TV maverick Shonda Rhimes currently has three hit shows – Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder - running on a major network while three others are in various stages of production. Fortunately, Rhimes has no plans of resting on her laurels.
Leading ladies: Kerry Washington (Scandal), Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy) and Viola Davis (How to Get Away with
Murder)
TVTime
At the 2017 Vanity Fair Summit, the acclaimed writer and producer spoke about her reasons for moving to the streaming giant and misrepresentation in Hollywood.
TV maverick Shonda Rhimes currently has three hit shows – Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder - running on a major network while three others are in various stages of production. Fortunately, Rhimes has no plans of resting on her laurels.
Though ABC will continue to be home for six shows, it’s her landmark deal with streaming giant Netflix that turned the TV industry on its head when it was first announced.
Present at the 2017 Vanity Fair Summit, Rhimes spoke on the occasion and reflected on a number of matters including her decision to move to Netflix after a 15-year run with ABC.
“There are no broadcast standards and practices or length requirements,” stated Rhimes. “I can make something that is an hour and a half and I can make something that is 15 minutes long. There’s no ‘we want to see more of this because that’s what you’ve done before.’ It’s an open road.”
Rhimes disagreed with the notion that network TV is dead. “It’s not like we left it behind. I have six shows that are happening over at ABC. It really was about doing something new and trying something new. I reached a point where I could solve problems in my sleep. There was nothing new in terms of the challenges. I thought when you reach that point where you’re that comfortable it’s time to try something new.”
Though a new project with Netflix is inevitable, Rhimes didn’t spoke of any details. “There’s a totally open road that Ted [Sarandos] has provided and an absolute clear lane to do whatever I want. They are very excited to go where I want to go.”
Moving away from the Netflix deal, Rhimes also spoke about the importance of knowing your own value.
“It’s important to have a stake in what you make,” she said. “I think that that’s been a problem since the beginning of time.” She went on to state that while Grey’s Anatomy has netted nearly 2 billion dollars for Disney, she has no stake in that amount.
“I don’t have $2 billion. I think of myself as more of a businesswoman, and I have had to learn what’s important and what is not in terms of not getting screwed financially. There’s a lot of people in this town that don’t know the value of their work. What’s important is to plant a flag, get a stake and build that up.”
The creator of TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, she also reflected on the controversial subject of lack of representation in Hollywood.
“It’s an obvious fact that the world looks like what it looks like, which is I don’t walk out and see a sea of white men,” Rhimes said. “That’s not how the world looks to me, and that’s certainly not interesting. There’s a problem with the idea that a movie that stars a white guy is a movie but if it stars a female then it’s a female-driven movie, or if it stars a black person, it’s a black film. There is something inherently ignorant about that.”
