Source: KELLY LAWLER/NPR
Shonda Rhimes says the Washington she’s created for the political drama Scandal is a dark, amoral one — and “a little Shakespearean,” in the way it’s a place where big themes play out among powerful people who aren’t afraid to make bold moves.
“In the world of the show, [our] America sees Washington as this fairy-tale-beautiful place, and everybody who works there is really helping keep that illusion alive,” the series creator tells Morning Edition’s Renee Montagne.
“But they’re all very much aware that with that peeled away, they’re just monsters set adrift in a world where there are no rules.”
Rhimes says the casting of star Kerry Washington was a choice driven by some very specific ideas about the character. And yes, those ideas included some of the racial cluelessness Olivia Pope might encounter, as someone singular and powerful enough to often be the only black person in a room — even a modern-day room.
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