The 'Scandal' team teased the upcoming life-imitating-art storyline during a panel at the 2016 PaleyFest celebration in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, March 15.
- Mar 16, 2016
AceShowbiz - The upcoming Thursday, March 17 episode of "Scandal" will feature a Donald Trump inspired character. The "Scandal" team teased the upcoming life-imitating-art storyline during a panel at the 2016 PaleyFest celebration in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, March 15.
"There might be parallels coming," Bellamy Young, who plays former First Lady Mellie Grant on the series, said with a laugh. Kerry Washington, meanwhile, teased, "You think the debates you've seen in the real world are fun!" Kerry added that the episode following this week's has even more Trump goodness.
The Thursday episode was screened tonight at PaleyFest in front of a large audience. A Variety reporter who was at the panel was asked not to reveal the actor portraying the larger-than-life presidential hopeful, who has been seen on the show before.
When asked by moderator "Good Morning America" Lara Spencer how the current political climate has influenced "Scandal" this season, Shonda Rhimes said she changed some storylines, after seeing the real-life debates. "We did have some moments where I would run back to the writers room and I would say, 'Hey there's some dialogue that we need to cross out because it kind of already happened,' " she shared.
During the panel, Shonda made it clear that while parallels are unavoidable, she's not hugely inspired by the current race. "I will be honest and say I am more influenced by Hamilton right now than the election," she said, referring to the hit Broadway musical. "The election right now, it's its own thing. You can't make that stuff up."
On the red carpet before the panel, Kerry along with co-stars Tony Goldwyn and Joe Morton commented on the upcoming Donald Trump storyline. Shonda, meanwhile, talked about Hillary Clinton's recent visit to "Scandal" set.
.@kerrywashington on #Scandal's upcoming Donald Trump storyline: "We try to do it justice." #PaleyFest https://t.co/l9b0nL5y68
— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2016
.@tonygoldwyn says #Scandal's take on Donald Trump isn't as outrageous as #Trump himself. #PaleyFest https://t.co/RFa39SiiTj
— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2016
#Scandal actor @JOEtheMORTON says @realDonaldTrump's rhetoric is destructive to American politics. #PaleyFest https://t.co/xpmyG2asEr
— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2016
#Scandal creator @shondarhimes talks about @HillaryClinton's recent visit to set #PaleyFest https://t.co/Guc539umQU
— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2016
