Shonda Rhimes Takes Break From ‘Scandal’ Season 6 To Produce ‘Hillary’: Short DNC Film Explores Hillary Clinton’s Life And Career
Shonda Rhimes has taken a break from filming Season 6 of her hit political drama, Scandal, to produce a short film that was shown at the Democratic National Convention. The twelve-minute documentary, called Hillary, explores the former secretary of state’s life and career, with Rhimes saying she wanted to help people get to know the real Hillary. The short film was shown on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention, not long before Clinton accepted the party’s nomination.
According to Deadline, TV producer Shonda Rhimes has always been an incredibly vocal fan of Hillary Clinton, having produced campaign ads for the former secretary of state in the past. However, she wanted to do something a little different with the short documentary shown at the Democratic National Convention. Narrated by another well-known supporter of the party, Morgan Freeman, the short documentary explores Hillary Clinton’s career, from her days as a lawyer through to Secretary of State.
Producing partners @shondarhimes and @BeersBetsy detail making #DemsInPhilly film, 'Hillary' https://t.co/1Dxi98B1Fm pic.twitter.com/1TQyS5ZNzz
— People (@people) July 29, 2016
Rhimes was expectedly pretty excited to be producing the documentary in support of Hillary Clinton, saying, “Producing this film was a major highlight of my career, and I am incredibly honored that the campaign entrusted us with the responsibility. It is beyond inspiring to see this amazing woman secure the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.”
However, Shonda Rhimes wanted to create something little more than a standard documentary about Clinton’s career. According to Entertainment Weekly, she made the decision to interview Hillary Clinton over the kitchen table for the documentary, saying “I wanted everyone who sees it to feel like they were sitting with a friend, drinking coffee, so that had to be authentic.”
The decision was likely one welcomed by the Clinton campaign, with Hillary often seen as a cold and distant figure amongst many Americans.
Rhimes and her production team sat down with Clinton for a total of five hours in order to create the short documentary. According to the producer, Clinton largely avoided drinking coffee during the interview, instead sticking to tea. However, the pair resisted something a little stronger. The Grey’s Anatomy producer put an awful lot more time into the interview, saying that she felt like a student again, putting in hours of research about Hillary Clinton before sitting down with her for the interview.
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The producer is best known for her work on several ABC dramas, including Grey’s Anatomy and political thriller, Scandal. The show focuses on Olivia Pope and Fitzgerald Grant’s Republican administration. However, Rhimes herself is a proud Democrat. In fact, many of Scandal‘s stars recently came out in support of Hillary Clinton, including Tony Goldwyn, who is best known for his role as Fitzgerald Grant, a Republican president in Scandal.
The cast of @ScandalABC with @shondarhimes and @HumaAbedin speaking at event for @HillaryClinton #Scandal pic.twitter.com/fXbgxcC9Fh
— Atima Omara (@atima_omara) April 28, 2016
Democratic candidates rarely have any difficulty picking up support from celebrities. According to The Inquisitr, Elizabeth Banks and a huge cast of prominent celebrities came together earlier this week to sing “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten in support of Hillary Clinton.
Scandal returns for its sixth season in 2017 when the show will pick up its own presidential election storyline. However, the actual 2016 presidential election will be over, and the United States should have a new president by then. That being said, Shonda Rhimes and other members of the Scandal team are expected to provide Hillary Clinton with more support before then, with many other celebrities also expected to throw their backing behind the Democratic candidate, just as they did with Barack Obama in 2008.
[Photo by Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images]
