It's never too late to say something nice about someone, is it?
Ellen Pompeo appeared to take this cliche to heart on the latest episode of her Tell Me podcast, delving into a decade-old comment made by former castmate Katherine Heigl.
She did so while speaking to Kate Walsh, who will soon reprise her role as Addison Montgomery on Grey's Anatomy.
"I remember Heigl said something on a talk show about the insane hours we were working and she was 100 percent right," Pompeo said to Walsh on Wednesday.
"And had she said that today, she'd be a complete hero.
"But she's ahead of her time, made a statement about our crazy hours and of course, [it was like] let's slam a woman and call her ungrateful."
Pompeo likely was referring to Heigl’s 2009 appearance on Late Show With David Letterman... in which she called a 17-hour workday near the start of Grey’s Season 6 “cruel and mean."
During this same appearance, the polarizing actress mentioned that she hoped her remarks would embarrass the show’s production team.
"The truth is, she's 100 percent honest and it's absolutely correct what she said," Pompeo said this week, addinf off Heigl:
"She was f-ckin ballsy for saying it -- she was telling the truth. She wasn't lying!"
Heigl starred on Grey's Anatomy from 2005 through 2010 as Dr. Izzie Stevens.
She didn't endear herself to fans or to executives when she withdrew herself from the Emmy Award nomination process in 2008, saying in a statement that “did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination.”
The character was written off the ABC drama a short time later.
And while plenty of other long-departed characters (such as Patrick Dempsey's Derek and T.R. Knight's George) have returned to the series in recent seasons... Heigl has not.
In a 2013 interview with the New York Post, Pompeo spoke about the behind-the-scenes unrest that took over Grey's Anatomy in those early years.
“When Katie left, it was tough,” she said.
“You could understand why she wanted to go -- when you’re offered $12 million a movie and you’re only 26. But Katie’s problem is that she should not have renewed her contract.
"She re-upped, took a big raise and then tried to get off the show. And then her movie career did not take off.”
It's true.
After a number of pretty major movie flops, Heigl has made a return to the small screen. She currently stars in Netflix’s Firefly Lane.
On the aforementioned podcast, Walsh said she supported Pompeo's backing of Heigl.
"There's nothing natural about [the filming process]," she said. "There's nothing human about it."
"It's made for a machine, it's as if we're a camera or a mic that just goes and goes and goes," Walsh added. "And it's not conducive to any kind of healthy habits."
Grey's Anatomy will wrap up its latest season in May.
But fret not:
She show has been renewed for Season 19!