Actress Katherine Heigl has declined to sign up for this year's Emmy nominations, claiming such a prize would be "undeserved". Heigl announced through her publicist that she doesn't feel that her work this season was up to standards and thus declined to run for the coveted prize. The suggested reason is that she was not given good enough "material" (by the show's producers).

However, rumors are that she is delicately taking a jab at the producers of "Grey's Anatomy," because they have recently reduced her on-screen presence in the successful show. Meanwhile, Heigl alleges that she did not want to take away the opportunity to win the Emmy from another fellow actress who might be more deserving.

Her comments followed an investigation by a prominent reporter who noticed that Heigl's name was not on the ballot. Tom O'Neil contacted the actress and this is how she explained the absence of her application from this year's Emmy nominations.

Taking into account Katherine Heigl's history of outspoken remarks, it is more likely that her gesture is indeed a little rebellious against her current bosses, which are Shonda Rhimes, the show's creator, as well as Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Krista Vernoff, Rob Corn and Mark Wilding.

Katherine Heigl plays Isobel "Izzie" Stevens on the show, a role which brought her an Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series award at the 2007 Emmy Awards. Her role as the sexy surgical resident at Seattle Grace Hospital is somewhat suggestive of her actual behavior, as her character is also outspoken and her sincerity often is associated with bad timing.

Heigl was also outspoken about her successful movie "Knocked Up," saying she found it hard to play a "bitch." She also called the film sexist, mostly because of the portrayal of her character.