Shonda Rhimes killed off a character over an IRL personality clash
Don’t mess with Shonda Rhimes. . . at least, if you’re acting on her set.
The 45-year-old producer and writer told The Nightly Show‘s Larry Wilmore this week that, yes, actors can be incredibly difficult to work with sometimes, and yes, she has killed one off specifically for that reason. (It might sound extreme, but this is TV firing we’re talking about; you can’t just let the actor go without explaining what happened to their character.)
“Have you ever killed off a character because you didn’t like the actor?” Larry asked Shonda on Wednesday night. “And, extra bonus points, who was it? Don’t even think about lying.”
“Yes,” Shonda responded. “And I’m not naming names.”
But of course, fans of her shows — Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and How To Get Away With Murder, for example — couldn’t help but name names in their minds, wondering if the death of their beloved character was all because of beef with Shonda. (I’ll avoid listing any of the characters we’ve been grieving over the past several years because spoilers. But Grey‘s fans know who I’m talking about. THEY KNOW.)
Shonda was on the show to talk about her new book, Year of Yes, which illustrates the year-and-a-half she spent saying yes to everything “that I thought was terrifying, awful, gonna make me freak out,” she explained. And, yes, that includes talk shows.
“I think I have such a panic and a fear of public speaking or being in public. I’m really an introvert,” she told Larry. “I was very shy when this began and so I would go into a full panic … and I wouldn’t remember even doing the interview.”
Sound scary? Yeah, of course, but that’s the point. And Rhimes says the year of yes completely changed her for the better. “There is no real finish line,” she said of her journey. “There is no way for there to be one because now everything feels possible now. Now that I know what happens when you say yes, how could I possibly go back to saying no?”
Well, she has said no to a character or two. Looks like she. . . got away with murder. Heh, get it? Anyway, check out the video clip below to listen to Shonda chat about Year of Yes.
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(Image via video.)