & Ryan in January 2014 and that was sort of what had come around. I really loved both stories. I loved the characters, I found them human and real, and maybe at that time in my life, that’s what I needed and wanted to do. What I found so interesting about Jackie is that she had this big career ahead of her; she went out there and really tried to grab the brass ring and failed. And that is also a really big part of being a performer—you have to get really comfortable with publicly failing.

YS: Can you relate to that at all?

KH: Yeah. You cannot guarantee the box office, you can’t know if the film will turn out exactly the way it was on the page or the way you hoped. You cannot guarantee that people will go and see it. You have to take these risks and understand that things might not turn out the way that you want. It might be somewhat embarrassing and some people may look at you and think that you failed. And then you might fail the next time too and the time after that until you get really lucky and you win.

YS: Speaking of which, State of Affairs was your return to television after Grey’s Anatomy. Were you crushed that it was cancelled?

KH: I was. I loved everything about it. I loved showing up to the Universal lot every day. I loved working with Adam [Kaufman] and Sheila [Vand], Cliff [Chamberlain], and Alfre [Woodard]. It was such a great experience. I wouldn’t trade that year to have not had the bad news—it was worth it. And you never know…maybe I can do a prequel or a sequel somewhere else.

YS: How do you see your career at this point?

KH: I’ve been doing a lot of intention work. I’m one of those people! I wanted to be clear with myself about what I want. I have a scene in Jackie & Ryan where my character looks in the mirror and asks herself, “Where am I going to go? How am I going to get there?” And before I had that scene, I said [to the director], “Ami this is kind of awkward—I can’t see myself saying this, I don’t even like to look in mirrors! How do I play this?” But since that scene, I’ve been able to do that and say, “OK. What do you want and how are you going to get it?” That’s been a lot of what I’ve been asking myself, and I know now. I know after that year on State of Affairs that I want to work with people who are fun and collaborative and charming and grounding and passionate and respectful. And I know I want to produce—I loved producing. I had such an enjoyable time doing that. I know I would love to tell stories that are moving or thought provoking or entertaining and funny. So I put that all together and said, “OK. So let’s put that out in to the universe. How am I going to make that happen?”

YS: At one point you were sort of the queen of romantic comedies. Do you miss making them?

KH: I do! And there was one I read recently that made me think, “Oh this is such a relief to read something fun and charming and outrageous and silly,” because so much of what I’ve been reading is really heavy or hugely action packed. I love romantic comedies. I’ve been going back to watch them because they are not coming out anymore. So I am re-watching old films from the ‘90s and early 2000’s with my 13-year-old niece.

YS: You live in Utah with your family. Is it refreshing to live outside of the industry? Do people recognize you?

KH: They do, but they are so chill and grounded and cool and so unimpressed with all of that, and that’s why I love it there. It’s also extraordinarily beautiful. I wake up every day and have a view that’s to die for. It’s just a more peaceful, grounded life. It’s easy to feel more present and in control—it’s such a female thing—of my family and my kids and my home and our life and what our day-to-day is. There are lots of sides of me and I love being a mother, but I don’t want to do it 24/7. I also love my job and love my craft so I have the absolute best of all worlds. I should knock on some wood!

YS: Has being a mother changed the way you look at your life and your career?

KH: It’s put my career into perspective. I recently read this really interesting script that I’m not doing, but it’s a very powerful woman in a powerful position on Wall Street or whatever and at one point she says to one of the men in the room, “How do you feel about a woman in this position having a baby and becoming a mother?” and she doesn’t even let him answer. She says, “It’s a detriment isn’t it? Because it makes you realize that work isn’t the most important thing.” And that’s what it did for me. It gave me perspective and made me realize my career is not the only important thing in my life. It’s not the only important thing about me. Thank God! Because I don’t think I could spend my whole life thinking my only value is in work.

YS: You have two little girls—are they fun to dress?

KH: I barely dress them! But when I do, I overly coordinate. One time I was getting Naleigh dressed for something and she had this cute little yellow shirt and this cute little purple cardigan and cute little purple jeans and I went to go put the purple headband on and she goes, “No mom. That’s too much purple.” I was like, “You’re right. That’s too much purple.” She’s far more the fashionista than I am. She is kind of a little hipster and I had nothing to do with that; that’s her own unique little personality. Adalaide is a total tomboy, so she’s always in jeans and a ratty t-shirt. But when we go anywhere, if I can get them to dress, I’m more of the Laura Ashley type. I’m not on trend, let’s be honest.

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