<ul class="summary-list"><li>Isaiah Washington said on Facebook that some of his "best elementary school teachers" were members of the KKK.</li><li>He also said his "neighbors" in Texas were too, and that he'd play with their children. </li></ul><p>Former <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-couples-ranked-by-chemistry-merder-japril-calzona-photos-2022-6">"Grey's Anatomy</a>" star Isaiah Washington said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/1131289208/posts/i-had-some-of-the-best-elementary-school-teachers-and-even-some-neighbors-that-i/10228008623977530/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post on his official Facebook page</a> that some of the "best elementary school teachers" and "neighbors" he grew up with in Houston, Texas, were members of the white supremacist group <a href="https://www.insider.com/kkk-lures-new-members-with-candy-2018-8">the Ku Klux Klan</a>. </p><p>In the post, shared on Sunday, the actor recalled playing with their kids, though he said clear "boundaries" were set on both sides. For example, Washington said he couldn't drink from those KKK members' outdoor water hoses or come into their homes to eat. Washington's mother, however, would let kids of <a href="https://www.insider.com/black-teen-tased-by-group-dressed-in-kkk-costumes-attorney-2021-11">KKK members</a> eat inside her house and  "drink from our vintage JFK water glasses."</p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/p-valley-star-brandee-evans-sex-scene-coach-wife-farrah-2022-7">The "P-Valley" star</a> went on to say that he wondered if some of the children he played with were "vigorously" supporting his acting career today because he showed them "love and respect as a true Texan and a true American," even when their parents refused to let the children do the same for him in public. </p><p>Insider has reached out to Washington for comment. </p><div type="image" title="Isaiah Washington" height="1247" width="1663" msid="99917969" hostid="261"></div><p>Washington played Dr. Preston Burke on "Grey's Anatomy" from 2005 to 2007 before he was fired from the show for referring to his costar T.R Knight, <a href="https://people.com/celebrity/exclusive-greys-anatomy-star-t-r-knight-confirms-hes-gay/">who later came out as gay</a>, with a homophobic slur during a physical altercation on set. </p><p>Since being fired from the show, Washington has made several claims about the hit series and his co-stars. </p><p>According to Lynette Rice's book, <a href="https://www.insider.com/tr-knight-family-isaiah-washington-homophobic-slur-2021-10">"How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy,"</a> Washington had originally been considered for the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd opposite Ellen Pompeo's Dr. Meredith Grey, <a href="https://www.insider.com/isaiah-washington-ellen-pompeo-uncomfortable-mcdreamy-casting-greys-anatomy-2021-9">but said Pompeo felt "uncomfortable"</a> with having him as a love interest because her then-boyfriend (now husband) Chris Ivery was also a Black man.</p><p>As Pompeo explained to the New York Post in 2013, "You know 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."</p><div type="image" title="t.r. knight/isaiah washington" height="600" width="800" msid="99917970" hostid="261"></div><p>In <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-isaiah-washington-ellen-pompeo-patrick-dempsey-allegations-2021-10">an October 2021 appearance on "The Tavis Smiley Show,"</a> Washington called Patrick Dempsey a "total tyrant" and claimed that Pompeo accepted "$5 million dollars under the table" to keep quiet about Dempsey's "toxic and nasty" behavior on set. </p><p>In 2022, he also spoke out about his "Romeo Must Die" co-star, the late singer Aaliyah. In an interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBKp3jpuFkE">Vlad TV</a>,  Washington said that the pop star, who married R. Kelly when she was 15 and Kelly was 27, was "in control of the situation even at her age."</p><p>"She was 15 going on 30, so she was in control of that whole situation," he said. "I don't judge her, but she was very smart and very mature and very in control of her situation. I don't believe one minute that Aaliyah was made to do anything that Aaliyah didn't want to do."</p><p>Washington announced his <a href="https://twitter.com/IWashington/status/1630696635587231744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1630696635587231744%7Ctwgr%5Ef741aa2bcefd9ae8a35d3526422d0d81b876d957%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insider.com%2Fisaiah-washington-launches-gofundme-for-movie-after-announcing-acting-retirement-2023-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intention to retire from acting</a> in early 2023, only to <a href="https://www.insider.com/isaiah-washington-launches-gofundme-for-movie-after-announcing-acting-retirement-2023-3">launch a GoFundMe page</a> to try and crowdfund a million-dollar movie project days later. </p>

Former 'Grey's Anatomy' star Isaiah Washington said he grew up with members of the KKK: 'I showed them love and respect'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Isaiah Washington announced his decision to retire from acting via Twitter on Tuesday.</li><li>The former "Grey's Anatomy" star, who was fired from the show in 2007, wrote the "haters" won. </li></ul><p>Isaiah Washington, the former "Grey's Anatomy" star whose exit from <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-13-biggest-behind-the-scenes-controversies-2022-3">the show was mired in controversy</a>, could be taking a U-turn from his retirement from acting after launching a GoFundMe to crowdfund a million-dollar movie project.</p><p>On Tuesday, Washington <a href="https://twitter.com/IWashington/status/1630696635587231744" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> that he'd decided to step back from the entertainment industry.</p><p>"It is with a heavy heart and a sense of relief that I am announcing my early retirement from the entertainment industry," Washington, 59, wrote. "It seems that the haters, provocateurs and the Useful Idiots have won."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—The Disruptor  (@IWashington) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1630696635587231744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2023</a></blockquote><p>Washington added that he planned to spend his retirement traveling the US before "it falls into Socialism and then Communism." It is unclear whether Washington was referring to a specific incident. Representatives for Washington did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. </p><p>Washington concluded his tweet by saying the 2022 film "Corsicana" will likely be his last and that he may post pictures from his "retirement shenanigans here and there."</p><p>However, he appears to have had a change of heart since then.</p><p>On Thursday, Washington launched a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/bass-reeves-movie-project-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a>, asking people to donate toward his $1 million independent movie project. </p><p>"After seeing the incredible positive response to my recent announcement of retirement from the entertainment industry on social media, it became clear that I have been operating outside of the traditional Hollywood system successfully for the last 15 year's," Washington wrote. </p><p>He said if five million people donate $1, he will have "more than enough capital" to fund a film about Bass Reeves, who was one of the first deputy US marshals of African descent, according to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bass-Reeves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Britannica.</a> Washington added that he would play the titular character. </p><p>"I'm asking for an initial 1 million dollars in support and my ultimate goal is 5 million. I have never asked for help or financial support like this in my life or career," he wrote. </p><div type="image" title="greys anatomy isaiah washington" height="1574" width="2099" msid="98416831" hostid="261" sizebytes="64204"></div><p>As of Saturday, Washington has raised nearly $9,700, a far stretch from his initial goal of $1 million. </p><p>Washington is best known for playing Dr. Preston Burke on "Grey's Anatomy." He was a series regular for the first three seasons of the show and returned to guest-star in a single episode in season 10.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.insider.com/tr-knight-family-isaiah-washington-homophobic-slur-2021-10">Insider previously reported</a>, Washington ended up being fired from "Grey's Anatomy" in 2007 after he reportedly used a homophobic slur to refer to his costar T.R. Knight.</p>

Isaiah Washington launches a GoFundMe for a million-dollar movie project after tweeting that he's retiring from acting

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12198335" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="isaiah-washington" source="Orion">Isaiah Washington</keyword> spoke about his former "<keyword id="11995413" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greys-anatomy" source="Orion">Grey's Anatomy</keyword>" costars on "The Tavis Smiley Show."</li><li>Washington called <keyword id="12118719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="patrick-dempsey" source="Orion">Patrick Dempsey</keyword>, who played McDreamy on the medical drama, "a total tyrant."</li></ul><p>Isaiah Washington said the <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-ellen-pompeo-cut-shonda-rhimes-off-while-speaking-racism-2021-9">"Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo</a> accepted "$5 million dollars under the table" to keep quiet and "not tell the world how toxic and nasty Patrick Dempsey really was" on set.</p><p>During an interview on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2h9XBpDRTTkE30UqJoS2Q5">Tavis Smiley's radio show on October 21,</a> Washington said Dempsey "was not a nice guy from day one." He also referred to Dempsey as "a total tyrant" who had a reputation for being "pilot poison," meaning an actor who represents a liability to getting a show picked up for a series.</p><p>Washington said <a href="https://www.insider.com/ellen-pompeo-fought-denzel-washington-greys-anatomy-set-2021-9">Pompeo took "hush money"</a> from unnamed parties around the time that the #MeToo movement was first making headlines before she signed a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/ellen-pompeo-tvs-20-million-woman-reveals-her-behind-scenes-fight-what-i-deserve-1074978/">$20 million contract to continue on "Grey's Anatomy"</a> and become the highest-paid woman on television.</p><div type="image" title="Patrick Dempsey Isaiah Washington" height="1538" width="2051" msid="87375769" hostid="261"></div><p>The #MeToo hashtag went viral in 2017, largely inspired by reports about the now convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html">The New York Times</a> and <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories">The New Yorker</a>. Many women in Hollywood made sexual-abuse allegations and described gender-specific disparities.</p><p>Pompeo signed her $20 million contract with ABC "in late 2017," according to her <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/ellen-pompeo-tvs-20-million-woman-reveals-her-behind-scenes-fight-what-i-deserve-1074978/">January 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter</a>.</p><p>"And you want to run around here like you are the keeper of all feminine women and the feminist movement," Washington said, referring to Pompeo.</p><p>The "P-Valley" actor said he never felt supported on the set of the medical drama because he "was never wanted there."</p><p>"Every single day, I was a problem that was being reminded, 'You're No. 4 on the call sheet,'" he said.</p><div type="image" title="Ellen Pompeo" height="1351" width="1802" msid="87375770" hostid="261"></div><p>Washington said that around the time he exited "Grey's Anatomy," his own behavior on set was being used to cover up Dempsey's. </p><p>Washington was at the center of one of the first controversies on the set of ABC's long-running medical drama when multiple <a href="https://www.insider.com/tr-knight-family-isaiah-washington-homophobic-slur-2021-10">witnesses</a> said he used a homophobic slur to refer to his costar <keyword id="12020200" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="t-r-knight" source="Orion">T.R. Knight</keyword> during a fight with Dempsey. Washington issued an apology for his actions to <a href="https://people.com/celebrity/exclusive-isaiah-washington-apologizes/">People in 2006</a> and was fired from the show the following year.</p><p>Reps for Pompeo and Dempsey didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.</p><h2>Dempsey's behavior on set was not 'McDreamy,' a former 'Grey's' executive producer says</h2><p>In "How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy," a recently released tell-all book about the medical drama by <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">Entertainment</keyword> Weekly Editor at Large Lynette Rice, the former "Grey's" executive producer James D. Parriott makes similar <a href="https://www.insider.com/patrick-dempsey-terrorizing-set-before-greys-anatomy-exit-report-2021-9">comments about Dempsey's behavior</a>, saying the actor was often "terrorizing the set." </p><p>"Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him," Parriott adds. "He had this hold on the set where he knew he could stop production and scare people."</p><p>Dempsey has never directly commented about any allegations regarding his behavior on set. In <a href="https://ew.com/article/2015/04/24/read-patrick-dempseys-final-exit-interview-greys-anatomy/">his 2015 "Grey's Anatomy" exit interview</a> with Rice, he said leaving the show "unfolded in a very organic way" but added that "it happened very quickly."</p><div type="image" title="Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey in a scene from &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot;" height="1983" width="2645" msid="87375772" hostid="261"></div><p>In November 2014, Dempsey went on a "hiatus" from the show for six episodes for reasons he didn't explain to Rice.</p><p>"They tried to keep it secret as best they could," he said. </p><p>Dempsey did say his erratic hours were hard on his family.</p><p>"It's 10 months, 15 hours a day. You never know your schedule, so your kid asks you, 'What are you doing  on Monday?' and you go, 'I don't know,' because I don't know my schedule,'" he said. "Doing that for 11 years is challenging."</p><p>He added: "What I would like to do is focus on not being spread so thin."</p><p>The next episode of "Grey's Anatomy" airs November 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.</p>

'Grey's Anatomy' star Isaiah Washington said Ellen Pompeo was secretly paid $5 million 'to not tell the world how toxic and nasty Patrick Dempsey really was'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12020200" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="t-r-knight" source="Orion">T.R. Knight</keyword>'s family didn't know he was gay until an incident on the "<keyword id="11995413" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greys-anatomy" source="Orion">Grey's Anatomy</keyword>" set leaked. </li><li><keyword id="12198335" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="isaiah-washington" source="Orion">Isaiah Washington</keyword> <a href="https://people.com/celebrity/isaiah-washington-explains-why-he-used-slur/">was fired from the show in 2007</a> after referring to Knight using a homophobic slur.</li><li>A "source close to Washington" said in a new book that the actor isn't homophobic. </li></ul><p>T.R. Knight's family didn't know he was gay before Isaiah Washington referred to him using a homophobic slur during a <a href="https://www.insider.com/ellen-pompeo-fight-greys-anatomy-director-stunt-2021-9">late-night fight on set</a> with Patrick Dempsey, said former "Grey's Anatomy" writer Harry Werksman.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.insider.com/isaiah-washington-ellen-pompeo-uncomfortable-mcdreamy-casting-greys-anatomy-2021-9">"How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy"</a> by <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">Entertainment</keyword> Weekly editor at large Lynette Rice, tension between Washington and Dempsey hit a boiling point during a late-night shoot on October 9, 2006. Per the book, former executive producer Mark Wilding said Dempsey was aiming to "pay" Washington back for being late to set one day "by being late himself." The argument escalated into "physically fighting," according to Wilding.</p><p>Werksman, who was also formerly a producer on "Grey's Anatomy," guessed that Washington "felt disrespected that he and the crew had been waiting." According to the book, Werksman said that Washington approached Dempsey, pushed him up against a wall, and told him he couldn't "talk to me the way you talk to" Knight, whom he referred to using the homophobic slur.</p><div type="image" title="Patrick Dempsey Isaiah Washington" height="1538" width="2051" msid="86846160" hostid="261"></div><p>Several people on set tried to intervene, including actor <keyword id="12265695" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="katherine-heigl" source="Orion">Katherine Heigl</keyword>, Wilding said. Everyone then returned to their trailers to cool down and the incident appeared to be over. </p><p>As longtime "Grey's Anatomy" viewers already know, the argument was soon leaked to the press. But in the new book, Werksman also revealed the depth to which this personally impacted Knight. </p><p>"We all felt horrible for T.R. because he had not come out to his family at that point," Werksman said. "That was the way the news got delivered, and there was a feeling like, 'Oh my God, I can't imagine a worse way for that news to get to your family.'"</p><p>Knight publicly confirmed he's gay in <a href="https://people.com/celebrity/exclusive-greys-anatomy-star-t-r-knight-confirms-hes-gay/">a 2006 statement to People</a> in order to "quiet any unnecessary rumors" about him. "While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me," the statement read, in part. </p><p>A year later, <a href="https://people.com/celebrity/t-r-knight-isaiah-washingtons-slur-made-me-come-out/">Knight said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"</a> that getting called the homophobic slur is what prompted him to disclose information about his private life because "it became important to make the statement."</p><div type="image" title="T.R. Knight" height="3540" width="2360" msid="86846162" hostid="261"></div><p>Washington issued a statement of apology for his actions to <a href="https://people.com/celebrity/exclusive-isaiah-washington-apologizes/">People in 2006</a>. According to the book, Washington used the slur again in 2007 at the Golden Globe Awards when he was denying having said it during the initial incident. He was <a href="https://people.com/celebrity/isaiah-washington-explains-why-he-used-slur/">fired from the show later that year</a>, but briefly returned to "Grey's Anatomy" in season 10 as part of the exit storyline for Sandra Oh's character Cristina Yang.</p><p>In "How to Save a Life," Rice reports that a "source close to Washington" says the incident "was more about his personality than it was any homophobia or perceived homophobia." </p><p>Representatives for Washington and Knight didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.</p>

T.R. Knight's family didn't know he was gay until after Isaiah Washington called him a homophobic slur on the 'Grey's Anatomy' set, a former writer says in a new book

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new tell-all book reminds "<keyword id="11995413" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greys-anatomy" source="Orion">Grey's Anatomy</keyword>" fans that McDreamy could've been played by someone else. </li><li>According to the book, <keyword id="12198335" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="isaiah-washington" source="Orion">Isaiah Washington</keyword> auditioned for the lead role, not the role of Dr. Burke. </li><li>Washington said he heard <keyword id="12020199" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ellen-pompeo" source="Orion">Ellen Pompeo</keyword> felt "uncomfortable" with the casting. </li></ul><p>A <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-pilot-almost-had-ellen-pompeo-naked-on-couch-2021-9">new tell-all book</a> about the untold <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-ellen-pompeo-fired-jerrika-hinton-2021-9">history of "Grey's Anatomy"</a> reminds readers that Isaiah Washington could have been Meredith Grey's McDreamy. But according to Washington, Ellen Pompeo had reservations.</p><p>"I didn't audition for Burke, I auditioned for McDreamy," said Washington, according to <a href="https://ew.com/books/greys-anatomy-pilot-how-to-save-a-life-excerpt/">"How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy"</a> by Lynette Rice, <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">Entertainment</keyword> Weekly's editor at large. He said that <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-ellen-pompeo-cut-shonda-rhimes-off-while-speaking-racism-2021-9">creator Shonda Rhimes'</a> original vision for the character was "a brain surgeon who looked like Dr. Ben Carson." </p><p>But Washington ultimately got the role of Dr. Preston Burke because, according to Washington, Pompeo didn't want him to play Derek Shepherd.</p><p>"There's a rumor out there or something that Ellen didn't want me to be her love interest because she had a Black boyfriend. The context is that she's not into white men," Washington said, according to the book. "I guess she implied that her boyfriend may have had a problem with her doing love scenes with me, so she felt uncomfortable."</p><p>Washington said he "supported" her feelings. </p><div type="image" title="ellen pompeo" height="682" width="910" msid="86594015" hostid="261"></div><p>Pompeo's then-boyfriend, <a href="https://parade.com/1245287/kaigreen/ellen-pompeo-husband-chris-ivery/">record producer and fashion executive Chris Ivery,</a> became her husband in 2007.</p><p>The actress addressed her reaction to Washington almost being cast as McDreamy in an <a href="https://nypost.com/2013/10/05/200-episodes-later-is-greys-anatomy-still-mcdreamy/">interview with the New York Post</a> when the series was celebrating the 200th episode.</p><p>Pompeo said Rhimes wanted "a Black man in the mix" to play Meredith's love interest, but the actress "didn't think they were really going to put <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-sarah-drew-wrote-letter-change-april-ending-2021-9">an interracial couple on the show</a>."</p><p>"And I didn't want him. It was too close to home," she told the Post. "I said I wanted that Dempsey kid."</p><div type="image" title="Shonda Rhimes and Ellen Pompeo" height="1371" width="1828" msid="86594016" hostid="261"></div><p>Although Pompeo had her reservations about Washington, who was fired from the ABC medical drama in 2007 for using a homophobic slur on set, she's a vocal ally for people of color.</p><p>She also infamously called out the lack of diversity in the room when she was on set for a <a href="https://www.insider.com/ellen-pompeo-interrupts-interview-criticize-lack-of-diversity-2018-11">"Women in Television" interview</a> for Porter magazine in 2018. </p><p>"This day has been incredible," she said. "And there's a ton of women in the room. But I don't see enough color. And I didn't see enough color when I walked into the room today."</p><p>"How to Save a Life" gives readers new information (and reminders) about the long-running ABC drama.</p><p>Representatives for Pompeo, Washington, and Rhimes didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. A representative for ABC declined to comment.</p>

Isaiah Washington said Ellen Pompeo felt 'uncomfortable' with the idea of him playing her love interest, according to new book

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A "<keyword id="11995413" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greys-anatomy" source="Orion">Grey's Anatomy</keyword>" writer got an unsolicited phone call asking "How could you kill Denny?"</li><li>But Tony Phelan didn't even write the season two finale episode in which Denny dies. </li></ul><p>One of the reasons ABC's hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" has lasted for 18 seasons and counting is the <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-sarah-drew-wrote-letter-change-april-ending-2021-9">incredible romances portrayed</a> throughout the years. One such relationship only lasted for a season, but there is no doubt it impacted fans. </p><p>According <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-ellen-pompeo-cut-shonda-rhimes-off-while-speaking-racism-2021-9">"How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy,"</a> a new tell-all book by <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">Entertainment</keyword> Weekly's editor at large Lynette Rice, the husband and wife writing team Tony Phelan and Joan Rater were harassed by phone after "Grey's Anatomy" killed off fan-favorite Denny Duquette (<keyword id="11932017" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jeffrey-dean-morgan" source="Orion">Jeffrey Dean Morgan</keyword>) on the season two finale.</p><p>The book reports that a fan from New Jersey tracked down the couple's home phone number to ask, "How could you kill Denny?" The heart-transplant patient met and <a href="https://www.insider.com/izzie-prom-dress-greys-anatomy-custom-made-by-amsale-2021-10">fell in love with Dr. Izzie Stevens</a> (<keyword id="12265695" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="katherine-heigl" source="Orion">Katherine Heigl</keyword>) during his many stays at Seattle-Grace Memorial Hospital and the two were engaged to be married when the character died. </p><div type="image" title="Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Katherine Heigl" height="1992" width="2657" msid="86979840" hostid="261"></div><p>Phelan recalled that the incident "just shows you how invested people are" in the lives of the fictional characters they watch every week on-screen. But he and Rater did take steps to protect themselves after getting the unsolicited phone call. "We're not listed anymore," he said, according to the book. </p><p>The irony of the incident is that Phelan and Rater didn't even write the episode in which Denny dies. The couple wrote the episode immediately before his death, titled "Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response." </p><p>On that episode, Izzie and her fellow interns must deal with the consequences of Izzie cutting Denny's LVAD wire to get him moved up on the heart transplant list. She does so thinking that Denny's doctor Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) is on his way to help stabilize Denny after retrieving a donor heart. But Dr. Burke is shot upon returning to Seattle-Grace. </p><div type="image" title="Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Katherine Heigl on &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot;" height="2000" width="2666" msid="86979842" hostid="261"></div><p>The ordeal that Phelan and Rater put Denny through is not fun. But he does survive long enough to undergo a presumably successful heart-transplant surgery, only to die of a post-surgery stroke on the second season finale called "Losing My Religion." Denny's final episode alive was written by the show's creator and then-showrunner, Shonda Rhimes. </p><p>"How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy," which details the audience's response to the biggest moments of the series, is available now.</p>

'Grey's Anatomy' writer says a fan tracked down his number and called to yell at him after Denny Duquette was killed off

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Neither Ellen Pompeo or Patrick Dempsey are series regulars on "Grey's Anatomy" anymore.</li><li>But Meredith Grey's relationship with Derek Shepherd still remains an iconic part of TV history. </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/ellen-pompeo-greys-anatomy-impact-medicine-betr-remedies-2021-12">Ellen Pompeo</a>'s final episode as a series regular on "Grey's Anatomy" aired on February 23, marking the official end of the love story between her character, Meredith Grey, and Meredith's late husband Derek Shepherd (<a href="https://www.insider.com/patrick-dempsey-wife-children-family-jillian-fink-2023-11">Patrick Dempsey</a>).</p><p>Dempsey exited the series in season 11, but Meredith and Derek's story continued after Derek's death. </p><p>Below is a complete timeline of one of the most iconic relationships in television history. </p><h2>Season 1, episode 1: It started as a one-night stand</h2><div type="image" title="Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey on the &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot; pilot." height="1500" width="2000" msid="98131919" hostid="261"></div><p>Viewers first met <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-pilot-almost-had-ellen-pompeo-naked-on-couch-2021-9">Meredith (Ellen Pompeo)</a> and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) on the floor in the living room of her mother's house. They had met at Emerald City Bar (aka Joe's Bar) the night before and hooked up. </p><p>On her first day as a surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, Meredith learned that Derek was a neurosurgery attending and her boss. They couldn't resist each other and eventually started dating.</p><h2>Season 1, episode 9: Meredith learned she was the 'other woman' </h2><p>On the "Grey's Anatomy" season one finale, <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-addison-meets-dereks-kids-ultimate-forgiveness-2021-10">Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh)</a> arrived at Seattle Grace to let Derek know she was going to fight for their marriage. She memorably told Meredith that Derek was married by calling Meredith "the woman that's been screwing my husband."</p><h2>Season 2, episode 5: Meredith begged Derek to love her </h2><div type="image" title="Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey on &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot; season two episode five." height="1619" width="2160" msid="98131920" hostid="261"></div><p>At the beginning of season two, Derek was caught between his relationship with Meredith and his marriage to Addison. Meredith was upset with him, but eventually realized she wanted to be with him. </p><p>To try and fight for him, she gave him one of the most memorable speeches in "Grey's Anatomy" history. </p><p>"Your choice, it's simple: her or me, and I'm sure she's really great. But Derek, I love you. In a really, really big, pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you. So, <a href="https://www.insider.com/ellen-pompeo-greys-anatomy-watched-a-handful-of-episodes-2022-2">pick me. Choose me.</a> Love me," she said. </p><p>Ultimately, Derek decided not to sign his divorce papers and instead work on his marriage to Addison.</p><h2>Season 2, episode 27 and season 3 episode 1: Meredith loses her panties at the prom </h2><div type="image" title="Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo on &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot; season two episode 27." height="1549" width="2066" msid="98131922" hostid="261"></div><p>At the hospital prom for Dr. Richard Webber's (Jim Pickens Jr.) niece, Meredith and Derek couldn't resist each other though they came with other people. <a href="https://www.insider.com/ellen-pompeo-terrified-watch-greys-anatomy-daughter-sex-ghost-2021-11">They had sex</a> in an exam room. When they were interrupted, Meredith hastily got dressed and lost her panties, which Addison found later in Derek's suit. She pinned them to the hospital bulletin board.</p><p>Also in season three episode one, Derek told Meredith he was in love with her even though he was with Addison and she was dating Finn, the vet (played by Chris O'Donnell).</p><h2>Season 3, episode 25: It was so over between Meredith and Derek</h2><h2><div type="image" title="Ellen Pompeo on &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot; season three episode 25." height="1577" width="2103" msid="98131923" hostid="261"></div></h2><p>Meredith and Derek eventually left their respective partners and began dating during season three. But external pressures, like the deaths of <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-cool-things-to-know-about-meredith-grey-2021-9">Meredith's mother Ellis (Kate Burton)</a> and stepmother Susan (Mare Winningham), combined with Derek's desire to be chief of surgery caused a strain. </p><p>At her best friend Dr. Cristina Yang's (Sandra Oh) wedding, Meredith announced that Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) had left Cristina by saying "It's over, so over." She was also referring to her relationship with Derek. </p><h2>Season 4, episode 17: The house of candles </h2><div type="image" title="Ellen Pompeo candle house" height="2000" width="2666" msid="98131924" hostid="261"></div><p>The pair were dating other people while conducting a clinical trial to cure a specific type of brain tumor throughout season 4. Derek was going to sell the land he bought to build a house for him and Meredith because she wasn't ready to commit and start a family.</p><p>When their final clinical trial patient lived, Meredith showed Derek she was ready to commit by building the floor plan for their <a href="https://www.insider.com/mcdreamy-scented-candle-inspired-by-greys-anatomy-for-sale-etsy-2019-9">house out of candles on his land</a>. She told him they could be extraordinary together rather than ordinary apart.</p><h2>Season 5, episodes 17 to 19: The ring, the woods, and the engagement</h2><div type="image" title="Ellrn Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey on &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot; season five episode 19." height="1619" width="2160" msid="98131926" hostid="261"></div><p>In the middle of season five, viewers learned that Derek had an engagement ring for Meredith. But after he made a mistake during surgery that killed a pregnant patient he had bonded with, Derek went into a deep depression. </p><p>When Meredith went to Derek's trailer to confront him about his state and the fact that he was going to propose to her, Derek got so angry he hit the ring into the woods with a baseball bat.</p><p>After he saved Izzie Stevens' (Katherine Heigl) life, Derek finally proposed to Meredith in an elevator at Seattle-Grace on season five episode 19, "Elevator Love Letter." He covered the walls with the CT scans of patients that represented milestones in their relationship and work together.</p><h2>Season 5, episode 24: The Post-it note wedding </h2><p>Meredith and Derek planned to get married at city hall on a random busy day at the hospital. When they realized they couldn't get away to sign papers, they wrote their vows down on Post-it notes and signed them. They <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-couples-ranked-2018-10">considered themselves married from that moment on</a>.</p><h2>Season 6, episodes 23 and 24: A pregnancy, a shooting, a miscarriage, and a dangerous proposition</h2><div type="image" title="Ellen Pompeo on &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot; season six episode 24." height="1619" width="2160" msid="98131927" hostid="261"></div><p>At the beginning of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-sarah-drew-nightmares-panic-attacks-filming-hospital-shooting-2021-11">hospital shooting on season six</a>, episodes 23 and 24, titled "Sanctuary" and "Death and All His Friends," respectively, Meredith found out she was pregnant. </p><p>A disgruntled widower named Gary Clark (Michael O'Neil), who believed that Derek was responsible for the death of his wife, shot Derek before Meredith could tell him. When Gary found the operating room where Cristina was trying to save Derek, Meredith ran in and told him to shoot her instead. </p><p>Then, while she was operating on Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), who Gary had shot, Meredith had a miscarriage.</p><h2>Seasons 7 and 8: Legal marriage and Zola's adoption</h2><div type="image" title="Meredith Grey with Zola." height="668" width="892" msid="98131928" hostid="261"></div><p>After trying and failing to have a baby throughout season 7, <a href="https://www.insider.com/facts-about-greys-anatomy-2018-8">Meredith and Derek decided to adopt their daughter</a> Zola, an orphan with spina bifida at the hospital. They legally married each other on season 7 episode 20, "White Wedding," so they could begin the adoption process. </p><p>At the beginning of season eight, social services learned that Meredith lost her job for tampering with Derek's Alzheimer's clinical trial and removed Zola from their custody. Dr. Webber eventually took the blame for tampering with the clinical trial because Meredith was trying to help his wife. After an agonizing wait, Zola was returned to Meredith and Derek's custody and the adoption became official. </p><h2>Season 9: Derek Bailey Shepherd's birth and buying Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital </h2><p>After surviving the plane crash on the season 8 finale, Meredith and Derek discovered that Meredith was pregnant. Their son Derek Bailey Shepherd was born at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in the middle of a blackout. </p><p>Meredith, Derek, and the other survivors of the plane crash bought the hospital with the money they got from suing the former owners. Along with majority owner Jackson<a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-why-jesse-williams-left-hit-medical-drama-2022-3"> Avery, (Jesse Williams)</a> and the Avery Foundation, the new owners of the hospital decided to rename the hospital after the two plane crash victims who died, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane).</p><h2>Seasons 10 and 11: Tension rose because of their careers </h2><div type="image" title="Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo on &quot;Grey's Anatomy season 10 episode four." height="1619" width="2160" msid="98131929" hostid="261"></div><p>Meredith and Derek agreed that Derek would focus on childcare while Meredith focused on her career. But tension rose between them after Derek was offered a job working for the president at the White House. He eventually turned down the offer to keep his promise to Meredith and be with his family. </p><p>Derek became so resentful of Meredith because of his choice that on season 11, she told him to take the job and go to Washington D.C. They were estranged when he left but eventually made up.</p><h2>Season 11, episode 21 &amp; 22: Derek's death and Ellis Shepherd's birth </h2><div type="image" title="Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo on &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot; season 11." height="1619" width="2160" msid="98131931" hostid="261"></div><p>Derek committed to Meredith, his kids, and staying in Seattle. He was on his way to the airport for a flight to Washington D.C. when he saw a car crash as it happened. He saved all of the victims, only to get hit by a semi-tractor trailer later.</p><p>He was rushed to Dillard Medical Center with life-threatening brain injuries that went undetected because doctors failed to order a CT. He was pronounced brain-dead in surgery and when Meredith got there she took him off life support. </p><p>After his death, Meredith learned she was pregnant. She took her kids and left her friends and family in Seattle to have the baby in a secluded town on the beach. Because of complications during labor, doctors called Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) who arrived to take <a href="https://www.insider.com/every-greys-anatomy-character-ranked-by-episodes-2020-11">Meredith and the kids home to Grey-Sloan</a>.</p><h2>Season 17: Their love story continued in Meredith's COVID-induced visions </h2><div type="image" title="greys anatomy season 17 derek return" height="1533" width="2045" msid="98131932" hostid="261"></div><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-season-17-where-everyone-ends-up-season-recap-2021-6">On season 17,</a> Meredith got COVID and would slip in and out of consciousness. While unconscious, she'd see visions of loved ones who had died, including Derek. The scenes were on a beach.</p><p>In one of her dreams, the couple had a traditional wedding, complete with spoken vows and Meredith in a white wedding dress. But instead of joining Derek in the afterlife, Meredith eventually woke up to continue caring for their three kids. </p>

A complete timeline of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd's iconic love story on 'Grey's Anatomy'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"<keyword id="14109052" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="p-valley" source="Orion">P-Valley</keyword>" is a drama from <keyword id="13116392" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="starz" source="Orion">Starz</keyword>, set in the fictional strip club The Pynk in the Mississippi Delta. </li></ul><ul class="summary-list"><li>In season one, the club's owner Uncle Clifford struggled to keep afloat in the gentrifying area.</li></ul><p>The strip club drama, "P-Valley," was a breakout hit when it premiered on Starz nearly two years ago. Based on the play by Katori Hall, the series took viewers straight into the locker room drama of a small Mississippi club with a big reputation named The Pynk. </p><p>The second season, which premieres Friday, promises more Southern-fried drama in the fictional town of Chucalissa, a small city in the Mississippi Delta area, elite pole dancing, and secrets at risk of being exposed with a <a href="https://www.insider.com/judges-of-hbo-legendary-ballroom-season-3-rule-2022-5">twist</a> of mysticism.</p><p>Need a refresher on last season's storylines before you're ready to lace up your clear heels? We've rounded up the details you need to remember before you head back into The Pynk.</p><div type="image" title="P-Valley Nicco Annan Loretta Devine" height="800" width="1066" msid="91991981" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Uncle Clifford tried to save The Pynk by any means necessary</strong></h2><p>At the start of season one, Uncle Clifford is behind on paying the bills to keep The Pynk, the main strip club in the valley, open. Clifford inherited the club from his grandmother (Loretta Devine).</p><p>All the while, the town's mayor, Tydell Ruffin (Isaiah Washington), is at work trying to bring opportunity to the valley and turn the location of The Pynk into a casino.</p><p>It is Ruffin's secretary, a former stripper at The Pynk, who got Uncle Clifford the details on the land deal to try to save the club because she knows what it means to people struggling. </p><p>Still, The Pynk wasn't safe from being sold to an investment group. Throughout season one, Uncle Clifford tried to get the town — some of whom were put through college by working at his club — to pass a referendum that will disallow gambling and make the property worthless to investors. He also tried many tactics, including selling THC-laced chicken wings to raise the money needed to protect his establishment. </p><p>Uncle Clifford's efforts failed and the property still went up for auction. However, the mysterious stripper Hailey Colton (Elarica Johnson) saved the day by being the highest bidder. Season two explores their unlikely partnership.</p><div type="image" title="Uncle Clifford and Hailey on P-Valley" height="800" width="1066" msid="91991982" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Uncle Clifford and Lil Murder are through</strong></h2><p>In season one, Uncle Clifford and local rapper, Lil Murder, developed a romance that the club owner wanted to keep casual due to the rampant homophobia and transphobia in Mississippi.</p><p>Lil Murder continued pursuing Uncle Clifford aggressively, ensuring his boo that he is committed to building something solid. But when the industry comes calling, Murder shrugs off his new flame for fear of someone finding out that he is attracted to a <a href="https://www.insider.com/harry-styles-sexuality-gender-fluid-fashion-quotes-interviews">gender-fluid</a> person. </p><p>The brush-off leaves Uncle Clifford nursing not only an ailing club but a broken heart at the end of the season.</p><div type="image" title="Mercedes" height="1080" width="1080" msid="91991983" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>The Pynk has many leading ladies but only one main attraction</strong></h2><p>The main performer at The Pynk is Mercedes (Brandee Evans), who is as appreciated as much for her athleticism as her sensuality. In season one, she worked alongside the other dancers but frequently stole the show by working her way to the top of the pole and doing gravity-defying tricks.</p><p>In season one, Mercedes was planning to hang up her heels and open a gym for young girls in the neighborhood to practice <a href="https://www.insider.com/cheer-tumbling-lesson-hardest-ab-workout-ever-done-gymnastics-2022-3">tumbling.</a> But her mother, Patrice Woodbine (Harriett D. Foy) put an end to that when she stole her stash to open up a church for herself. </p><h2><strong>Mercedes might be broke but she has other options brewing </strong></h2><p>In the series, viewers learned that successful strippers cultivated a group of regulars, or sugar daddies, to ensure that no matter how well the club is or isn't doing, they are able to maintain their income.</p><p>One of Mercedes' regulars, a married football coach whom she referred to simply as "Coach," had been trying to lure her away from the club and into his arms for years. </p><div type="image" title="Lil' Murder and Keyshawn" height="799" width="1065" msid="91991984" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Keyshawn also known as Miss Mississippi went viral and found fame </strong></h2><p>In season one, Keyshawn (Shannon Thornton), whose stripper name is Miss Mississippi, teamed up with local rapper Lil Murder to propel them both to social media stardom by filming videos pretending they're a couple. They used their popularity to promote a night at the club called "Murder Night" where a ton of drama popped off. </p><p>In season two, expect several strip-club legends to show up as guest stars to congratulate Keyshawn on her hustle, including reality TV star Joseline Hernandez, Memphis rapper Jessica Dime, and dancer-turned-podcast host Gigi MaGuire. </p><h2><strong>Social Media might love Keyshawn but she has made IRL enemies at The Pynk</strong></h2><p>In "P-Valley's" first season, "Murder Night" led to mayhem when Keyshawn's abusive boyfriend showed up.</p><p>When Diamond (Tyler Lepley), the club's security guard tried to save her by attacking him, Keyshawn grabbed a gun in defense of her boyfriend.</p><p>Her actions got her banned from The Pynk and ended her friendships with club owner Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan) and Mercedes. </p><p>After "Murder Night," Diamond opted to walk away from the club.   </p><div type="image" title="P-Valley" height="960" width="960" msid="91991985" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>The Trinity has also broken up</strong></h2><p>Mercedes, Keyshawn, and Gidget (Skyler Joy) used their skills as the most experienced athletes to form the holy trinity, thrilling clubgoers and stuffing Uncle Clifford's pockets.</p><p>But with Keyshawn banned and Gidget getting out of town, the trio has broken up leaving a gap in the line-up at the club. </p><p><em>Starz's "P-Valley" returns for season two on Friday at 9 p.m. ET. Get a sneak peek below: </em></p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9GB2TNk6_HI" frameborder="0"></iframe>

10 details to remember before watching the season 2 premiere of strip club drama 'P-Valley'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"Really Love" is a <keyword id="12102630" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="romance" source="Orion">romance</keyword> film that explores love, art and the Black experience in Washington DC.</li><li>Insider caught up with Siriboe and Wong-Loi-Sing to discuss their on-screen chemistry.</li></ul><p>"Really Love" is a romance film that proves itself as a valuable expression of Black relationships and self-growth.</p><p>The movie follows Isaiah (<keyword id="12102632" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kofi-siriboe" source="Orion">Kofi Siriboe</keyword>), a painter who portrays Black life in gentrifying Washington DC, and Stevie (<keyword id="12102633" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="yootha-wong-loi-sing" source="Orion">Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing</keyword>), a law student who's passionate about helping others. Their love story in "Really Love" begins at an art show and evolves with DC's vibrant culture as the backdrop.</p><p>Hollywood's interpretation of Black love is constantly under a magnifying glass due to negative portrayals, but "Really Love" provides romance with the right amount of heat while opting out of trauma. </p><p>"It's really a collaboration of love," Kofi Siriboe told Insider during an interview alongside Wong-Loi-Sing.</p><h2>'<strong>Really Love' zooms </strong>in on the intimate moments of love</h2><h2><div type="image" title="Kofi Siriboe and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing in &quot;Really Love&quot;" height="646" width="1292" msid="86237845" hostid="261"></div></h2><p>"Really Love" does one thing exceptionally well - and that's focusing on details. The way Isaiah and Stevie stare into one another's eyes, or the way they dance, or give forehead kisses to one another - viewers are left enchanted by the two lovers.</p><p>When asked how those moments were organically worked into the scenes, Siriboe said they worked together to build  "a space where we can trust each other and give each other the license to be free." </p><p>"Like any relationship, when you're getting to know somebody, there's that process of learning how everybody has a different love language," he said. "Everybody wants to be touched differently. Everybody wants to be spoken to differently. And just being able to dive in and say, 'We're doing this together as teammates and we have to trust each other.'"</p><p>During a montage of Stevie and Isaiah on their day-long date, the only sound the audience hears is jazz music. Their body language and expressions speak for themselves. Wong-Loi-Sing said she and costar Siriboe decided to pretend the camera wasn't there. </p><p>"We were just like, 'What would we do if we were in love right now?'" Wong-Loi-Sing said. "What does it look like? That part really feels like magic."</p><h2>'<strong>Really Love' masterfully portrays and elevates the 'everyday' Black experience </strong></h2><div type="image" title="Kofi Siriboe, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing, Jade Eshete, and Tristan Mack Wilds in &quot;Really Love&quot;" height="620" width="1240" msid="86237846" hostid="261"></div><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/when-harry-met-sally-timeless-love-story-talking-scene-cut-2021-7">Platonic intimacy</a> is something that isn't celebrated enough when it's depicted in film, but "Really Love" makes a point to show different types of love. Yusef Davis (Michael Ealy) mentors Isaiah, while Chenai Hungwe (Uzo Aduba) pushes Isaiah as an artist. Stevie's parents (Blair Underwood and Suzanne Douglas) show a protective, yet nurturing love. </p><p>There's one scene when Isaiah's childhood friend Nick (Tristan Mack Wilds) visits Isaiah after not seeing him for a year. There's a pause between the characters after they dap each other up, and Nick goes in for a nurturing long hug.</p><p>It's a moment where vulnerability and support occurs between two Black men - something that's not often shown onscreen. The moment shows the importance of having those around us that feel like safe spaces to unfold and feel seen.</p><p>The film also shows characters existing in their everyday lives<em>. </em>Siriboe told Insider it was important for him to portray that through this film because "it's very easy to ... overlook that."</p><p>"I remember being young and seeing 'Love Jones' and just seeing films were just people just [being]," he said. "As much as I love 'Love Jones' and Larenz [Tate] and Nia [Long] -  I love the moments when they were with their friends and they were just talking. And when he was playing pool with Isaiah Washington."</p><p>He continued: "It was us just being <em>us</em>, but in such a beautiful way."</p><h2>'Really Love' highlights the Black experience in Washington, DC</h2><div type="image" title="Still from Really Love" height="664" width="1329" msid="86237847" hostid="261"></div><p>Layers of Black culture are shown throughout the movie thanks to significant yet small details. There are frequent nods to diasporic culture in Washington DC, like go-go dancing, Ethiopian food, jazz, art and decor. </p><p>Siriboe explained how the director, Angel Kristi Williams, brought some specific experiences she saw during  her childhood and brought it to life. </p><p>"That's her upbringing," Siriboe said. "We shot on the streets she used to walk home from school on."</p><p>"The fact that Angel had the vision to use DC as the foundation for this film means so much more to me and so much more to the film because now people can watch this film across the sea and just see themselves as well," Wong-Loi-Sing continued.</p><p>''Really Love" proves slow and steady wins the race. There's no gut-wrenching drama that pulls you away from the enjoyment. But make no mistake: this film is made with and oozes love. The film abundantly and unapologetically showcases Black people, in the best light - figuratively and literally. </p><p>"Really Love" is streaming now on Netflix.</p>

'Really Love' isn't just a romance film, it's a love letter to the Black experience

31 'Grey's Anatomy' couples ranked by their chemistry

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d72c1012e22af287b61bfc5-1183/hustlersstxfilms.jpg" border="0" alt="hustlers_stxfilms" data-mce-source="STXfilms" /><p class="source"><span>STXfilms</span></p><p class="caption">Jennifer Lopez in "Hustlers."</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Jennifer Lopez gives a career-best performance in "Hustlers."</li><li>It's so good that buzz for the actress to receive an Oscar nomination for her performance has already begun.</li><li>Business Insider has seen the movie and the hype is deserved.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p> </p><p>The Toronto International Film Festival is where Oscar buzz often starts, and that is currently happening for Jennifer Lopez's performance in "Hustlers" (in theaters on Friday).</p><p>And if there's any justice in this world, you will see J-Lo on Oscar night vying for an Academy Award.</p><p>Even before "Hustlers" had its world premiere at TIFF on Saturday, there was chatter around the festival from people who had already seen the movie that Lopez was its emotional core and gave a career-best performance that warranted a serious Oscar run.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d7485912e22af486438c3f3-2400/2019-09-08t043545z1lynxnpef8704ertroptp4filmfestival-toronto-hustlers.jpg" border="0" alt="Cast member Jennifer Lopez arrives for the gala presentation of Hustlers at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 7, 2019.  REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-mce-caption="44th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)" /><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Jennifer Lopez at the Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of "Hustlers."</p></div><p></p></div></div>Some industry insiders were in a state of shock when hearing this. But for others, the Lopez buzz had been a long time coming.</p><p>Lopez has been a Fly Girl (the dance troupe on the 1990s show "In Living Color"), a multi-platinum singer, a tabloid staple, and a sex symbol. But you likely don't know her best as a dramatic actress. I mean, she and Ben Affleck gave us "Gigli." But if you look closely at Lopez's acting career, she's shown glimpses of her dramatic chops.</p><p>Lopez gave a great performance playing US Marshal Karen Sisco in Steven Soderbergh's 1998 "Out of Sight." It showed her playing tough opposite Isaiah Washington when his character Kenneth asks if <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ThrlTaPWO8">she wants to "tussle,"</a> and steamy when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qxH0R_k3zI">George Clooney's Jack Foley surprises her at a bar</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b63417be361c019008b492e-1600/out-of-sight.png" border="0" alt="out of sight" data-mce-source="Universal" /><p class="source"><span>Universal</span></p><p class="caption">"Out of Sight."</p></div><p></p></div></div>And a year earlier, Lopez was the lead in the Selena Quintanilla-Perez biopic "Selena" and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her spot-on performance of the slain singer.</p><p>But few serious roles came her way after those. They were mostly rom-coms and the occasional thriller. Still, Lopez was one of the biggest celebrities on the planet. "Hustlers" certainly needed her more than she needed it. But it's this movie that's going to put Lopez into a category of actors she's never been in before.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong></em>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hustlers-director-interview-on-the-struggle-to-make-the-movie-2019-9"><em>The director of "Hustlers" describes the 3-year struggle to make her gritty gangster movie, and not let it turn into "'Ocean's 8' with strippers"</em></a></p><p>"Hustlers," which is based on the gripping 2015 New York magazine story "The Hustlers at Scores," follows a group of former strippers who, after the financial crisis, begin to turn the tables on Wall Street men they think took the country down by drugging them and then maxing out their credit cards. Lopez plays the ringleader of the group, Ramona.</p><p>Lopez owns the movie from her first moment on the screen. Ramona is confident and is the fantasy of every man in the movie, which is evident as a wave of dollar bills rains down when she takes the stage for the first time. But it's the following scene that is the first indication that the character is much more than that. While Ramona is on the roof smoking a cigarette, draped in a fur coat, the shy and inexperienced Destiny (Constance Wu) shows up. Ramona knows exactly what to do. "Here, get in," Ramona says as she opens her fur coat and gives Destiny some warmth. An instant bond is formed between the two that drives the rest of this rise-and-fall story.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d72c4712e22af136c3f85d8-1300/hustlers 2 stxfilms.jpg" border="0" alt="hustlers 2 stxfilms" data-mce-source="STXfilms" /><p class="source"><span>STXfilms</span></p><p class="caption">(L-R) Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu in "Hustlers."</p></div><p></p></div></div>And within that story, writer-director Lorene Scafaria gives Lopez vulnerable material the actress has never gotten to work with before.</p><p>While working at a department store, Ramona cowers as she's talked down to when asking her boss to get out of work early. Then there's a scene later in the movie when she talks about her friendship with Destiny, though the two have had a falling out. The emotional performance Lopez gives in that scene is like nothing she's ever done on the screen before.</p><p>Scafaria told Business Insider that there was a time <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hustlers-director-interview-on-the-struggle-to-make-the-movie-2019-9">in the three-year quest to get the movie made</a> that she could have started filming earlier, but it would have meant Lopez wouldn't be in the movie due to a scheduling conflict. </p><p>"I was like, 'Um, no,'" Scafaria said, sounding shocked that such a scenario was even brought up. "I can't imagine making this movie without her."</p><p>"Hustlers" would not be getting the critical acclaim it has (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) if Lopez didn't blow everyone away with the performance she gives.</p><p>Is there honestly any other benchmark needed for why she should be in the Oscar race?</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-recording-music-scooter-braun-kanye-west-masters-2019-9">Why Taylor Swift is re-recording all her of her old music</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/ZfN7oEXx-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

You Searched For "isaiah washington" and got 11 results

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