101: Sweet Baby w/ Shonda Rhimes

missed for far too long. But really, this is just my excuse to hang out with my favorite person on the planet. Same. We just want to hang out together so we could talk shit and reminisce about one of the best shows on television. Yes, do you remember when the last time you watched like a Scandal episode? Are you kidding? Okay, First of all, it has been ten years. We just celebrated the tenure anniversary of the pilot area. That's crazy. I don't think I have watched like I

don't think I've watched any episodes of you. I don't think so either. You know, there was a moment there where they were still playing like on on ABC or where I'd be flipping through channels and catch a glimpse, but I wouldn't I wouldn't stay. I would be I would sort of, you know, smile inside and sort of chuckled to myself, but then move on. I woul didn't sit there and watch the whole episode. But being able to do that for the podcast was like a gift, man.

I have to say again, like the biggest when I was like, we're doing this scandal rewatch podcast. It's called Unpacking the Toolbox, which, let's just take a moment. That is a freaking great title. It is the best title. I love it so much. It's so hucking Quinn. It's so Huckleberry Quinn. It's so right for the Gladiators, the o G Gladiators. You know about our toolbox, you know about Huck and his tools. It's great. Okay, so I'm packing the toolbox and there's a toolbox emoji now on

Instagram there's a toolbox emoji. So Gladiators, suit the fuck up. Tell your friends about this fucking podcast, and make sure you put the toolbox emoji when you do something. But right quick, I was like mostly excited to hang out with you. Because I'm obsessed with you and I think you're the most special, perfect human and ever born, which I think you guys who watched the show know that

quinnin Huk had a very special connection. But I was most freaked out about going back and watching the episodes. I was like, I don't know, I was freaked out in the low key excited because I was like sometimes I'm like, sometimes I do enjoy watching myself, but I don't want like somebody will walk in and be like, you're watching yourself. So I was like every time Mikey would walk in, I'd be like, well, I have to do this for work. This is for work. You know,

I hate watching myself. You couldn't pay me. Well, you could pay me a million dollars to do so, but I don't really like watching myself. And I was concerned, like as ten years too long or too short, Like what is the perfect amount to be watching the show. And because of this podcast going back and rewatching these episodes, because G and I are taking this podcast very seriously. We are we are doing our research. We are watching

the episodes backwards and forwards. We have amazing guests coming in to talk about their experiences and their process and how this whole thing went down. But I am loving the episode. Me too shocked about it, like I don't remember ship. I don't remember. I don't remember these episodes. I mean I remember moments and and scenes here and there. But I'm enjoying it so much. God, I too, and I feel like we were so caught up while we

were shooting it. But now going back and being able to watch it without any distractions, it's such a good show. It's so good, and I feel like a gladiator with a gladiator, I said. Quinn says gladiator in a succi wants to be a gladiator in a suit in the pilot. But we were so in it when we were making the show, and then when we would even watch the episodes. Back then, we were so obsessed with tweeting that we really didn't focus and give my full attention to watching

the episodes. And right now going back and watching these episodes, I am such a fan. I am such a fan, so exciting, I am such an o G gladiator. I love everyone's characters, the writing, the way that it was shot, the ins and outs. I'm just grateful already. And what's good? I want to say real quick to that what's good about this podcast is even if you haven't rewatched the show, you're still gonna freaking enjoy the podcast because that's how fucking nutty and like fun and crazy and cookie me

and Katie are getting on this podcast. Yeah we have fun, Yes, but if you can rewatch Scandal on Hulu, because it really is a fa can amazing show like no other, it holds up. That's one thing. I mean, I'm sure so many actors artists watch stuff they've shot in the past and you're like, oh wow, this thing is just come and gone and is it doesn't really hold up. Scandal one holds up. I am watching all the other critically as claim shows right now, and Scandal is just

as good, if not better. Hew yourself a favor. Listen to the podcast, rewatch the episodes, hang out with us. Every episode is going to be such a fucking good time. It's me and g hanging out shooting the ship. We are talking about plot. We have guests that come on that talk about their processes. We talked about what we ate for lunch. We talked about farts, we talked about crying,

we talk about sex, We talk about tears Stick. We talk about every single amazing actor, guest star, co star, and every horror film they've ever been in thanks to Germo Diaz. And then we just like hang out, make you laugh, have a good time, and feel like the Scandal fam is all back together again exactly agains all back together. And this is our first freaking show. It's the first podcast we've ever done. We are going back in time. It's the ten year anniversary since the pilot

aired and drastically changed all of our lives. Really, and Germo and I are wearing our T g I T and garmoious. I'm wearing a season two Scandal like baseball jersey type situation sands like the undershirt because it's too damn tight. Because this is old as hell, so we deserve all the applause that we are fitting. We are going to be bringing out on this podcast all the vintage throwback Scandal things we got. Okay, Gee, take me back to where you were in your life before Huck,

What the heck were you doing? Honestly, I was at a point in my life where I was no joke, like I need a job, like I really need a job. I was doing you know, guest spots, and I I was I was still doing Weeds at the time, but I was recurring on weeds, so it wasn't a steady gig, you know what I mean. I loved being on Weeds, but I was at that point in my life where I was like, I really need to book something significant

that That's where I was in my life. So when scandal came along, I was like fucking like, oh man, thank god, where were you? Do you remember where you were at? Like right before Oh my god, I was twenty eight. I just got it engaged to Adam Shapiro at um sweet sweet Adam. And I was a bag be sitter, and you would You've been doing that for years, right,

like you were a nanny for a long time. I was a waitress for a decade, and then I couldn't handle the food service industry anymore in Los Angeles because I would always wait on people that I was auditioning for. Literally, like I would have like screen tests and be auditioning and then I would be like asking for their drink order and yet exactly, and so I was like, oh, I could still babysit and pay my rent that way. But at least it's like behind closed doors and not

as embarrassing. Um. And so I was nannying for a very very fancy, high falutin family when the call for scandal came in and I remember being like, Oh my god, her name is Quinn and my middle name is Quinn, and maybe that's a sign from the universe that this is my part? Can this please be my part? Can this please save me from this? And similar to you, like I had been working, but not at the level you had been working, but I had been you know, I had done a bunch of guest stars. I had

occurred on a couple of shows. I had booked a pilot that didn't go, Like there were some things, but it was never ever, ever steady enough where I could give up my side hut exactly. Yeah. And I was at that place where I was like, am I going to have to get aside hustle? Like right before this? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't believe it. Yeah, you know how it is for actors. It ebbs and

flows like the craziest it's feast or famine. Yeah, you make good money and then that ship, that job ends and you're like, Okay, I have no idea what's next, because we just got to go back to the drawing board, go back to auditioning. Yeah, do you remember the first time you and I met? Katie? I don't remember, do you? How dare you? Neither do I remember? I feel like you've always like we've always been connected, and you've always sort of been in my life since scandal started. So

I but I don't remember exactly the moment. Was it at Prospect Studios where we rehearsed. It had to have been, but I don't remember either, whatever, But I feel like me and you like gravitated towards each other, like emotionally and physically probably as well. We were like I love this girl. Like I feel like that happened right away. Yeah, we neither one of us may be able to remember the exact moment we met, but I do know that from the jump it was a love and a soulmate

connection of like we are going to travel this life together. Yes, and then and then we had that tumultual affair. But that's not that's neither here nor there. We'll save that for the podcast. I love it. Guys. Keep listening. You can hear about me and Garmo's affair. Um, I am in love with you though, and how could you not be? And I also just think we had those scenes in

the pilot together. I feel like we've tied scene in the pilot where we were in the bathroom and you said, we don't cry here and you're a stray dog and Olivia takes us in. But we also got the best scoop, like me and me and you always had the scoop. Remember, sometimes we'd be on set talking talking about stuff or having telling a story or some like scoop in Spanish and then Carry Carry has serious fomo. Oh yeah, she's

always the last to know. But also Carry would hear us and be we'd be so into telling into what we were talking about that she would feel that energy and walk over and be like, what are you guys talking about? Tell me and we'd be like, by the way, that would be everybody and you and I we could talk. You guys will see as we get into the Scandal Rewatch podcast, Garmo and I can talk for a hundred thousand hours about absolutely nothing and it's hilarious and we

love it. But that was how the entire seven years of Scandal was, and he and I are always talking, having fun, gossiping whatever. And everyone always gravitated towards our our energy just like yeah, man, they always entergy and so we always have the scoop. We knew what everybody was up to without the ado. Let's get this this premier red carpet first episode of the Scandal Rewatch podcast, Unpacking the toolbox off and running to the races we have got. Episode one on one, titled Sweet Baby, It

aired on April five in two thousand twelve. It was written by Shanna Rhymes and it was directed by the brilliant Paul McGuigan. Guest starring Wes Brown, is Selly st James, Amy, Kay Harmon is Ario Massey, Brian Resmussen is Howie, Alan Coleman is Lad and Marek Probosk as O Scott. All you gladiators listening know that one of the most important key elements of the special sauce that made Scandal scandal

was the scandal pace at which we told story. So let us warm your ears up and your heart's up by telling you weekly the synopsis of each episode that we're going to dive into, and we're gonna tell you the synopsis of that episode in Scandal paste give it to him. Let's give it to him. When Quinn Perkins starts a new job at crisis Management from Olivia popean associates, she must stay on her toes to navigate the tricky

cases they handle. The latest kind of Opia Selly st James stumbles into the office, distraught and covered in the blood of his dead girlfriend, adamant that he didn't kill her, but tight lipped on the details. Meanwhile, the White House is facing a scandal with the President and an aid and who else is brought in to fix the problem about Olivia Pope. That's what I'm talking about. Guys. It's been a while. G and I. We need to do our vocal warming. Leather bands his fist against the post.

He still insists he sees the ghosts. Remember that one, But it's amazing. Oh my god, I'm obsessed with it. Okay, So we'll jog your memories. Every episode will tell you the title, the director, the guest stars, the co stars, the synopsis in Scandal Pace and some episodes we're going to have guests. Some episodes we ain't gonna have guests. But this episode we got to guest, and now we need a drumroll. People, I can't wait. We don't even

need a drum roll. We also need a full on Stevie Wonder song, the Franklin Song, or any of the amazing songs that Scandal had. Two key up the Queen. I'm doing a little shuffle in my seat because I'm excited the Queen of Television. For the inaugural episode, we pull out the biggie, the big guns, the one, the only, the most special. Queen Bee herself shot Ny Hello, and we need to take a picture of this. We're drinking out of our gladiator wine cups. It's too early in

the morning to actually be drinking. Who gave us these glasses? Did we get him from? Was it production that gifted these? I don't even remember, might have come from the network, I don't know. Wow. Well, you know what, there's gonna be hopefully a real opportunity for merch with this podcast, because this is a great wine Shanda, can you tell us about where you got this idea? The origin story

of Scandal meeting Judy Smith writing the pilot. So I was busy at the time with Grays and I think also private practice and Betsy was like, I met this incredible woman. She's got this incredible job. I wanted to talk to you about it. And I was like, I don't have time for this. You know, I'm just too busy and I wasn't thinking about creating another show. No, you already had too yeah, too much to do. So Betsy said, UM, just sit with her for like a

half an hour. So Judy Smith came in. She's this amazing, formidable woman who basically always wears white, sat down and started talking to me about her job. And the more she talked to me about the job, the more I was like, this is fascinating, this life of a fixer. Because Judy had been like the fixer for the White House during the Bush era, which too era, and she had all these amazing stories and I was sort of

dazzled by the stories. I thought they were amazing. She'd represented Monticawinski, you know, that whole thing, like she's done a lot. And we ended up talking not for half an hour, but like for four hours or something like that. By the time we were done talking, I was like, I can see like seventy episodes easy, Like I can see exactly what those episodes would be yeah, And then did you just go off and write? Was it like an easy thing to write? Was it? Did it? Was

it hard to get it out of your brain? No? You know, I think it was pretty easy to write because I kind of understood the character I was making. Once I let go of the fact that it didn't have to be exactly Duty that I could play, I felt really good about the character I was making, and then all the other characters became really clear to me really fast, which was great. God for us, Thank God

for you. Duty was there to like tell me how she did her job, Like I'd call her and ask for like like tiny details how she did her job. And that's what really made the series I think special, is the fact that we had so many real informing us. First of all, she gave us all of her business cards when we started, and I was like, please, Lord, let us never have to use this, like I don't want to call it. Didn't she come to like one of our first rehearsals at Prospect Studios. I think that

we were hurt. We rehearsed the show like it was a play, and I remember her being there. I think that's when she gave us her business cards, and we were all like, oh my god, this is d Judy Smith. This is who Olivia Pope is loosely based on and obviously on the show, Like you know, Olivia Pope has an affair with the president. Obviously that didn't happen with Judy Smith. This woman has to go around being like scandals based on my life. But I did not sleep

with Bush Senior Junior. Inspired by inspired by my job is what I kept telling her to say, yes, yes, yes, that's great. Inspired by my job. So when you were when you were listening to her story, Shanda, and did it just sort of come into your brain that you kind of went off and then started thinking, oh, they these two characters can have an affair, and it sort of grew from there? Where where did that sort of

come from? When I'm making a show or making writing a script, I always think what's the worst thing that could happen for these two people? Like what's the worst way for things to go so great? Which is you know how Huck ended up like a violent kill and you know what I mean, But what's the worst way to go? And the worst way I could think of was if you're representing a girl from the White House because it really started with me having like a little

Monica Lensky story. I was like, the worst thing is that that you've been having a secret affair with this man and now you discover that this is just how he plays. That's not good. But when you wrote the pilot, did you have any idea that the fits Olivia phenomenon the one minute to the take off your clothes, the chemistry beyond epic proportions would be what it was not

when I wrote it. Not when I wrote it, And I remember the studio calling me up on the network, calling me up and saying, can you we love it? Can you just take out one little part? Like can't you just be friends with the president? Could you not have the affair? I remember saying, Olivia Pope is going to have sex on the White houval office desk in the first season of this series, and if you don't

want that, then I'm not doing this series. I'm obsessed with And then when we were shooting it, you know, the chemistry with Carrie and Tony was crazy, Like I was like that that scene in the Oval office at the end, I was not expecting that much amazing chemistry. I mean, Tony's so incredible and always scared, but I just wasn't expecting it to be that like that fire,

you know, it was great. I remember showing up that night just to watch the shooting of it, which I was like, I think, I think we have to talk about the whole pilot experience, but I think that scene in the Oval where they make out and they're like hiding where the cameras can't see them, that was our last night of shooting, and I remember being like, I just want to go because I just never want this to end. And I remember being there behind the monitor

watching and it was you could hear. I mean, I'm hiding like in the curtains, Like it was so intense, so on, it was so on. All I wanted to say is, how did you cast quinnin huck No, we'll get that's good stuff, though, we will be back with more after the break. Okay, So how did you cast Olivia Pope? Like did a lot of people as for that role. Well, let's be clear, and I don't think I think I realized how a big of a deal

this was. But it was the first leading role for a woman of color and a drama in like thirty seven years or something. So one thing I was very clear about was there are so many actresses who have never gotten this shot, Like we're not turning anybody away, Like if you were of Note, we are not turning you away. So it felt like it was this like march of like fifty of some of the most incredible actresses I've ever seen showing up at our office, and it was amazing to watch. It also broke my heart

because why should it have to be this way? And you could only cast of one and I could only cast one, and so it came down to Carrie and you can only Rose and Jill Scott, three women who could out be more different, be more different. Also would love to see a show with the three of them. But I loved them all and I loved everybody's performance as Olivia Pope, I really did. And I just kept thinking, like I would show my writing because I'm writing a

different show for each one of these women. It just felt like it was going to fundamentally be different for every for every woman. And in the end, I sat down with Carrie and I remember thinking like she's too pretty, like somebody that's powerful, like doesn't get get away with being pretty, and I was, which was so wrong with me? And then I sat out with Carrie and she talked politics like nobody's business for like an hour, and I got it entirely immediately. Yeah, that was the whole and

I get it. I mean, Carrie Washington is an alien of remarkable beauty. It's like, yeah, no one looks like that. No, no one looks like that, No one has bone structure like that. I mean, she's gorgeous, and she's also incredibly politically active and an activist and all these things that really lined up for the perfect Olivia Pope. I mean, this pilot, the amount of slow mowalking scenes in a

white coat is is the greatest. It just satisfies every part of your being watching it is It's like it's it's like the dream life in a way that you want to live. Yeah. Hell yeah, Shanda, did the studio and network know that Olivia Pope was a black woman or no? When you wrote it? So I want to be clear. When I went in to pitch this, I told Channing, I said, and she's going to be black because Judy Smith is black, and Channing just nodded, And I don't I think like me, she didn't think his

channings a woman of color. I don't think she thought like I better go warn everybody or anything like this is not a problem. And so when they picked up the pilot, the head of casting called me and was like, Connie Britton would be the perfect choice for this role. And I said, I adore Connie Britton and she would be except Olivia Pope is black. And it was like

this long moment of silence. Wow, yeah, I was just gonna bring up what you brought up before, like like the casting process for the rest of the of the cast. I remember for going in for Houck and I remember getting this gides and being like super piste off that I was even being considered for this because I think the character was described as like in his like fifties,

like mid fifties. I was like, I was like thirty nine at the time, and I was like, now I'm fifty one, I'm like the new twenty like, but at the time, I was like, what the fun they wanted? Why you like, how dare you think I'm fifty? Yeah?

I just felt I wasn't right for I remember going into the audition to to read for for you Shawnda and for Linda Loewey, and I think there was somebody else in the room and just being like gonna do do my best, and and you wrote this like brilliant monologue and the character was obsessed with like little figurines that were all over his desk. I don't know if you remember that. Yeah, I had to write something just to cast the role because I didn't say much and

I knew that eventually he would. Yeah, I knew eventually he would. So I wrote this monologue. Oh it was so good. And then so I did the monologue and then we just all kind of sat there in silence for a minute, and you looked at me and said, you're a very interesting actor. Like I remember that so clearly, and I was like thank you, and then I left. And then you know, another odd thing that happened with casting you was that you you cast I think most

of us, at least me, after just one audition. There wasn't a lot of fanfare. You you know, we didn't test for it, but you just knew. And the fact that you got this whole cast together that has such amazing chemistry and it all just freaking was it was so special, Like but I know Kate Katie's stories like Katie stories crazy. But didn't you first tell her that

she didn't get it? So they called me in and I think I'm going to test and they say, Shanda says, um, you can see this on the behind the scenes DVD of season that's right, that's right, see my audition. She gave me the part and I cried, real, real, ugly cried, and I loved it so much. It was like it was like the most fun thing I ever got to do is to deliver good news to somebody, you know. It was just love. And then I said, what am

I supposed to do? When you said someone's going to call you and there's going to be a wardrobe fitting and there's going to be a table read, I was like, there's gonna be okay. I didn't first tell her that she didn't get it. What I said was she came in to do the test, and then we brought her in the room and we already had the camera rolling, and I said, Kittie, you're you know, I just wanted to let you know you're not going to be able

to test for this part. And she was like just so politely, like like trying really hard, and you can see her dying a little bit inside, and I was like, you Gause, We're just gonna give it to you, and she was like she's like went crazy. It was. It was so much fun. I've never I mean, that's your you know, you've won the lottery, you know you've here's your car and your I mean it was insane. It was so but even bigger than that because it had

been something I'd wanted and worked for. I think when I was twenty three or something, I said to someone, I just want to work with Shonda Rye, Like, oh my god, my start. But Shanna, most actors have to go through nine like like pre reads, callbacks, producers, tests, different sides, different looks, where's something else? Come meet this person? It is awful, and then you start to shoot the show and there's like not really that much chemistry or this show is not that great after all that bs,

you know what I mean, that's a good point. Yeah, you put in all that work and then you're like, uh no. For me, it was like I knew, and I'm very honest, I knew when I saw you, like what I was like, this is perfect, Like this is exactly what I was looking for when I said same with kat. I knew when I saw her that was exactly what we're waiting for. And because she was newer, um,

the network was like she needs to test. And then Linda Lolowe and I went at the network and we're like, we're not doing it, Like we're not doing that, Like the only person who's getting getting offered this part. I used a lot of I'm not making this pilot a lot to get what I wanted, which is not very mature. I love it, and I talked about this all the time. So for you listening, Shanda is usually not on set

because she's really busy writing. Were a new number of other reasons, um, But for our pilot, which I think took three two or three weeks to make, Shonda was there for every single frame we shot nights, it was cold. We were in a really dank, downtown cool place that we then built and made into Olivia Pope and associates on a stage. Do you have any what are your memories from being there? For those I mean we were up all night loopy, Yeah, yeah, I remember like one.

I remember being there to make sure everybody talked fast enough you know what I mean. It was really my big word is everyone's not going to talk fast enough. And part of that talk fast enough was simply that I had written a really long pilot. You were like, y'all gotta talk quick. We're not cutting this out. Yeah. I feel like the pace of this show, like the pace of how these people live their lives. You know, White House could be slower, but Pulpit Associates was like

this speeding thing, and I wanted to happen. I mean, it was so interesting because I just met Paul mcwigan. I didn't know him. I just had loved his pilot Sherlock and the work he's done there, and we talked for a long time. But I was also there to like sort of go like, what what's he doing, what's he choosing to do? What's the look going to be? Because I really don't Yeah, I don't talk in visuals. I really just you know, talking story and what I'm thinking.

And so to watch him translate that was great, you know, it was really great experience. Yeah, I have in my notes one of the one of the other characters on the show was were these panels that are our DP

started to incorporate into shooting, do you remember, Katie. Like we would do our traditional coverage of the scene and then somebody would call out panels, and then they would bring out these sort of beveled pieces of thick glass and they would stand the characters be behind these glasses, and the camera would sort of you know, travel, you know, side side to side, and it just gave it this like sexy, like sort of dangerous like look, yeah, voyeuristic. Ill, yeah,

that's so true. And the colors like what they created, the dark blues and grays, and like it just seemed really not poppy. It didn't seem bright at all. It seemed sort of like underground, like all this stuff we were going and gore and like you mentioned, Katie, are

are where we shot the pilot. It was this amazing location in downtown l A. And there were these these cracked pieces of of windows that which which now looking back at the watching the show again, watching it back, I was thinking, it's so symbolic of all the cast of characters, right, because we're all cracked and broken and leaking.

Like I remember, we would have to put photos up on those pieces of glass, and sometimes it was a struggle because it was raining outside and they had to figure out a way to get the pictures to stick because there were all these cracks. And then they created that on the stages. Oh, it was so wonderful. They replicated that so beautifully. That freaks me out how well they did that. Yes, Oh my god, everybody. And you know what's cool. Everyone really stuck with it, like seven years.

I don't you know, we just really didn't have a lot of turnover in terms of like head of wardrobe production, Like everyone believed in it. And I don't know how you built this team. I know you've talked about this like a no asshole policy, but like it really felt like the cast and the crew was just a machine.

Like we were so tight. We still are. I mean it's really when I see someone from Scandal, like a Mary Howard or Line producing or Tom Erricker producing director or someone I'm emotional like I'm it really felt like a family early on. How did you do that? One? I think Betsy and I did our homework. At least two people had to say you weren't an asshole for

us to hire you. At least to two outside people had to vouch for like your personality or who you were as a person, because you know, people are always lovely to me, but then I find out that they're horrible to the p A s or there. You know, I'm like, that creates a bad set. And then we had Mary Howard, who I've learned, if you want your set to run the way you would run your set,

find somebody who shares the same mindset as you. And Mary was all about creating like a family environment and a comfortable environment for every working and making everybody feel valued. And then we got Lin Paulo to do the costumes, and she was already somebody that you know, I had been really into and loving her work, and it was great to get her too, So it was it was just this nice building process. I still work with Lind

to this day. Everyone told me, because I was sort of the baby that like, you know, you really better enjoy this because this, you know, the Tony is and the Jeff's like, this is this is rare. This is lightning in a bottle. Like we've had very long careers and we've moved from group to group and cast to cast, and this is so magical. We used to get all the press used to come up to us and be like, come on, like each other, Come on, this cannot be real, and I'm like, it is real. I don't know what

to tell you. We're obsessed with each other. We go to events and we only talk to each other. We don't even want to talk to anybody else. We also had so many amazing moments outside of of shooting the show, Like, we went to so many events, and one memory that's that's stuck out. I think Katie and I talked about this a few days ago, was we went to this GLAD Awards event where myself, Katie, and Carrie were presenting an award to you. Shanda was a GLAD Award. I

forget uh. And we had so much fun. And I know the thing that sticks out for me is we were after the awards. We were on the dance floor just dancing it up with you and me and and Katie and my boyfriend Mike was there and at one point broke. I don't think I ever told you this, Katie, or maybe I did, but at one point we're dancing Shaunda and this dude sort of shimmy's up and saddles up in front of me and starts dancing and he's getting a little flirty and you walked up to him

and you said, he got a man. Do you remember that? And I remember at that moment thinking, oh my god, this is such a down woman, like she's got my back. I loved it so much. But also cut to like later on that night, me and Mike you had a three something with that guy. Really, yes, yes, but but me and Mike still talk about it to this day. Mike adores you, and he was like, oh my god, I fucking love Shawnda this. She did that and stepped in and was like, no, he's got a minute. It

was so amazing. Um. So we do the pilot and then we wait to hear about if we're going to get a season one, and we get six episode order. How did you feel about that? I was pissed. I mean, I will just say that I was pissed. I was like, did I not deliver you know, a hundred episodes of scandal for I mean, grazing atomy for you? Did I not give you a hundred episodes of private practice? Like? Why the fuck? And I was mad? I was really mad,

but I was also like, it's gonna keep going. And so we had fun writing it that season because we knew that we were like sort of writing the hell out of the show for our lives, like get it all in there just in case. But I also loved it, so I was like, they're gonna, they're gonna pick it up. Do you remember when the show was called was it when the show was called Damage Control? Remember that it wasn't the real name though, that was the name you put on spots. You know, I didn't know that either.

I thought damage Control was the name that just didn't get approved by the studio or not. No idea. I learned that after you know Gray's that after that that we called that the entitled to Rmes project called Practice the entitled Tomes Project, And I was like, I need a name that doesn't have my name, and you know what I mean, Like I wanted to try to build it out. I think now all of our shows have code names. When I had no idea that it, damage

Control was just like a placeholder. And I think Quinn Perkins was Quinn Riley and Harrison wasn't Harrison, right? It was Harrison. Yeah. It was once I got to know you guys that I decided where your last names were I love it. Can we can we talk about like rewatching the show. Me and Katie keep texting each other and we're like, oh my god, this show is so

freaking good. And but one one person that sticks out for us is Columbus Short because he is like freaking like magic on this show and it's just such a thrill to watch him work, right, Katie, He's like genius in front of the camera. Like I absolutely loved writing for him and watching him work because he was he was genius behind the camera. I mean in front of the camera. The stuff he would do and it's just

the little tiny things were so great. Phone making A did it like some sound with his Like he was so musical and rhythmic, and which worked so well with Scandal because you wrote such musical scripts where pace was such a had such a musicality that he just leaned into that and he had such a talent for that. Huntil you were great. I remember watching you two the first time doing that scene. It was great. I had never been so nervous in my life, but you know,

he was nervous. He was very nervous. He was putting on a front for me of being like I'm cool. I'm cool, and I'm like, you are shipping bricks, dude, Like this is Shonda Rhymes is sitting over there and Betsy Beers is sitting over there, and I think they have a stop watch and we need to be cool and we need to get this and it was absolutely terrifying. Is it true that did you audition Columbus or is he like the one actor that did not audition? I

thought I had heard something about that. I feel like he was offered it, but maybe I'm wrong. That's what I had heard too. You know, I feel like he came in an auditioned, or at least came in and met Oh. I think I know that he came in and then the like like everybody else, I just knew that he was right. Yeah, we thought when we you were Now that we're embarking on the Scandal rewatch podcast, Unpacking the Toolbox, I'm so excited to hang out with

our Scandal family is really the point. And honestly, I'm going to be real, real, honest right now, I was like, the only thing I really don't want to do is watch Scandal because I'm scared that I'm haveing to watch something and I don't think I'm good or look at what I used to look like, or look at it. You know, you're just it's all wrapped up in actor bull crap and like whatever. And I don't know if it's going to be fun for me to do this. I could not be more wrong. It's so much fun. Yeah.

I have experience of feeling like I've never actually seen the show that everybody talks about because I was always writing in or one episode ahead or editing one episode behind, like and it was I was too worried about like making everything perfect, so I couldn't really like I could watch the show when we were all together and we were like, you know, doing our Yeah, but I couldn't watch it just like on my own, like it was too much. And so when I sat down to watch again,

which was not that long. I'm probably right a little bit before you started watching it again, it was surreal because I could actually like see and enjoy the stories that were told some of the some of the stories have been so funny. I was like, that's what happened. Oh my god, right to say when they say like thorn Gate and like all these things, I don't even think I understood what the hell was going on? Like

it's really this has been such a gift. This podcast is such a gift, and all of you gladiators who are listening right now, like, give yourself the gift of going back and watching the show, or if you've never seen it, tell a friend to watch it, because the show holds up. It is better than all the shows. And I'm taking myself out of it. I'm saying when I just sit and watch like Carrie Washington and Tony Goldwin do their thing. I mean, because what's cool about

the show. There's a white House half and there's an opa A half, so I can you know, I'm watching the show. I don't really remember the opay stuff. But then there's a whole part of the show that I have nothing to do with, and it so freaking good. Oh my god, I can't believe what you made, Johonna. I can't. But also you have to remember that, like I had this the writing the writing staff for that show was like every best writer I had ever worked with.

That was really what that was. How did you people in johnn stay? They tend to stay because ay, they know they're gonna have a job, but be like they tend to stay because they I hope that they liked it there. But what happened was is we'd have like we'd have like Sevy who went to m I T and was like telling us all the technical stuff we had. We had a journalist Matt had been a journalist, you know, on the press pool, and tell us all that stuff and the things that that room came up with just

by themselves. I'd I'd leave and I'd come back to the room and I'd be like, holy crap, that's amazing. Like they just had a gift for building that show. It was brilliant, brilliant minds that were just again sort of like the cast, they just really and most of them stuck with us. I mean when we when we've been doing research on the show. In the series, I mean, I'm reading names of writers and directors who you've taken

from a million episodes of Scandal. But then I worked with most of them on inventing Anna, Like you know what I mean. It's really um even even guest stars, guest stars that came on Scandal. When I would do research and google people for for the podcast and be like, oh my god, they did a bunch of Grays episodes, a bunch of Private Practice episodes like yeah, like you said, they keep they you bring them back, it's and they

want to keep coming back. I like to work with people who I like to work with, you know what I mean, Like if I've had a great experience with you, I mean I work with Jeff Perry like any day of the week, every day. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like so would all of us? Right, God, Mr Magood that he had to play such a different character than he played before and was like so amazing. Yes, And him at the table reads he has like eight thousand glasses,

like he's near sighted and far sighted. I don't know what's going on, and he has to hold his cell phone as script test to be a certain way. But the crazy thing is it all looks wild and then you sit down for the table read and you're getting a three D and fifty dollar ticket front row seed to a Broadway show where is even his table read acting is epic, epic and just absolutely incredible. I'm gonna

say this. I remember the episode where he gives that long monologue to Fits about what's going to happen to him if he lets go check out that pencil that your father deaveut and you're gonna shoot yourself like that whole thing, And I was I remember the table read being like I wrote that, Holy sh it. I never thought it was going to be that. Like, never it was going to be that. I had a lot of that with you guys, though. I had a lot of experiences where I was like, they just elevated the material

in a crazy amazing way. How did you know that monologues we're going to work on the show? I mean,

monologues are very rare. I I don't think I've ever seen TV shows with the amount of you know, you would have a character talk, single space page for to page, you know, but in a lot of ways, because you said everything so fast, it didn't make it work, because there was none of that like overacting that people accidentally do when they have a monologue, or the long pauses that they think means something like you guys just threw

yourselves into it. We're so natural about it totally. Who came up with the camera shutter sound, I don't even remember. I think mcgwigan came up with it with the editor in the editor directors cut. I'm pretty sure because it was already there. It was already there when I got it. I'm pretty sure you have to ask Scott Collins, who does all our post production. He will remember exactly. Oh, we have to have him on, we have to have him on. But that is so iconic whenever I heard like, yeah, yeah,

did you know the music was going to be like seventies? Yeah, Like it was the music I was listening to while writing the pilot. I listened to a lot of Stevie Wonder and I listened to a lot of ARMETHA. Franklin and I don't know, Like Washington is such a it's such a political city, but it's also like a very

black city, do you know what I mean? Like the population of people of color is huge, And it felt like there was like that was the soul of Washington to me, Like it felt well and it resonated me. And I enjoyed using that music. And I love how the music sort of plays against what's happening on screen, you know what I mean, Because Huck will be Huckey Quinn will be torturing someone you're hearing, you know, like

be like yeah, like the Temptations or whatever. So it works so so well no. We would always say when we would start to like solve a case at O T A, I would always be like at ther or like very superstitious, you know, just be like like this is what's going to come on right now. And it was so iconic. I think I use literally every last one of Cebe Wonder songs in the show, and almost without without with the exception of like her True like

gospel Church singing, every last one. I read the Franklin songs, are you kidding? I love that? Didn't Stevie Wonder write something specifically for Scandal At the very end, he wrote the song for the finale. And when you keep talking about the finale, I will come back on and tells Wonder, which was insanely amazing. I mean, just to do You're gonna have to come on and tell us about the

ending of the show. We'll be right back, guys. Things that were in the middle of the seven years get a little mushy, and I'm so excited to be watching these episodes again to remind myself of what was going on. But what stuck so much in my head is the pilot. I can it's and then the finale. I just remember so much about the beginning and the end of this show, and a few episodes I remember really vividly, um, just really vividly UM. That episode so dear to me and I I was so proud of it and the way

it came out and the work everybody did. That was a big one. Yeah. That was another one that you came to set and you sat on set for those monologues that every character did to to Huk and I remember all of us being like, well, I was like, I just got to sit on the ground and keep repeating. Y'all got to remember, like you know, f you, I got my monologue at six pm the night before and I was first up. I used to take hits like that all the time. But honestly, I was so I

was like I can do it. Like I can do it, you know. Like they used to call me the closer because I was the youngest, and they would give me the like eleven pm scene on a Friday night. Didn't give that to Jeff, give it to me. I can do it. I can do it. But Shaunda, what were your other episodes that you that sort of stick out the remember Um the trail Um to oh eight Happy birthday, Mr. President,

where we shot the President. Oh my gosh, that was one of my most favorite things that we did, just because of what I got to do with the information of what happens when the president is shot, and because of just the paint it played out for everybody, which was so great, and what happened to talk and all that stuff. White Hats back on, which was the finale of season two where at the end she says, Dad, Dad, Yeah, remember that the public reading we did during while the

finale was airing. We did you guys did a reading like in front of an audience. Yeah. Every single person that I've talked to that was in the audience that night, who was like friends or family or Adam, my husband, they remember it as one of the most special and out of body like theater experiences they've ever had. When we were reading the script, Joe Morton, Olivia Pope says dad to pop U Pope and came out of their seats.

I remember that. I remember Debbie Allen being like, oh Dee Allen's up and the audience was screaming, pointing at us. We were pointing at them. Everybody was screaming. I lost my voice for like a month. It was so great and so special. I also remember the abortion episode. Oh, that's on my list, that's on my list. That's that

Christmas episode. Babe, it's cold outside. That was my It was but also because of what like it was our Christmas episode and we got to watch Mellie filibuster and like it just felt like we were already women in so many different ways. It was great, And because you know, I feel like I write a show where I'm deconstructing what love is, like I'm trying to rip the lid

off the fairy tale. And what's funny is is that everybody buys the fairy tale when I tell it every time, and then when I ripped the lid off, and they're like, what do you mean? He isn't happy? Like did you not see the way he treats her? Like stuff? And also that's real life, right, Like real life isn't tied up in a pretty bow. Yeah. No, they're not fairy tales. It's just not fairy tales. Randy read super freaking Julia.

Do you remember that one that was That was when Olivia comes back and you have, first of all, you have the Harrison's funeral um hawk is working as like an Apple genius or something. That's right. That's right, Katie. Your character was the only one trying to like pull everybody together. Yes, I remember that you would become like a mini Olivia. Pope, you become like a mini Olivia. I loved that episode. That made me really happening. I can't wait to get to all these episodes. I can't

even stand it. On chair, run chair and run when she gets unapped. That was amazing episode. The guest stars and the stories that you tell us a little bit about how you always felt, and we always felt like you you in the writer's room more ahead of the

news cycle, like why would you write something? And then some ship would happen and we would be like wait what, Well, part of that is that, like the people in my room were crazy intelligent, and so they would they would like extrapolate something to its extreme degree and be like, what if there was this thorn Gate thing that was spying at everybody through their computers in their phone And we were like, that can never happened, and so he was like, technically it can, and tell us all why

I could, and then we'd do it. And then literally we'd find out that that's something that actually happened. They unveiled that they had done something like that. There were so many times that happened, with so many different stories, and it was so weird to us because we felt like we were making up the crazies stuff we could think of, and then it was just yeah, it got when we had to. We were making up like crazy presidential candidates, and then that stuff happened. But yes, yes,

Hollis Doyle, it was great. You know, we've we've heard some of your most memorable episodes of the series. But she and I have some questions that came up from watching the pilot. First of all, where does gladiator in suit come from? I made that up. I made that up. I just love the way it sounded, and one day in my head I was like glad and like it just sounded good to me. What I loved was how we got to like put that information down and that

we told the story through the eyes of Quinn. What was important about that was nobody who was watching the show knew anything about this world, you know what I mean. They didn't know what a fix, they didn't know how any of it worked, and so we had a new person there to learn everything for us, which I thought was really important. Did Judy Smith say things I trust my gut or is this stuff you also made up? Judy Smith says, trust your gut. Your gut will tell

you everything you need to know. That was one of the first things I wrote down in my notes from my meeting with her. That's the thing she always said. She said that, and she said stand in your truth. Those are the two that I always held onto. Yeah, never like don't lie. It's that same thing, don't lie. I never tell a lie. Yeah, And then I loved like and it's I don't know if it was aired in the broadcast show because it was too long, but

made them put it in for the DVD. In any subsequent errings, Huck basically says to her, you know, we're all damaged. You know, like everybody here is damaged to like, get used to it, and I've seen that. Yeah, that was one of my favorite scenes. And when I loved about it wasn't just told you who everyone was like. And when I wrote that scene, I was just gonna say, he says, we're all stray dogs. That's right. Oh my god.

What I loved about that was when I wrote it, I wasn't thinking as much about that, but the minute I wrote that line, I was like, Oh, what are what's everybody's problems? Like, how did they come to a living? Everyone's from the misfits, everyone's from and boy did you deliver? Did you give it to us? And that whole speech that Olivia gives to Amanda Tanner. You think she's this lovely person and then she just decimates her and you see what her job really is. She's the devil. It's horrible.

She's the one who she needs to make things happen. She's the person who handle stuff, so she has to handle it whatever way works. And I just remember like the devastation on Quinn's face and the way it was shocked. Yeah, I had no idea that scene was like that. I remember being like, oh, you know, my your line, your line, your line, my line. I didn't work that hard on that scene because I don't have any lines, which is

the worst doctor ever. I understand that. I remember standing back there and Liza, you know, she's so good at being emotional, and she's working on her so upset, and you know, Carrie has this this epic monologue that you were talking about about, Oh, this is a nice dog. And then she goes through like, oh that stint where your mom was in the nuthouse and it would be easier and better for you if you just got the

hell out of here type of thing. And then I remember Paul coming up to me and being like, this is obviously my acting wasn't that great, but he came up to me and said like, this is shut out said. He basically was like, we are understanding the stakes of this scene and how fucked up this is through you and your eyes. And I was like, oh, I do

at her lap. And then Olivia does the SloMo in the white jacket from Lynn Palo and gets on the phone and she just says it's handled, and then it goes to Quinn's face and she just is like I can't even believe I'm working for this woman. She's this is this is all like that she's kind of the devil but also the hero. Which is how the fact that was an exterior scene and that everybody, everybody, Bob Woodward, everybody was like, when are you in DC shooting the show?

And I was like, We're never in DC shooting the show. That's all fake and how amazing did that department do. Like people would come up to us all the time and be like, Yo, when are you guys going to be in d C again? Why are you here? Don't you guys shoot the show in d C? And we'd always be like, no, it's all green screen and that that team that did that, that work was just stellar.

I mean, yeah, people really Washingtonians really believe we're shooting in d C. And I remember, I mean, my favorite thing that we got to do was, Hey, it's awesome to have a job where you get to right inter your white House and then they build you a white house. I literally played in the Oval Office for like a

billion years. But even better was like writing like the interior resident on the White House Residents, and then like the Balcony and we got to go to the White House and film what it actually looked like from the balcony and you've never been done before, which was so cool. Wow. I thought we didn't shoot the show in d C because when we did go there, it was so cold.

We would complain about being in Wildcats and it being so hot, But honestly, I prefer that to the one episode we didn't you see where I was holding gear mos ears from become from the Huck's ears from turning into icicles. Also, you could have never shot the show there Scandal. The cast of Scandal, I could hide, but it was like you were a beatle when we got when the cast of Ndal got dropped into d C, or when Shawanda Rhymes gets dropped into d C and

you're on a political show. It was crazy watching the reactions there. That was amazing. One of the best things Form for me was like I was I was all about a shooting in l a everything because I had kids, People had kids, people, and it's the show went on, people had more and more kids, and I just felt like people's lifestyle should not be like standing in the middle of Washington, d C. In the middle of the

night hoping you can get home at somebody. And it was It wasn't only like fans on the street or fans that watched the show. It was it was like people in d C. Like when we went and met like Obama and the first Lady Michelle Obama, like her hearing her tell me and tell all of us. Oh my god. I was just watching an episode as they were doing my hair and makeup. I was like, what, like the people that were in that world we're watching our show. It was so surreal to me, so surreal

that like actual washingtony and people. I mean I remember George Bush Jr. Calling up Jatie Smith and saying, you know, we didn't really have an affair, right, and like them laughing about it. Yeah, I was. My mind was blown. My mind was blown that. Oh my god. I think it was such a gift that we sort of Also that scandal was sort of a slow burn that people caught onto the show. I mean, it really wasn't It

was very helpful. I think we got to a place where we weren't this like overnight thing, so we had sort of but we were obsessed with the show and doing a good job and doing the best we could, and we got to really make it in this sort of bubble where people weren't looking. And then by the time everyone started looking. I can remember being on red Carpet and they would say, like, what does it feel like to be on a hit show? Like wait are we Like? I just was so like, what right? Because

it was such a slow burn. It was such a slow burn. But also, yeah, I feel like Katie, Like none of us ever got cocky about it, Like no one ever got cocky. Every season we'd be like, oh my god, I hope we get picked up. It was never like we're we're working in like this is whatever. We're a hit, this ship, We're the best we wanted to. How do you think, like everyone says the show why it was so magical a lot, is that because our lead showrunner, Boss Shawnda Rhymes, and our lead actor Carrie

Washington are number one, the two of you. You know, ship rolls downhill and that just never happened on our show. How did you and carry make a world where that was the case for so long? Because everyone would say in the beginning, wait till season four, you're all going to funciate each other, Like do you remember on the pilot the first day we ever shot the show. On the pilot, we're on the Graves anatomy set street in the hospital scenes, and you said, or maybe it wasn't

the pilot, maybe it was episode two. No, I think it was pilot. It was the pilot. And yeah, you say, I'm never ever going to be like going to not be grateful, And I remember pulling out my phone and being like, can you say that again into my camera. I was so sure that like in four years she would be like complaining about her trailer or something. We none of us were like that, none of us, I really, but yes say it. So I was just gonna say.

Carry would do stuff like, uh, when we were done shooting a scene, she would stop everyone and ask for silence and thank all the background, thank our crew. Like the stuff that that Carry would do just made the sets so special and so inviting and so warm and kind,

and that's so rare, you know. I think, in my opinion, I feel like and I don't remember that Carry actually said this to me or not, but this is what I assumed that she had been on a lot of sets and seeing all kinds of behavior and knew when when it was good and when it was bad, Like knew the feeling because if you're like just starting out, you know what that feels like when something number one is horrible and sort of had bowed to never be

bad number one. And also I think she felt the entire weight of the pressure of being like the first black lead actress in a drama and not wanting that to be like and she was a bit, you know, I thought about that. And she was just a lovely person to begin with, but she really worked hard to remain humble and to keep everybody around her like feeling good about what they were doing as well, to make

sure it felt like a group effort. The fact that she never complained about those fucking shoes, I would have lost my mind, like for seven years cramming her little foot into six in shy heels. I but Shanna, you never you were always the same. You and Betsy would call these meeting, we would do table reads and then you would say, okay, I'd like all the actors to stay after for ten minutes, to which we would all be like, oh my god, oh my god, we're in trouble.

Please dont let us be in trouble. But we would sit there and you would always say it would be like, you know, if anything comes up, or you want to talk about anything, or we should be your first call. Like I never had somebody look in the middle of the night like you need help. Someone gets in next and somebody to like, calm us, let us help you. We are all in this together. And it was just seemed like a very supportive I don't know. I learned

so much. I think you've sent us all out into our other jobs to really expect nothing less than the behavior and the vibe that we created for ourselves on that show. I feel really lucky because I had the experience of never working in TV before writing a show and having it be like a crazy out of the box hit where all of these actors became famous overnight and chased by paparazzi and stuff, and that was great, and I didn't I didn't know how to handle any

of that, you know what I mean. Like, I learned that through the process of like working there every day, and it was great to be able to bring that knowledge to the table, you know, and say this is what it is. And that was so much. It just made it so much better. I want to also credit Mary Howard, because really the line producer really does have everything to do with the feel and the atmosphere on a set, and I think that she was incredibly valuable

in that process. Yes, and you were also like, this show is so important and your health is so important. But you all and Mary Howard were also like, and your families are super important. Like it was always like, you know, she was working, if someone was going through anything at home, or you know, people had things going on. She was very much She's a very family oriented. I think every press on the show, I think that was the thing. Like she was family oriented, we were family oriented.

It felt normal, it really did. Um is there anything in closing? Can you please come back on the Scandal Rewatch podcast? Whatever you guys want me to like? I

love this, I love that you're doing it. I'm well, I think it's going to give I think that our gladiators who have been just laying dormant for years, looking for a place to go and geek out and wear their gladiator shirts and drink out of their gladiator ups and eat their popcorn and wine and rewatch the shows and tell people who haven't seen it to sit their

asses down and go watch it. And it's been such a gift to Gammo and I to go back and watch this show beyond I think for I think for like Gladiators, I always just want to say, like Gladiators, like this is where you're going to get the inside scoop, you know, like stuff that was that we've never talked about. Yeah, don't you want to know that Garmo Diaz had a threesome the night that we've presented Shonda Rhymes with her glad Award. That's amazing. Everyone didn't know things we didn't know.

So since Twitter was such a massive thing for Scandal, Shawonda, We're going to finish this episode and do this in many episodes by reading some of the best tweets surrounding the Scandal momentetet, tweet at the time, tweets at the time, Yeah, tweets at the time. On April four, in two thousand twelve, actually, Shonda Rhymes tweeted, this is the best ad for scan ever,

thank you for the Scandal cake. And it's a picture of a cake and they actually drew Carrie Washington on the cake and it says, my gut tells me everything I need to know. Watch Scandal Thursday's ten at ten. Who made that cake? Remember, had no idea. It literally just appeared in her office as again, shut up, and we were so excited by it. And then and then you tweeted again, Shawanda. A few minutes later or later that day, the Grace Anatomy Scandal writers couldn't take it.

They had to eat the Scandal cake and it's a picture of half of the cake gone. Yeah. I was like, let's just preserve it as this beautiful thing, and then he just had to eat it and it looks delicious. It was quite good. I think everybody thought it was quite good. That's hilarious. Then you also tweeted on April twelve, Gender Rhymes tweeted, meet at Judy Smith, the woman behind at scandal abcs Olivia Pope, and get your copy of her new book Good Self, Bad Self at Amazon. Wow.

When we already had this shirt, Marco, who is a who is a key player at Shondalan Mark Marco Esquivel already posted a picture of gladiator and sweatshirts and it was a sweatshirt picture that says do you want to be a gladiator in a suit? We were all ready having marches. We were having march from the beginning, which

is crazy. And can you talk about how they named us our fans became our gladiators, right, Like someone on Twitter just ran with that and then all of a sudden it was like the Gladiators and that's that's that's so. That was such a memorable moment, right, and that that has stuck around too because people will still come up to me on the street now and be like, yeah, I'm a Gladiator, I'm a Gladia. Oh yeah, I get

that all the time. What I loved about that, and I thought was so at the time, especially Twitter, was about the fans coming together and deciding things like now. I think they put out like for other shows, they put out like tested hashtag, which I didn't understand, like we we don't didn't decide the hashtags. Yeah, they came up with Huckleberry Quinn, they came up with yes, got our job. No, it's their community. I forget. Was it your idea or Carry's idea for all of us to

be on Twitter? I think that Carry I remember correctly. I think Carrie came to me and said it would be really cool if we all got on Twitter and tweeted the shows. And then I remember then she said like that and like backed away, and then I remember staying at a table and being like, you're all going to get on Twitter. We're gonna help you do something. And we did. We were like, we gotta get on Twitter. But once again, as usual, Carrie was right. It was right,

she was right, She was right. Do you remember, do you remember us following I started following everybody on Twitter, Katie, like even like fans. I was like follow and but now you know you can't do that. But but I remember fans. We had no idea what we were doing. We sent Jeff Perry out onto Teter and I did did great, great without I'm like sitting next to Jeff

being like this is how you do it? Or Joe Morton, I mean people, and they came up with their own sort of Twitter personalities, like Joe Morton tweeted sort of like popa Pope, these like very like cryptic big posts. Um, my favorite Twitter thing that ever happened wasn't I don't. I don't know that anybody else really knows this, But Scott Foley had been playing Jake, this bad guy for a while and the audience hated him and he didn't complain about it or anything, but like the tweets were

clearly the audience just wanted him dead. And so I wrote this episode where he gets thrown into that the basics certain, the whole or whatever, and you know, and then Olivia comes in because it's like the president thinks that he killed his son, and then Olivia comes in and he gives a speech that like he says, it's okay if you don't choose me, and then he gives her the number of the account that he wants her to get the money to his mom and all the stuff.

And I literally, I'm needs got sick with me. And like when the scene came on, I was like, watch your Twitter feed, just watch it. Like I was like, it's gonna go from I hate this dude to oh my god, Jake is amazing. And it literally happened just like that. It took three minutes. Twitter to entirely change its too, and I was like, Twitter is a powerful,

powerful force. It was past tense. If your character was against Olivia Pope, you were getting Twitter death threats, or if your character was coming at all in the middle of fits and Olivia you are my god. That was so crazy. It was just it was a movement. It was just. But then people like Oprah Winfrey and like bet Middler's and Rihanna started tweeting also about this show. Mariah Carey ya, and we were like, what is happening. Prince Once put on a suit and send a picture

of himself that said gladiator in a suit. You know, that didn't, I'm would send it to you because I have a because I went, you know, Prince was everything. He also sent me a list of songs that would be okay for me to use on the show. Did you ever use one? Yes? When well, it's so sad because when Prince died, I did an episode that was all my whole the whole night of television that Thursday night was all Princes. Yeah. Man, that is the loveliest thing.

I mean when that's how we also started to feel like, oh, the show is happening when someone would come into work and be like, did you see Like Rihanna tweeted that she's watching the show. I can remember being it carries l women in Hollywood dinner and I was sitting next to him mom, and she was like, my husband and I sit and we watched the show. I'm like, are you talking about David Bowie? David Bowie is sitting and

watching Scandal. I mean, this is crazy. I freaked out when when Mrs Obama and the President were like, like, we have some we have some things to tell you about the show about the White House, because Mrs Mom was like, you're not getting it right. You gotta get it right and it was great. She was like, this is what the private residents look like. This is where the stairs are like, this is like, this is how

the White House is set up. Show me how we were making the door using the doors incorrectly, like doing the window panes on the doors incorrectly, and I came back to change them. Yeah, oh my god, that is amazing. My god, this show man, the things we learned on it, that people it brought together. Shanda, thank you for being the first guest on the Scandal Rewatch podcast. I will show up for you anytime, you know. I love you, guys, Scandal fan. So yeah, Scandal, that's right, yea for life

and we love you. Thank you for writing this show that turns out when you watch it all over again, it's still great. Yeah, thank you, thank you. Of course, it's our pleasure. You kidding. O. God, I'm just so we're so filled up that I need to keep going with my gladiator. Right, I'm gonna pour some whiskey in my Emma. It's only ten fifteen. Is that too early to have a shot to move? No, it's also a Thursday. I don't know what that means. But here's another sea, it's t G I T I'll have you all this

that the first episode is going to rewatch podcast. I'm packing the toolbox with guests Shanna Rhymes. Was recorded on a fucking Thursday, and Katie has a shirt that says hashtag T G I t oh and we're drinking out of our gladiator cups. And I cannot remember for the life of me. What was the name of the made up wine on Scandal? Oh, I don't know. I knew

Betsy Beers would know this. See this whole This whole podcast is not about me texting people, but it is because I want to find out the correct things I wrote. Sorry about you so early doing Scandal podcast. What was the fake made up name of the wine? Again? Because I'm going to pretend to drink it on the podcast. It was shot to move to Pop and it was called Chateau do Ballet, which is complete bullshit and not

made up. I love that Betsy. Remember that Bets knew that well because she was the person who they went She's she's she knows a lot about fancy wine. And I think the story goes is like the writer's weom reached out to her and was like what would be a really fancy, insanely priced bottle of wine that Olivia Pope drinking mine this morning is cranberry juice that's old as fuck and I found in the back of my and Carrie never drank cranberry juice onunset. She drank grape juice,

really right, I don't know whatever had the less sugar. Yeah, I think her fake wine was grape juice, which I think she like loved. I remember carry being like this crape juice is so delicious. I love this. But Yo, this Scandal Rewatch podcast, you guys better to tell your friends, because it's fire. We have every single guest, an amazing person you could want who start on Scandal or start behind the scenes on Scandal, some secret guests coming up

that you are not going to want to miss. You're going to get all the scoop on the scoop from behind the scenes at parties and h Gary and I are so grateful to have this show and it's been such a gift and we're so excited to be on this ride with you guys, and we love you and we want you guys to get hooked on rewatching the show like we are now Oh my gosh. Everyone tune in next week to episode one oh two of Scandal, Dirty Little Secrets. We all got him, We all got him.

Better tell somebody. But thank you guys for joining us on Unpacking the Toolbox. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, share with your friends, rate, or leave us a review. Scandal is executive produced by Sandy Bailey, Alex Alcha, Lauren Holman, Tyler Klang, and Gabrielle Collins. Our producer and editor is Vince to Johnny, with music by Chad Fisher. Scandal is a production of ABC Signature, and you can follow along

by rewatching Scandal on Hulu. Unpacking the Toolbox is a production of shondalan Audio in partnership with I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from shondaland Audio, visit the I Heart Radio app or anywhere you subscribe to your favorite shows. H