Katherine Heigl Says Her 'Firefly Lane' Role 'Intimidated' Her & Got So Real About It
Netflix's Firefly Lane just dropped a new season, and it'll pull at your heartstrings like never before.
Katherine Heigl, who stars in the Vancouver-filmed series, sat down with Narcity and opened up about how she was unsure whether she had the confidence needed for the role of Tully Hart. Luckily, with some encouragement from her husband, she ended up starring in the hit series and even learned something about herself from playing Hart.
Heigl's co-star, Canadian actress Sarah Chalke, also chatted about how she identifies her character, Kate Mularkey.
The pair share a next-level bond on screen, and the show documents their friendship from adolescence to adulthood. There are a lot of cute moments and as a whole, the series is pretty heart-wrenching.
Heigl's character has some serious flaws, and she admitted that when it came to agreeing to play Hart, she was "intimidated."
It might be a surprise for most people, given the actress's wide range of roles over the years. Heigl has been in the spotlight for a while, known for her iconic role in Grey's Anatomy, and classic rom-coms like The Ugly Truth.
But Firefly Lane was a whole different experience for her. Hart isn't quite as classically likeable as Heigl's 27 Dresses character was, while belting it to "Bennie And The Jets" alongside dreamboat James Marsden.
Tully takes a bit longer to grow on you, but you definitely learn to love her — flaws and all.
Tully in Firefly Lane was a different character for Heigl
When asked what stood out to her about Hart, compared to the other characters she's played, Heigl said initially she was "intimidated" by her.
After reading the book Firefly Lane is based on and the script, she wasn't sure if she could relate to her confidence. "Let's be frank, she's a bit arrogant," she said, while laughing.
"She really loves herself," she added. "That's always been kind of discouraged."
Heigl said her generation hasn't been encouraged to have that kind of confidence and she questioned if she had it in herself "to go there."
While Hart's confidence might have been the reason Heigl hesitated at first, it's actually the quality which made her take on the role.
"It was my husband who was really like, 'You've been talking about wanting to really take on a character you feel intimidated by. Go for Tully.' I did, and I'm so grateful because she opened up something in me that made me feel a little more stable in myself and it taught me how to be a little more proud of myself," Heigl said.
Tully's drive was relatable
"Tully's biggest journey is that she makes her career her entire identity and priority. The only other thing that she makes a priority is Kate," Heigl said.
"It's all about her career and in this season, you see that her career doesn't have her back the same way."
Heigl said that living this way can make someone "become very lonely."
"I, very gratefully, figured it out a little sooner than Tully, in that I didn't want my career to be the only thing in my life that I gave my full attention to," she added.
"Those are things that you just don't seem to understand until you've garnered a little more experience and a little more wisdom. You always wish you had figured it out sooner, but sometimes I don't know if I could've. I just don't know that I was emotionally or mentally there yet," she added.
Sarah Chalke also relates to her character
While Heigl had to learn to relate to her character, it seemed easier for Chalke who said she could "absolutely" relate to Kate.
"I think for Kate, she was such a pleaser and so focused on everyone else, and making everyone else in the room okay and happy. As she grows up, she really gets in touch with what she wants and goes for it," she said.
"That was similar for me when I was younger and was a pleaser," she added.
"It takes some time to come into your own and realize that it's okay to do what you want to do."
How many episodes in season 2 of Firefly Lane?
Netflix just dropped nine episodes of Season 2 on December 2, but Heigl confirmed on Twitter that seven more episodes are coming on June 8, 2023.
Will there be a 3rd season of 'Firefly Lane'?
Season 2 is the final season of Firefly Lane.
What city is Firefly Lane filmed in?
Firefly Lane is filmed in Metro Vancouver, but it's set in Washington.
What is Firefly Lane based on?
The Firefly Lane series is based on a book, by Kristin Hannah, also called "Firefly Lane."
