#TGIT’s leading ladies Ellen Pompeo, Kerry Washington and Viola Davis strike a pose with TV powerhouse Shonda Rhimes on the new cover of Entertainment Weekly. That’s not all, however. Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder each get their own separate covers as well.
Inside the new issue, which hits newsstands tomorrow, we’re given the scoop on each show’s upcoming season and the characters we’ve grown to love, while the ladies speak frankly about issues of racism and sexism in Hollywood.
Below is a small tidbit of what you can expect.
Ellen Pompeo on the sexist response to McDreamy’s death: “All of a sudden, Patrick [Dempsey] leaves, and it’s like, Oh my God, Meredith’s gonna get killed with Alzheimer’s! The show couldn’t possibly go on without the man!”
Viola Davis on colorism in the entertainment industry: “You have to come from Detroit or Atlanta to be black. If you have John Denver on your iPod and you come from Central Falls, Rhode Island, then: Eh, you trickle-down black woman.”
Kerry Washington on why it’s different to work for a female showrunner: “I was talking to an actress who’s pregnant and really worried about telling her bosses, and I said, ‘Yeah, when I told my boss I was pregnant, she literally jumped up and down in my trailer.’ I don’t know if there’s a male showrunner who would do that.”
Shonda Rhimes on why her parents were Gladiators: “When I encountered something that felt like racism—like my high school guidance counselor saying to me, ‘Honey, I don’t think you were made for Ivy League schools’—I called my mom at work and said, “Mom, this lady says I’m not made for Ivy League schools.” And my mother said, “Hold on, I’ll be there in five minutes.” My mom drove up to the school, walked into the guidance counselor’s office, came out, and said, “Everything’s fine now.”
While you’re at it, find out what TV shows Shonda watches below, and make sure to tune in to Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder when they return on September 24 beginning at 8 p.m.
