Katherine Heigl Drew On Real-Life Tragedy To Get In Character For Denny's Death On Grey's Anatomy

Although "Grey's Anatomy" viewers watched Denny make it through his heart transplant, the story didn't have a happy ending. In an episode where the hospital staff threw a special prom-like event for Richard Webber's ill niece, Izzie was seen getting dolled up to impress Denny. Before heading to the prom, Izzie stopped by Denny's hospital room to show off her dress. However, she found Denny dead in his bed. The scene was incredibly emotional, and Katherine Heigl admitted to her former co-star Ellen Pompeo during a June 2023 interview for Variety, that she reflected on the real-life death of her brother to convey the emotion behind the storyline.

"I wanted it to feel the way it was written on the page," Heigl stated. "I don't do that whole 'go into the dark place and listen to the music that's gonna tear my soul apart' thing. And the worst was that I really went there," she continued. "I was 7 when my brother died but we were in the hospital for a week. And I don't enjoy thinking about that much or that week in the hospital or him in that bed, but I chose to do that for that scene." The actor admitted she probably wouldn't go back to that dark place again, "I think I would try harder to just act it."

For her part, Pompeo praised Heigl's work in the scene, crediting scenes like that for making the series "iconic."