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If you’re anywhere near a magazine stand tomorrow – July 24 – make sure you pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly. On the cover: T.R. Knight. And inside the cover, there’s an interview with T.R. Knight about the real truth of why he left Grey’s Anatomy and what happened behind the scenes to make him want to leave forever.
Michael Ausiello posted a few sneak peeks of the article in question. This past season – season 5 – George’s screen time in the first nine episodes was atrocious. His total screen time for those nine episodes totaled 48 minutes, which is pretty sad compared to Sandra Oh’s 114. T.R. Knight reveals that he didn’t go to Rhimes to ask what was going on, and instead decided simply to move on from the show. “My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George],” he explains. “And with respect, I’m going to leave it at that.”
Reading between the lines, we can see that there must’ve been a lot of friction between T.R. Knight and Shonda Rhimes and perhaps others. It’s unclear whether this friction was there from the beginning or if it came as a result of the whole Isaiah Washington mess. Though Shonda Rhimes denies it – insisting she was supportive of T.R. Knight’s decision to come out – T.R. states that Rhimes was among the people telling him not to come out. “I think she was concerned about having my statement come out so close to the [initial] event.”
He admits that he was not a fan of the storyline in which George cheats on Callie with Izzie, and that what came next for his character after that was a lot of nothingness (season 5). “There just comes a time when it’s so clear that moving on is the best decision,” he says.
Katherine Heigl tried to talk him out of it, insisting that she didn’t think it was the right decision and that whatever problems existed could be ironed out. But in the end she says that she’s happy for him because T.R. seemed ready to move on.
In terms of how he feels about leaving, T.R. Knight acknowledges that many people think that his leaving is seen as him being a spoiled actor, but he maintains that “in the end, I need to be fulfilled in my work.”
The full story is on this week’s Entertainment Weekly so be sure to pick up a copy!
Via | Entertainment Weekly
Image courtesy of Entertainment Weekly
All I can say is that I’m really sorry that T.R. is leaving the show. And that I’m really gonna miss George!
[...] Leave a Comment // By now I’m fairly certain that anyone that keeps up with Grey’s Anatomy news between and during seasons is aware that T.R. Knight has officially left the show. [...]
ooow, its so hard to accept that “george” is going to leave the show, i love his character his was so nice, hoping that t.r. will change his mind…..im gonna miss you george!
they made him die in such a crappy way,and no one even seemed sad besides callie!! Meredith looked ugly and old like always but no emotion..even christina seemed more upset than her…cant believe lexie didnt even cry ..i thoyght i saw a cute little love story there at the start of season 5…george deserved it. thats so sad, thats all george gets?
geez even the girl who didnt even know george cried more than his friends did.