Bliss
Well-Known Member
That I did not know, which is.....
She famously talked Shonda Rhimes out of casting him as her love interest on Grey's Anatomy.
But there were no hard feelings between Ellen Pompeo and Isaiah Washington as they reunited on the set of the medical drama.
Washington – who was axed seven years ago following his use of homophobic slurs towards a co-star – has been brought back to the show for a special one-off appearance as Dr Preston Burke as his former on-screen fiancee Dr Christina Yang (Sandra Oh) departs the show.
And he and Ellen appeared to have decided to put the past behind them as they cosied up for a picture, which she promptly posted to Instagram.
Ellen wrote: 'BURKE IS BACK #itsallgoodinthehood #burkeisback.'
Ellen previously revealed, showrunner Rhimes wanted to cast Washington as her love interest but she talked her out of it.
She told the New York Post: 'They wanted Isaiah Washington to be my boyfriend. Shonda really wanted to put a black man in the mix. I didn't think they were really going to put an interracial couple on the show and I didn't want him. It was too close to home. ... I said I wanted that [Patrick] Dempsey kid. (
why though??)
'I think that once Isaiah did not get the role it backfired.'
In real life Ellen is married to music producer Chris Ivery, who is black.
Washington's character was one of the central players on the programme for the first three seasons.
He also shared a picture on his Twitter account of him in medical scrubs with the caption: '#Day2 Done. #BurkeIsBack'.
Speaking about Burke, who was last seen during the finale of season three as he stood Christina up at the altar, showrunner Rhimes previously said in a statement: 'It's important to me that Cristina's journey unfolds exactly as it should. Burke is vital to that journey - he gives her story that full-circle moment we need to properly say goodbye to our beloved Cristina Yang.'
However, on set altercations with then co-star T.R. Knight led to him using anti-gay slurs against his fellow actor and he was fired.
Despite this, GLAAD, the non-governmental media monitoring organisation which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media, has praised his return.
It said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter: 'His PSA and his statements promoting marriage equality in recent years have sent a strong message of support for LGBT people.
'We look forward to seeing him return to one of our favorite shows, as well as in Patrik-Ian Polk's moving film Blackbird about a young man coming out in a small Southern town.'
Isaiah blamed Knight for the incident and insisted the wrong man was let go.
He told the Houston Chronicle in 2007,one month after he was fired, 'I have to clear my name. I'll start from the beginning. I'm telling everything. So here's the truth."
While Knight told chat show host Ellen DeGeneres that Isaiah used the slur against him and that 'everyone (on the set) heard', Isaiah insisted he used it during an argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey.
'That's a lie," Washington said. 'I used the word during a disagreement with Patrick. I apologised for that. We shook hands and went back to work.'
'I was not fired for making homophobic slurs, ' he added: 'I did everything I said I would do. ... I wanted everyone to know I was remorseful. '
Rhimes previously called the period after he was fired a 'really difficult time’.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: 'It was hard for me to write the show. Seasons four and five were difficult because I was in a dark place after the press frenzy that descended on us because of the [Washington and Knight situation and critical backlash to the stories.
'In the beginning, it felt like such a magical place, and to discover that everyone isn't who you thought they were is very unfortunate."
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So happy he gets to re-appear, even if for one episode. :smt001
She famously talked Shonda Rhimes out of casting him as her love interest on Grey's Anatomy.
But there were no hard feelings between Ellen Pompeo and Isaiah Washington as they reunited on the set of the medical drama.
Washington – who was axed seven years ago following his use of homophobic slurs towards a co-star – has been brought back to the show for a special one-off appearance as Dr Preston Burke as his former on-screen fiancee Dr Christina Yang (Sandra Oh) departs the show.
And he and Ellen appeared to have decided to put the past behind them as they cosied up for a picture, which she promptly posted to Instagram.
Ellen wrote: 'BURKE IS BACK #itsallgoodinthehood #burkeisback.'
Ellen previously revealed, showrunner Rhimes wanted to cast Washington as her love interest but she talked her out of it.
She told the New York Post: 'They wanted Isaiah Washington to be my boyfriend. Shonda really wanted to put a black man in the mix. I didn't think they were really going to put an interracial couple on the show and I didn't want him. It was too close to home. ... I said I wanted that [Patrick] Dempsey kid. (
why though??)'I think that once Isaiah did not get the role it backfired.'
In real life Ellen is married to music producer Chris Ivery, who is black.
Washington's character was one of the central players on the programme for the first three seasons.
He also shared a picture on his Twitter account of him in medical scrubs with the caption: '#Day2 Done. #BurkeIsBack'.
Speaking about Burke, who was last seen during the finale of season three as he stood Christina up at the altar, showrunner Rhimes previously said in a statement: 'It's important to me that Cristina's journey unfolds exactly as it should. Burke is vital to that journey - he gives her story that full-circle moment we need to properly say goodbye to our beloved Cristina Yang.'
However, on set altercations with then co-star T.R. Knight led to him using anti-gay slurs against his fellow actor and he was fired.
Despite this, GLAAD, the non-governmental media monitoring organisation which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media, has praised his return.
It said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter: 'His PSA and his statements promoting marriage equality in recent years have sent a strong message of support for LGBT people.
'We look forward to seeing him return to one of our favorite shows, as well as in Patrik-Ian Polk's moving film Blackbird about a young man coming out in a small Southern town.'
Isaiah blamed Knight for the incident and insisted the wrong man was let go.
He told the Houston Chronicle in 2007,one month after he was fired, 'I have to clear my name. I'll start from the beginning. I'm telling everything. So here's the truth."
While Knight told chat show host Ellen DeGeneres that Isaiah used the slur against him and that 'everyone (on the set) heard', Isaiah insisted he used it during an argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey.
'That's a lie," Washington said. 'I used the word during a disagreement with Patrick. I apologised for that. We shook hands and went back to work.'
'I was not fired for making homophobic slurs, ' he added: 'I did everything I said I would do. ... I wanted everyone to know I was remorseful. '
Rhimes previously called the period after he was fired a 'really difficult time’.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: 'It was hard for me to write the show. Seasons four and five were difficult because I was in a dark place after the press frenzy that descended on us because of the [Washington and Knight situation and critical backlash to the stories.
'In the beginning, it felt like such a magical place, and to discover that everyone isn't who you thought they were is very unfortunate."
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So happy he gets to re-appear, even if for one episode. :smt001
