How Shonda Rhimes Gives Speeches Like Meryl Streep on the Regular

Published on Jan 10, 2017 at 5:05 PM

In the wake of Sunday night's Golden Globe Awards, Hollywood is buzzing about Meryl Streep's jaw-dropping acceptance speech, and rightfully so. Streep called out Donald Trump, who whined about it on Twitter, prompting George Clooney to fire back. Robert De Niro also weighed in and offered his own high praise. Even at the Winter press tour for the Television Critics' Association, a mention of Streep popped up during ABC's Scandal panel. Rhimes was asked if she'd ever give such a speech. As actresses Kerry Washington and Bellamy Young pointed out, these kinds of passionate dialogues are actually a Shonda Rhimes trademark. We've seen them in many forms on Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, and How to Get Away With Murder.

Kerry Washington, on Rhimes's personal flavor of speech: "Shonda has given a number of really powerful speeches about empowerment and the importance of one's voice and inclusivity, and many of them are in her book Year of Yes, which you should read if you haven't."
Washington, on Rhimes's moving writing: "Not to speak for you, Shonda, but I would say, as an audience member, if somebody asked me, 'Does Shonda Rhimes give speeches like Meryl Streep?' Sure, she's a different writer, but she speaks her truth boldly and independently and in a way that inspires others."
Bellamy Young, on Rhimes: "I'd also say that her work is also a testament to that. I feel so proud. One of the things I fear is that, perhaps, in the years to come, many of us will lose our seat at the table in the real world. But I feel so proud to be a foot soldier in a Shondaland army where everyone has a seat at the table and all that matters is who they are in their soul, not anything about how they live their life, who they love, or what they look like. And I can't think of a better way to spend your life, much less three minutes of a speech on stage, than giving people who have been and may become marginalized just a reality and a truth and a thriving place to see themselves represented."