Katherine Heigl is finally saying the quiet part out loud, she knows her days as the bubbly rom-com lead are mostly behind her. The 46-year-old actress, who once ruled the 2000s with hits like Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, and The Ugly Truth, is embracing a new era in her life and career. And no, she’s not mourning it. She’s owning it.
Talking to Us Weekly, Heigl got real about how turning 40 made her reflect on the shelf life of certain roles in Hollywood. She admitted she didn’t think twice about aging in her 20s, why would she? She was riding high, landing the parts she’d dreamed of since her teen years. “You don’t think about the expiration date on it,” she said. But Hollywood has a funny way of reminding you.
Now, Heigl isn’t wallowing in what was. She’s just facing reality with honesty and grit. “I realized, ‘Oh, that’s pretty much over,’” she said about her time as the ingénue. “There’s a young generation that’s coming up, and I had my time, and it was glorious, and it’s kind of done now.” It’s a bold, unfiltered admission, and honestly, pretty refreshing in an industry that doesn’t exactly celebrate women aging.
But here’s the thing: Katherine Heigl isn’t going anywhere. She’s just shifting the narrative. While she acknowledges she’s no longer the default romantic lead, she firmly believes there’s still a place for women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond to be front and center. “I am still the star of my own life,” she said. And she thinks her story, and those of countless other women, are absolutely worth telling.
The Hollywood machine might favor fresh faces, but Heigl’s not backing down. “You’re not the ingénue, and the ingénue is really a valuable role in Hollywood,” she explained. “As you get older, you have to fight and say, ‘Yes, but I am still a value.’” And that’s exactly the fight she’s choosing now, not to cling to what was, but to redefine what comes next.
Heigl’s career shift is less about loss and more about evolution. She’s stepping into roles that reflect who she is now, not who she was at 25. It might not be the same kind of fame, but it’s just as meaningful, and possibly more fulfilling.
