The Beloved Hallmark Movie Series You Forgot Katherine Heigl Starred In

Following her rise to fame in the 2000s, Katherine Heigl has remained a big name in the entertainment industry. She has garnered fanfare for her roles in films like "The Ugly Truth," "Knocked Up," and "27 Dresses." Of course, she wooed audiences around the world with her portrayal in one of television's most enduring shows, "Grey's Anatomy," as Dr. Izzie Stevens. That role landed her a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series in 2007.

The actor has had an illustrious career, to say the least. However, it hasn't always been easy. Following a controversial 2008 interview with Vanity Fair, she was accused of being difficult to work with. In February 2023, Heigl reflected on the backlash to Red magazine, saying (via Yahoo! Life), "I felt betrayed. I felt confused, wondering, 'How could they turn on me so quickly? I'm just trying to entertain people.'" She also noted, "I'm not the only person in the industry who's had ups and downs, but it's like, as soon as things were going too well, there was this need to say, 'Slow down there — let's humble her.'"

Thankfully, the "Firefly Lane" star's career recovered from this infamous interview that showed her in a different light. While you may remember much of the films and shows that came after, Katherine Heigl's also starred in this beloved movie series for the Hallmark Channel.

Katherine Heigl has starred in some seriously popular films, but fanatics of the Hallmark Channel might best recall her time on the network. Back in 2003, she played the leading role in "Love Comes Softly." Heigl portrayed the character Marty Claridge, who is traveling across America in a period piece based in the 1850s. When her husband suddenly dies on the journey, and she has run out of money to support herself along the way, she agrees to marry a widow, played by Dale Midkiff, and help him raise his daughter.

Reviews of the film found on IMDb are surprisingly high for this flick, with fans rating it 7.3 stars out of 10. "Not only was the acting very believable, but the plot was original and had a lot of heart. This movie made me smile, get teary-eyed, and think. I think what makes this movie rise above the average is that it reaches many different people on various levels," gushed one reviewer. "It challenges you to think outside the box, to not accept the conformity of society, and set your own standards while crossing over the line. It teaches you the importance of family, even 'broken' ones, and letting new people in, to have faith in people."

Of course, this role would not go down as one of Heigl's most acclaimed, but she certainly had Hallmark fans raving about it — and even reprised her part in the 2004 sequel, "Love's Enduring Promise."