Katherine Heigl Explains Why She Was 'Really Nervous' to Play Tully on 'Firefly Lane'

When asked if she identifies with the famous talk show host, she told us, “I do, and I don't. I do more now that I’ve played her for a couple years. I was really nervous to play Tully.”

She continued, “I didn't know if I had it in me—that level of self-confidence. And she has this incredible fortitude. She doesn’t let things deter her, and she doesn't let negativity derail her.” 

Heigl revealed that her real-life personality is practically the opposite of Tully’s—especially during her younger years. “In my life, as a young woman in my 20s and my 30s, I've just been far more riddled with self-doubt,” she said. “I just didn't know if I could tap into that confidence, if I could play it with honesty.”

Fun fact: Heigl was the first person to be cast in the Netflix series, and the showrunner, Maggie Friedman, let her choose which main character she wanted to play. Although Heigl is more like Kate in real-life, she purposely chose Tully because she wanted the challenge.

Fortunately, Heigl rose to the occasion and totally nailed it. Even better, Tully eventually became the catalyst for her personal growth. She said, “Once I did it enough in those first few days on set, those first few weeks when I was really trying to tap into that and find her, it started to feel like it opened up something in me and released something in me. An opportunity to tap into my own self-worth and my own self-confidence. I started to feel like she and I, we're two sides of the same coin. And it was really interesting and kind of therapeutic.”

As for her ArtWare project, Heigl revealed that her goal is to support animals in need through the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation. She said, “I started taking a lot of online art classes, and I just decided it was time to get brave and put [my artwork] out there in a way that had an impact and would help us continue this fight.”

Major kudos to Katherine for being an inspiration both on- and off-screen.