T.R. Knight got more than he bargained for when he was hired for “Grey’s Anatomy.”
How could a struggling actor ever figure on landing a gig on what would become one of TV’s biggest shows only to be forced to publicly come out as a gay man after a co-star’s use of a homophobic slur made his sexuality an unexpected target?
The remarkably popular third season of “Grey’s” undoubtedly will go down as one of the most difficult years in Knight’s life. Revealing that you’re gay is a thorny matter for an actor on a hit TV show.
Over lunch at a Venice Beach cafe last month, Knight said he felt he needed to come out after co-star Isaiah Washington made his homophobic comment on-set in October and repeated it at the Golden Globes in January.
“It wasn’t the only choice I could have made, but it was the only choice I could have made and lived with myself, if that makes sense,” Knight said of his decision to issue a statement to People magazine and appear on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to discuss the controversy.
“Grey’s” won the Golden Globe for best drama and has been nominated for five of the top Emmy awards to be handed out Sunday, including best drama and best supporting actor for Knight, who plays the lovable, bumbling underdog George O’Malley.
Instead of reveling in those sweet times and their summer break, the “Grey’s” cast has had to endure a tell-all publicity tour launched by Washington since he was fired in June. Washington was talking about the incident again on Court TV’s “Star Jones” show as Knight sat for this interview.
“I have nothing, absolutely nothing to say about it,” Knight said, his speech slowing considerably. “With all due respect, I haven’t said much at all, but I have said some, and I don’t need to say more. That’s all I need to. That’s all I will talk about. That’s all.”
Katherine Heigl, who plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on “Grey’s,” has plenty to say: “I have absolutely no respect at all for how Isaiah has handled this. I’m disgusted. That’s probably a really strong thing to say, and I’m probably going to get yelled at for saying this, but I remember sitting with T.R. and saying, ‘You should say this. And you should go on that show and say that.’ … But [Knight] was right. To say nothing at all is the most dignified thing he could do and the most honorable thing he could do for himself and for what really happened that day and for the whole situation. And it speaks volumes.”
Knight’s behavior earned him a standing ovation at the GLAAD Media Awards in L.A. in April, a response that he calls “sweet” but still makes him cringe because, he said, “I didn’t feel I warranted that. I haven’t done anything.”
After a most trying year, Heigl believes this is Knight’s moment.
“As we all know, the most painful lessons are the ones that can cause the most growth if you face it,” Knight said. “So a lot of it, I think, I’ll still be thinking out for a while, but it’s good. It’s good. And who knows what September is going to bring?”
The Emmys?
“Well, yes, we know that,” he said, and laughed.
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Preaching tolerance
T.R. Knight and three of his “Grey’s Anatomy” co-stars are featured in a new ad campaign preaching tolerance for gays and lesbians that the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation will encourage TV networks to air. Knight, Sara Ramirez and Kate Walsh, as well as Chicago’s own Alexandra Billings, a transgender actress who guest-starred on the medical drama, talk about the power of anti-gay words.
Other ads in the campaign feature actors Rachel Griffiths, Marlee Matlin, Rebecca Romijn and Lance Bass, as well as former sports stars John Amaechi and Martina Navratilova. [ AP ]
