Shonda Rhimes is the creative genius behind medical dramas such as ‘Grey’s Anatomy’and ‘Private Practice’ On the Greys’ Los Angeles set she tells John Byrne about her journeys with guys, gals and gurneys.
‘You’re very lucky. Shonda Rhimes rarely gives press interviews.’ The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ rep made my day with those nine words. While Stage 9 at The Prospect Studios in Los Angeles is familiar territory as we’ve been here several times to interview Greys’ cast members, this is a brand new experience that hadn’t been on the cards when the set visit was originally organised. And what’s seldom, as the saying goes, is wonderful.
When she appears, Rhimes is relaxed and chatty – quite similar to show cast member Chandra Wilson, who plays Miranda Bailey. Although only 41, Rhimes has been a big hitter in the TV end of the Hollywood dream machine since ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ took off like a McRocket in 2005.
A spin-off, ‘Private Practice’, followed in 2007, and a third show, ‘Off the Map’, started Stateside in January. She’s also behind a pilot for a new series ‘In Crisis’, that’s just been greenlighted. Busy, smart and successful in one of the toughest and most unpredictable working environments on the planet, here’s what Shonda Rhimes has to say to TEN.
John Byrne: You're at year seven with ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Did you ever think you would get to this point?
Shonda Rhimes: You know, I didn't ever think we'd get this far. I wasn't even sure we'd get past four episodes. So now that we're in seven seasons versus four episodes it’s really amazing.
You know, we've been renewed by the network for next year, Season 8, and everybody is coming back on board in Season 8. I never think more than one season ahead because there's no reason to, really. As a matter of fact, I'm right now in the middle of this season, and we're really talking about the finale and planning that stuff. I will think about next season sometime in May, and anything after that, after Season 8.
How do you keep the show fresh?
We work really hard. We all sit down and talk about it every year - how we're going to do something that feels different and feels new, how we're going to break the structure, how we're going to enhance our characters, how we're going to tell stories that haven't been told already because you don't want to be retelling the same stories you've told over and over and over again. I feel like the minute I get bored, that's the minute I'm done, and I don't want to get bored yet.
Presumably, one of the tricks is to keep viewers interested and to surprise them occasionally?
We're really pushing to find new medical stories, to look at our characters in different ways. I think Sara [Ramirez]'s character [Callie Torres] is a perfect example of this. She was straight with George, and then she was sleeping with Mark, and then she was a lesbian, sort of, and then she was sort of not sure she was a lesbian. She's bisexual, and the last time we saw her, she's pregnant with her best friend's baby to her lesbian lover.
What has Grey's taught you about the whole TV show process?
Grey's taught me everything. Since the first time I'd ever worked in television was on ‘Grey's Anatomy’ it taught me everything about what to do. It's interesting going into this process seven years in with a new show, with a new pilot, understanding all the things that I've learned from Grey's. It's a very different experience. I remember sort of being a little bit . . . we were sort of a little bit wide-eyed at the concept that you would cast this and shoot it and do it all in this short amount of time. And we started out as upstarts, and now we're veterans. So it's fine actually.
How are you managing to juggle all the projects you've got on your plate?
I have two clones, which I keep locked in the closet. I don't know. I mean, it's been very interesting to figure out every year how to keep this interesting, and part of keeping it interesting is stretching myself creatively in different ways. Sometimes it's how we tell stories on the show. Sometimes we're doing a musical episode (which you can see on RTÉ Two on April 5th - JB), a real time episode. Some of it is that, and some of it is finding new projects. And, honestly, I don't get a lot of sleep, but I get everything done. So I figure that's not a bad thing.
Presumably the team at Grey’s Anatomy must know each other inside out by now?
And [there’s] an amazing shorthand with our group of people. So it's oddly simple. I mean, it's very strange how simple things have become with three shows (‘Grey’s Anatomy’ ‘Private Practice’and the yet-to-screened in Ireland ‘Off the Map’) in Season 7, 4, and 1 . . . plus the pilot, than it was when we were just doing Season 1 of Grey's Anatomy. It's much more simple because we all know each other already, and we have a system in place.
Grey’s Anatomy continues on Tuesdays on RTÉ Two
John Byrne
