Shonda Rhimes owns the night. At least on Thursday when she has three prime-time series – Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder in the lineup. The writer/producer/showrunner is experiencing a run rare for anyone in television, much less an African-American woman. Entertainment Weekly gave Rhimes another rare honor – they showcased her on three different magazine covers along withe the principals of the aforementioned shows. (Ellen Pompeo of Rhimes’ longest-running show, Greys’ Anatomy got her own cover.)
Here are some highlights from the interviews, available in Entertainment Weekly on stands today or HERE.
Viola Davis on colorism in the entertainment industry: “You have to come from Detroit or Atlanta to be black. If you have John Denver on your iPod and you come from Central Falls, Rhode Island, then: Eh, you trickle-down black woman.”
Kerry Washington on why it’s different to work for a female showrunner: “I was talking to an actress who’s pregnant and really worried about telling her bosses, and I said, ‘Yeah, when I told my boss I was pregnant, she literally jumped up and down in my trailer.’ I don’t know if there’s a male showrunner who would do that.”
Shonda Rhimes on why her parents were Gladiators: “When I encountered something that felt like racism—like my high school guidance counselor saying to me, ‘Honey, I don’t think you were made for Ivy League schools’—I called my mom at work and said, “Mom, this lady says I’m not made for Ivy League schools.” And my mother said, “Hold on, I’ll be there in five minutes.” My mom drove up to the school, walked into the guidance counselor’s office, came out, and said, “Everything’s fine now.”
