3. How it was decided that Katie Lowes’ pregnancy would be written into the show
“That was not up to me,” explained Lowes of Quinn’s surprise pregnancy. “Shonda knew when I was like five minutes pregnant. That was the extent. My husband likes to say, ‘She was not in the room with us.’ But [Rhimes and I] just had the conversation. We never spoke again about how she was going to deal with it. It’s Shonda Rhimes. Whatever she wants to do is fine by me.”
She added: “When we got to the table read where Quinn said she’s pregnant, I hadn’t told them. The room was filled with a ton of people, and so I sort of had to say I was pregnant before a lot of people, and it was frickin’ crazy. I went up to Shonda afterward and she said, ‘Oops, sorry I didn’t tell you.'”
“That was not up to me,” explained Lowes of Quinn’s surprise pregnancy. “Shonda knew when I was like five minutes pregnant. That was the extent. My husband likes to say, ‘She was not in the room with us.’ But [Rhimes and I] just had the conversation. We never spoke again about how she was going to deal with it. It’s Shonda Rhimes. Whatever she wants to do is fine by me.”
She added: “When we got to the table read where Quinn said she’s pregnant, I hadn’t told them. The room was filled with a ton of people, and so I sort of had to say I was pregnant before a lot of people, and it was frickin’ crazy. I went up to Shonda afterward and she said, ‘Oops, sorry I didn’t tell you.'”
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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When you started off the season seeing that Mellie wouldn’t win, did you ever think you’d be here getting sworn in?
BELLAMY YOUNG: No, no, no, no. I didn’t. I certainly had hoped almost as deeply as Mellie did. I try to stay very laissez-faire about what our writers decide to do, but as Mellie has lived with this dream, it’s certainly gotten into my marrow too. But I didn’t ever dare imagine that she’d get it. That’s where we diverge, because I think Mellie had to hold steely resolve and really hold it clear in her mind to make it happen. I wasn’t sure until my hand was on that bible, and I’m still not sure where we’ll come back when we start season 7, but I’ll tell you what, sitting in that beautiful lady oval at the end of season 6 was some of the most delicious moments of my year.
BELLAMY YOUNG: No, no, no, no. I didn’t. I certainly had hoped almost as deeply as Mellie did. I try to stay very laissez-faire about what our writers decide to do, but as Mellie has lived with this dream, it’s certainly gotten into my marrow too. But I didn’t ever dare imagine that she’d get it. That’s where we diverge, because I think Mellie had to hold steely resolve and really hold it clear in her mind to make it happen. I wasn’t sure until my hand was on that bible, and I’m still not sure where we’ll come back when we start season 7, but I’ll tell you what, sitting in that beautiful lady oval at the end of season 6 was some of the most delicious moments of my year.
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DEADLINE: The first thing I want to ask you is how does it feel now to be ex-President Grant?
GOLDWYN: It feels a little weird for two reasons. Number one, I got kind of used to being the president. So all good things must come to an end, but people still call me Mr. President, so that’s cool. Also it feels weird because I have no idea what function my character will serve in the show, when I’m not president anymore. Shonda obviously has something in mind for one more season. So I’m really curious to see what she’s thinking.
GOLDWYN: It feels a little weird for two reasons. Number one, I got kind of used to being the president. So all good things must come to an end, but people still call me Mr. President, so that’s cool. Also it feels weird because I have no idea what function my character will serve in the show, when I’m not president anymore. Shonda obviously has something in mind for one more season. So I’m really curious to see what she’s thinking.
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Did you talk about the ultimate series finale and what Shonda has mind?
We don’t even ask; we trust her completely and didn't get into that. We accepted the news and we all knew that our days were number when we did 15 episodes this season and thought it might be the beginning of the end. So much changed this year in terms of our real world and the way that our writers found to tell the story that we got our hopes up that maybe they would all be reinvigorated and would stay with it longer. But I can’t say that any of us were genuinely surprised by Shonda's announcement. We were sad and took it in and then in fine Scandal family fashion, had a love fest and were grateful for our time and to have all of next season to see where these characters land.
Do you have a sense about the theme of the final season?
It’s good vs. evil. That also resonates politically for the people who work on the show creatively — especially with where we are in the world right now. We’ve done a lot with racial politics but with Mellie in the White House and Quinn being pregnant, there's fertile opportunity to explore gender politics in the workplace.
We don’t even ask; we trust her completely and didn't get into that. We accepted the news and we all knew that our days were number when we did 15 episodes this season and thought it might be the beginning of the end. So much changed this year in terms of our real world and the way that our writers found to tell the story that we got our hopes up that maybe they would all be reinvigorated and would stay with it longer. But I can’t say that any of us were genuinely surprised by Shonda's announcement. We were sad and took it in and then in fine Scandal family fashion, had a love fest and were grateful for our time and to have all of next season to see where these characters land.
Do you have a sense about the theme of the final season?
It’s good vs. evil. That also resonates politically for the people who work on the show creatively — especially with where we are in the world right now. We’ve done a lot with racial politics but with Mellie in the White House and Quinn being pregnant, there's fertile opportunity to explore gender politics in the workplace.
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How will Mellie and Cyrus’ dynamic be as president and VP? Will Mellie be okay with Cyrus’ part in the assassination?
I think inasmuch as Mellie is quite naïve to Olivia’s potential for darkness — she always sees Olivia as the moral barometer, the person you can ask the hard questions and she’ll always give you the honest answer — she is not at all naïve about who Cyrus is. You cannot trust him even as you’re looking him straight in the face. I think Mellie remains quite awake, on guard, and ready whenever she’s with Cyrus. There’s no greater partner in politics than Cyrus. She knows that he can lift you up to the absolute heavens, but she knows that he’ll tear you down in an instant. It’s making a deal with the devil, which has always been what our show’s been about.
I think inasmuch as Mellie is quite naïve to Olivia’s potential for darkness — she always sees Olivia as the moral barometer, the person you can ask the hard questions and she’ll always give you the honest answer — she is not at all naïve about who Cyrus is. You cannot trust him even as you’re looking him straight in the face. I think Mellie remains quite awake, on guard, and ready whenever she’s with Cyrus. There’s no greater partner in politics than Cyrus. She knows that he can lift you up to the absolute heavens, but she knows that he’ll tear you down in an instant. It’s making a deal with the devil, which has always been what our show’s been about.
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