Shonda Rhimes revealed she almost called off the production of Grey’s Anatomy out of fear that it would have “an all-white” cast.
Rhimes, the television producer and screenwriter behind the iconic medical drama show, revealed on Issa Rae’s HBO documentary Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television that she was initially worried about the series’ direction.
“I’d done something, I guess, people didn’t do,” Rhimes said. “I hadn’t written anyone’s race into the script.”
Rhimes said the omission meant casting calls for the series were flooded with white actors.
“They would keep sending us these actors who all look the same, who were white,” she said. “I remember standing up in the room and looking at the president of the network at the time and saying, ‘I’m not going to have an all white show.’”
Rhimes said everyone was “really startled” by her remarks and kept telling her, “Of course not, of course not. That’s never been the plan.”
“It was really wonderful,” she said. “We got to see all these actors who had never been considered for roles other than very small parts.”
Rhimes explained why she stood firm in her push for a diverse cast—even challenging the network’s president.
“Fearlessness is necessary,” she said. “I knew I wasn’t going to make a show I’d be embarrassed to put on TV. I wasn’t going to turn to my parents and say, ‘Yeah, it has an all-white cast, but that’s just how TV is made.’ How could I say that to my dad?”
Grey’s Anatomy made its debut in 2005, nearly two decades ago, and continues to have enduring success. The award-winning show was renewed for a 22nd season, which will premiere in October.
The original cast included a diverse cohort of actors, including Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, T.R. Knight, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Patrick Dempsey and Isiah Washington.
“When you’re trying to be creative in a world in which you are afraid, I think a fearlessness is necessary,” Rhimes added. “It’s astonishing to me that Grey’s Anatomy was the first television show I ever wrote. I’m still amazed and really grateful that people are watching it.”
Grey’s Anatomy also received multiple awards; after the show premiered in 2005, it went on to win Television Program of the Year from the American Film Institute. The show also got a Golden Globe for Best Television Series in 2007, with Oh receiving a Golden Globe award in 2006 for Best Supporting Actress.
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