Katherine Heigl is one of the most recognizable actresses in Hollywood. Her face graced the screen for a full decade in every major rom-com that came out of Hollywood.
However, can you believe Ms. Heigl actually isn’t crazy about her name? Like no one in her personal life calls her Katherine. I know, right?
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Now, the 42-year-old is revealing her more casual name after 20+ years in the biz.
Before becoming one of the most recognizable stars in Hollywood, Katherine began her career as a “Scream Queen.”
Katherine’s first big break came when she was cast in the cult classic ’90s slasher flick, Bride of Chucky .
She went on to appear in the criminally underrated Valentine opposite heartthrob-of-the-moment, David Boreanaz.
Five years later, Katherine landed the biggest role of her career to date on *Grey’s Anatomy*.
Katherine was cast as Dr. Izzie Stevens , the beautiful and brilliant surgical oncologist.
During her five-year tenure, Katherine was one of the most popular stars on TV.
It was also around this time that Katherine began making her foray into feature films.
When Katherine was cast in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up , everything changed. Her star power blasted off like a rocket streaking across the sky.
In the blink of an eye, Katherine had gone from a popular TV actress to a red carpet Hollywood A-lister.
Which makes picking a favorite Katherine Heigl movie difficult.
From 27 Dresses , to The Ugly Truth , Killers and Life As We Know It , there are so many WINNERS!
I must say my #1 has to be 27 Dresses due to my deep love of James Marsden.
Over the past few years, Ms. Heigl has been rebranding herself.
As fans of the actress will know, she made the decision to depart from the romcom in 2014.
During an interview with Time , Katherine said that she felt that she’d ” overloaded ” her audience.
Her departure from the romcom was difficult for *me*, but I’m happy she’s happy!
But just because she isn’t appearing in romcoms, doesn’t mean Katherine has stopped working — far from it!
You can catch her starring in the hit Netflix series Firefly Lane , opposite Sarah Chalke.
Throughout this process of rediscovery, she’s revealed that she isn’t exactly keen on being called “Katherine.”
I think a lot of us can relate to this on some level.
Sometimes people give us names or even nicknames that we just aren’t fond of, but we feel bad telling people that.
Now, Katherine is getting candid about her name.
While chatting on The Drew Barrymore Show , Ms. Heigl revealed to the host that her friends and family call her Katie in her personal life.
“No one calls me Katherine,” she said.
Wait a second — if no one calls you “Katherine,” then why choose to go by that name?
It’s a fair question and Katie does her best to try and explain:
“It sounds much more sophisticated , right? Like an adult named Katherine. It helps me separate my work from me, if that makes sense.”
Drew compared the situation to Anne Hathaway’s recent admission that she prefers to be called “Annie.”
“If you know her in real life, you’re Annie , and if you know you in real life, you’re Katie,” she said.
I suppose it makes sense when you think of it that way.
Drew then asked Katherine if she ever felt conflicted by these opposing personalities:
“Do you feel like you have those two women running around inside you?” the talk show host asked.
To which Katie then replied, “I do feel that way.”
“I feel like I can present as Katherine when I need to, but most of the time I am just Katie.”
I love her for that! Clearly, Katie is a woman who knows who she is and how best to compartmentalize her personal and professional lives.
Kudos to you, Katie
I didn’t think it was possible, but somehow all of this just makes me love **Katie** even more!
What do you think of Katherine being called Katie? Do your friends and family call you by a different name?
Let us know in the comments below!
Last Updated on February 11, 2021 by Anastasia Ross
