Shonda Rhimes Talks Strong Women, Weak Men and Setting an Example for Her Daughters
— -- “Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How to Get Away With Murder” are some of the most buzzed about television productions of the fall, and they’re keeping the shows’ creator, Shonda Rhimes, very busy.
“GMA”’s co-anchor, Robin Roberts, visited “Shondaland,” the name of Rhimes' production company and the term she and her colleagues use to refer to their workplace.
During the interview they talked about the last time a producer had three top shows on at the same time.
“I think it was Aaron Spelling -- “T.J. Hooker,” “(The) Love Boat,” “Fantasy Island," Rhimes, 44, said.
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Rhimes, a producer, director and writer, told Roberts what it was like for her to know people were watching her shows and connecting with her.
'It's a Marriage. It's a Family'
“I remember my first experience, “Grey’s (Anatomy),” I felt like I was kind of just writing in my diary,” she said. “And it felt really surprising to me that I everybody else was watching.”
Rhimes is known for vetting her casts closely. Actress Kerry Washington, who plays Olivia Pope on “Scandal,” has said auditioning for Rhimes was like being vetted for the White House, but harder.
“I'm with people for 11 seasons or six seasons or four seasons,” Rhimes, said, explaining the process. “And so it's a marriage. It's a family.”
There’s no shortage of drama on Rhimes' productions.
Rhimes and her team of writers shocked viewers with the last season’s finale of “Grey’s Anatomy,” which saw the apparent departure of Dr. Cristina Yang, one of the pivotal characters on the medical drama.
Now, Rhimes is bringing film star Viola Davis to TV in the new series “How to Get Away With Murder.”
'Viola Davis Is on Our TV. I Can't Believe It'
Rhimes doesn’t hide her pleasure.
“That is a miracle to me, right? … Viola Davis is on our TV. I can't believe it,” she tells Roberts.
Rhimes is often credited for breaking race and gender barriers with her casting, but she doesn’t see it that way.
“Yeah. I mean, I feel like the television landscape should look like the world we see outside …,” she said. “The package that people come in is the package that they come in. What's inside is what's the most interesting thing.”
When Roberts asked her how many times she was told “no,” Rhimes replied: “I will be honest and say not very many … I mean, “Grey’s Anatomy” is my first job in television. Which is fantastic. And I'm thrilled that it is. But it -- it was pretty magical.”
She added that “struggled in others ways" before getting to where she is today.
When Roberts asked who would play her, Rhimes said it’s already happening.
“I think (the character) Meredith Grey, you know, Ellen Pompeo, was already playing me. I think Sandra Oh was already playing me. I think Chandra Wilson is already playing me,” she said, referring to the female stars of “Grey’s Anatomy," and later adding: “I think I'm being played every time I write a character. Those people are playing me in a lot of ways.”
She said someone once asked her what it was like to get to write the voice of a black woman on “Scandal.” “And I said, ‘Well, you know, McDreamy's been speaking in the voice of a black woman for a long time now.’ So it's been fine,” she said with a laugh.
“McDreamy” is the heartthrob surgeon Derek Shepherd, who is played by Patrick Dempsey.
