Los Angeles (E! Online) - Good things come to those who wait. And to those who threaten to beat down a costar for publicly offending their best friend.

Katherine Heigl, without a doubt the most vocal critic of Grey's Anatomy costar Isaiah Washington in the wake of his homophobic slur against T.R. Knight, is again speaking out on the headline-grabbing incident. This time, however, she offers a whole new angle to the saga, which first played out on set and then again backstage at the Golden Globe Awards.

According to Heigl, the epithet wasn't the most shocking thing to come out of Washington's mouth on set last season—"thank you" was.

"Isaiah thanked me, which I didn't understand," Heigl says in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly. "He was almost grateful."

The incident overshadowed Grey's Golden Globe win for Best Drama and placed Washington's future with the show in doubt.

Immediately following his politically incorrect post-Globe comments, Heigl took to the nearest mike and very publicly aired her grievances with Washington, saying her costar "needs to just not speak in public" and that she was "not okay" with his use of the derogatory word.

Heigl tells EW that it wasn't bravery, rather her friendship—along with something a bit more bubbly—that enabled her to lash out without reservation.

"I didn't have a courageous moment," she adds. "I had a couple glasses of champagne, and I was furious and frustrated for my friend and sick of the whole mess of it.

"In this town, women who don't just snap and say, 'Okay, yessir, yes ma'am,' start to get a reputation for being difficult. But within the last five years, I've decided it's not worth it to me to be pushed around so much."

As for Washington, Heigl tells EW that he has since made great strides in working to repair both his public image and his on-set relations.

"I don't know Isaiah well, but he takes his work seriously and he loves his character. He made a big mistake, and it was thoughtless and boneheaded, and I think he's very sorry and embarrassed. This is something that will have changed the scope of his life."

And, possibly, Heigl's.

On Thursday, the actress, who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her Grey's role, told CBS' Early Show that she had yet to receive word that she was returning to the show next fall and was equally as unsure about what future, if any, Washington had on the series.

"I don't know if anybody's coming back," she said. "I haven't gotten my pick-up letter yet, so I don't know what's going to happen. It's been a weird year. I'd like to come back. It's definitely my intention to be there."

(Washington's publicist has previously stated the actor would be back next season.)

Heigl's uncertainty traces back to her attempts to renegotiate her contract, details of which were leaked to the press. Both she and the network called foul and the negotiations stalled. Adding to the tension, Heigl voiced concerns that she was not receiving a raise comparable to those of her higher-profile costars.

"I just want to be treated with the same respect they're showing the other actors, and so far they've refused to do that," she tells EW.

Come this weekend, ABC may be sorry not to have signed the actress earlier—her asking price will likely shoot up following the release of Knocked Up.

Judd Apatow's new comedy, in which she stars opposite Seth Rogen, is expected to skyrocket her big-screen career much like Apatow's last effort, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, did with Steve Carell.

The critically lauded movie opens nationwide today.