1. Heigl garnered widespread critical acclaim for her performance as Izzie Stevens and received numerous awards and nominations for her role, winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2007.
49 Facts About Izzie Stevens
1. 2.
Izzie Stevens was critical of the character's development during the show's fourth season, particularly her romance with her on-screen best friend George.
3.
Izzie Stevens declined to pursue a nomination for the 2008 Emmy Awards, citing insufficient material in the role.
4.
Izzie Stevens married Alex in the series' 100th episode, and afterwards, her tumor was successfully removed.
5.
When Izzie Stevens was 15, she became pregnant with her first biological child, Hannah Klein and this caused her to have friction with cheerleaders at her high school.
6.
Izzie Stevens placed the child for adoption at age 16 after giving birth in 1996.
7.
Izzie Stevens privately named her daughter Sarah despite her adoptive parents naming her Hannah.
8.
Two years later, Izzie Stevens departed her hometown of Chehalis, Washington at age 18 and never returned until her third year of residency.
9.
Izzie Stevens is introduced as a 25-year-old former model in the first episode of Grey's Anatomy, meeting fellow surgical interns Meredith, Cristina, Alex, and George.
10.
Izzie Stevens is hurt when Alex exposes her past as a lingerie model.
11.
When Izzie Stevens finds out, she breaks up with him, though they briefly reunite following a bomb incident at the hospital.
12.
Izzie Stevens falls in love with cardiothoracic patient Denny Duquette, and the two become engaged.
13.
Izzie Stevens uses the money to open a free clinic at the hospital: the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic.
14.
Izzie Stevens disapproves of George's relationship with and marriage to orthopedic resident Callie Torres.
15.
George and resident Miranda Bailey are the only ones made aware that Izzie Stevens gave her child up for adoption at age 16.
16.
When Callie discovers George has been unfaithful, the two separate, and George and Izzie Stevens embark on a short-lived relationship, only to discover there is no real chemistry between them, and they decide to end their relationship and remain friends.
17.
Izzie Stevens is handed primary responsibility for the clinic, as Bailey cuts back on her responsibilities.
18.
Around this timeframe, she and Alex have rekindled their intern year relationship but Izzie Stevens grows increasingly concerned when she begins hallucinating Denny.
19.
Izzie Stevens is admitted to Seattle Grace as a patient.
20.
Izzie Stevens spends her time in the hospital planning Meredith and Derek's wedding, but when her condition worsens and Derek discovers a second brain tumor, they give the ceremony to Izzie Stevens and Alex, who marry in front of all their friends.
21.
Izzie Stevens's friends ignore her DNR order and attempt to resuscitate her.
22.
Izzie Stevens is subsequently cut from the surgical program after making a treatment error that endangers the life of a patient.
23.
Izzie Stevens then urges her to leave, be happy, and not come back.
24.
Izzie Stevens pleads with her not to leave him again, reflecting his deep unresolved feelings for Izzie.
25.
Izzie Stevens's presence continues to influence Alex throughout later seasons, particularly in his relationship with Jo Wilson.
26.
Izzie Stevens admits to Jo that he never learned what became of Izzie, but prefers to imagine that she is living a happy life, married with children, always smiling.
27.
Izzie Stevens was created by Grey's Anatomy producer Shonda Rhimes, and Katherine Heigl was cast in the role.
28.
Izzie Stevens even considered dyeing her hair brunette to convince Rhimes and director Peter Horton that she could play a doctor.
29.
The glasses Izzie Stevens wore in the pilot episode were dropped because of technical issues with lighting during shooting.
30.
Izzie Stevens once expressed interest in a potential spin-off for her character Izzie when Kate Walsh's Addison Montgomery left Grey's Anatomy to star in Private Practice.
31.
ABC's entertainment president, Steve McPherson, denied the rumors and emphasized that Izzie Stevens would have an important storyline that season.
32.
Izzie Stevens called her 2007 win "the highlight of [her] career" and admitted she feared a "No comment" would make her sound disinterested.
33.
Izzie Stevens believed it would be unfair to fans for Izzie to return and leave again, having already done so twice earlier in the season.
34.
Izzie Stevens later confirmed that she had intended to kill off Izzie off-screen, but opted against this a day later as she felt that it would destroy Alex, rather than give him closure.
35.
Heigl went on to say in October 2010 that a return looked bleak because she could not think of "any way that [Izzie Stevens] could come back gracefully that wouldn't just feel manipulative".
36.
Izzie Stevens stated it was "hard" because she wonders "what she's doing and where she is and what happened, but that is over for me now", and expressed further admiration for her on-screen husband, Chambers and their characters' romantic coupling.
37.
Izzie Stevens was always floundering you know, and so she was always one step behind the eight ball and I want to see that girl take some power back.
38.
Izzie Stevens returned "in spirit" for the episode with a doppelganger character, Liza, alongside George and Cristina doppelgangers, Greg and Cleo.
39.
Izzie Stevens then pitched a storyline about "doppelgangers" which was approved instead.
40.
Only Izzie Stevens looks like she didn't know this was coming.
41.
Izzie Stevens can do honorable things even though he's cutting and sarcastic.
42.
Izzie Stevens expressed frustration that Izzie did not face greater consequences for her actions, writing that it was the reason he stopped watching the show.
43.
In Season 3, Robert Rorke of the New York Post praised Izzie Stevens, calling her the "heart-and-soul" of the show and its heroine.
44.
Izzie Stevens highlighted her as a "calming presence" in contrast to the turmoil she experienced following the death of her fiance, Denny Duquette.
45.
Rorke appreciated the depth Izzie Stevens's character had developed, stating that she seemed like "the only adult intern" at Seattle Grace, aside from Dr Miranda Bailey, played by Chandra Wilson.
46.
However, the episode where Izzie Stevens marries long-term love Alex drew 15.3 million viewers, the highest-rated episode of the night.
47.
Izzie Stevens highlighted how the storyline brought attention to the importance of prevention, early detection, and research.
48.
Izzie Stevens featured in Wetpaint's "10 Hottest Female Doctors on TV" and BuzzFeed's "16 Hottest Doctors on Television".
49.
Heigl's portrayal of Izzie Stevens earned her widespread critical acclaim and several prestigious nominations and awards.