One of the greatest medical dramas of all time, Grey's Anatomy has had a huge influence on the genre and pop culture in general. Shonda Rhimes' show has made history not only for its predominantly female and POC cast, but also for raising poignant issues and reflecting on American society and politics.
In its 15 years of existence, the show has featured a few downright bizarre scenes that left viewers and even cast members scratching their heads. One of them was the so-called 'ghost sex' scene from Season 5. Actresses Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo recently discussed the scene and shared their opinion on it.
Pompeo played Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, the show's main character until recent seasons, and Heigl was part of the project until 2010, portraying Izzie Stevens. While both actresses evidently enjoyed their time on set, they also agreed that some of the scenes were simply embarrassing to film and watch. Speaking about the infamous 'ghost sex' scene, the stars admitted they would probably never show the episode to their children.
'The oral sex with the ghost while somebody else was watching in the room. I don't know how I'd explain that,' Katherine Heigl said. 'I'd be like, "Can we fast forward this moment?"'
This ghost sex sequence took place in the episode 'In the Midnight Hour' of Season 5. Heigl's character had a lover, Denny, who died of a stroke after a heart transplant. After his death, Izzy started having hallucinations of Denny, which were most likely caused by brain metastases from her cancer.
Izzy decided to experiment with her hallucinations and do something she'd never done before — have sex with the ghost of her late boyfriend. One may actually argue that the scene was groundbreaking in how it delved deep into the mind of a dying cancer patient — but this doesn't make it any less weird.
Grey's Anatomy was renewed for its 20th season, which is set to premiere this fall. With Ellen Pompeo's departure from the show, the story will focus more on the ensemble cast, although the title character is expected to appear briefly in some episodes.
Source: Variety.