'Grey's Anatomy's' Heigl gets respect

NEW YORK, July 24 (UPI) -- "Greys Anatomy's" Katherine Heigl, whose character Izzie begged in the pilot episode to be taken seriously, finally feels she is taken seriously.

"For me in this industry," she said on the "Grey's Anatomy" set, "I think it helped people to see me as more than just a face or a body, which was very gratifying," the New York Daily News reported Monday.

"I have waited probably my entire career," said Heigl, whose previous roles include three years on the WB's "Roswell," "to do something more with what I have than just what people expect."