Shonda Rhimes is one of the most influential people in TV. Her production company, Shondaland, which created shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, has revolutionized the small screen and harvested Emmy-winning content over the years.
Betsy Beers, Rhimes’ producing partner, believes Shondaland is more than just a production company and that it’s a “state of mind.” Speaking to Fast Company, she added that it’s a place that “takes care of other people and makes a home for people who are curious and energetic and passionate, and who want to laugh and have a good time, but who are also just really interested in making the world better.”
Even though it sounds like corporate mumbo jumbo, which would be right at home in the company’s advertising brochure, it does appear like the company goes out of its way to make itself an innovative and engaging workplace, with treadmills, a no-idiot policy, and family-orientated culture.
It’s like one big happy family, right? Well, some of the actors involved in Shondaland productions will agree with this sentiment, while others won’t.
Sure, there are those who’ll take the diplomatic approach and choose not to comment, but let’s face it: this concept of utopia in the entertainment industry is a fallacy. There are times when people just don’t click for various reasons, while others think their gig is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
With that said, here are the 10 Actors Who Regretted Being On Shondaland Shows (And 10 Who Adored It).
Regretted: Katherine Heigl
Grey’s Anatomy’s Katherine Heigl has a habit of rubbing people the wrong way – including her employers and fellow colleagues.
Back in 2008, she withdrew from the Emmy race and released the following statement: “I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention.”
She stuck around on the show until 2010, picking up a paycheck and annoying the heck out of Rhimes in the process. The relationship had become so toxic that had she stayed for another season, things would have gone from bad to worse.
Adored: Alfred Enoch
Alfred Enoch established himself as the fan-favorite character Wes Gibbins on How to Get Away with Murder. So, his departure came as a shock to everyone.
After all, this show was devised by Rhimes, not George R. R. Martin. How could Wes go in such a cruel way?
However, Enoch doesn’t regret a thing and speaks glowingly of his time on set, admitting that he’ll miss everyone – from the cast to the crew.
Enoch’s time on How To Get Away With Murder may have been short but his character, Wes, went through a lot before his untimely end.
“I will miss the story, the character and all of that as well inevitably, because this is as much story as I’ve gone through with one character ever. Obviously, I did Harry Potter for 10 years, but I didn’t get to play as much of Dean Thomas’ story,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
Regretted: Scott Foley
Scott Foley appeared as Jake Ballard on Scandal from 2013 to 2018. That’s a long time to be on a show. You’d imagine that the cast would’ve grown close, like a family.
On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Foley didn’t exactly endear himself to his castmates when he implied he’ll ghost all of them after the series ends.
“I’ve been in enough shows and enough have ended that I’m finding myself doing it again and I know exactly how it goes. I’m going to separate myself and nod my head a lot and watch from a distance and disappear.”
His statement left many of us in shock, wondering if there’s something more to Foley’s story than meets the eye.
Adored: Kerry Washington
Scandal changed the lives of many of its actors – none more so than its lead star, Kerry Washington. Her character, Olivia Pope, has become a TV legend that won’t soon be forgotten.
“I feel like whenever I play a character, I feel she comes into my life to teach me something. I’ve never had the privilege of playing a character for this long, but of the many things Olivia Pope has given me is this sense that anything’s possible, that there’s always a way through,” Washington told Essence.
She further revealed that the character inspired her to start her own production company and given her the courage to attempt things she might not have done in the past.
Regretted: Patrick Dempsey
By the time Patrick Dempsey had departed Grey’s Anatomy, he’d gone from McDreamy to McNightmare in the production crew’s eyes. Stories of his diva-like behavior have been doing the rounds for years and there was a sigh of relief from both parties as he packed his bags.
After portraying McDreamy for 10 years, Dempsey thinks audiences may have a hard time seeing him another roles.
To his credit, Dempsey has been diplomatic about his time on the show for the most part.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, however, he let his true feelings slip out. “I want to try something different. But will I be allowed to do something different? Is Derek so identifiable that I can’t go on and be someone else? That will be the challenge. To see if people embrace me as someone else,” he said.
Adored: Debbie Allen
Debbie Allen (Dr. Catherine Avery on Grey’s Anatomy) adores everything that Rhimes has done for her. As an accomplished actress, she has no need to sing for her supper, but she can’t help but gush about her fearless leader – comparing her to another TV icon.
“The real Khaleesi is a black woman named Shonda Rhimes, and she has three dragons – How to Get Away with Murder, Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy – and another one’s coming, honey. Game of Thrones’ better get it together. They’re lurking. They’re behind. Let’s get it together!” she told Variety.
In addition, Allen explained Rhimes is a success because she does it over and over again. “I think what she has is not just lighting in a bottle because it has struck many times.”
Regretted: T. R. Knight
As the lovable George O’Malley on Grey’s Anatomy, T. R. Knight had a solid gig that made him a household name. However, he wasn’t too happy with his role and eventually left the production under some furor.
Knight claims that there was a breakdown in communication between him and Rhimes. “My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George],” he told Entertainment Weekly. “And with respect, I’m going to leave it at that.”
In the same interview, Knight added that Rhimes tried to discourage him from coming out – it’s a charge that Rhimes vehemently denies. Whatever happened there, it seems like sour feelings still linger between the two of them.
Adored: Columbus Short
Columbus Short has had a tumultuous time over the last few years. His personal demons were the reason for him being kicked off Scandal, and he lost out on an opportunity to be part of something big because of that. Nonetheless, he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings for what happened, rather praising his time on the show.
Short may have lost his chance to be on Scandal, but he is making waves on the silver screen.
On The Wendy Williams Show, Short revealed that the show fully funded his treatment and his castmates looked out for him when they could see he was going through issues.
“Kerry [Washington] yanked my coat tails a couple times. [She would say] ‘Pull it together,’ basically,” he said. He added that Rhimes “had his back like he was her family.”
Regretted: Brooke Smith
Brooke Smith’s Erica Hahn broke boundaries on Grey’s Anatomy, with her and Callie’s relationship. However, the show parted ways with Smith due to reported issues that the suits had with the on-screen relationship.
“I was very excited when they told me that Erica and Callie were going to have this relationship. And I really hoped we were going to show what happens when two women fall in love and that they were going to treat it like any heterosexual couple on TV. And so I was surprised and disappointed when they just suddenly told me that they couldn’t write for my character anymore,” she told Entertainment Weekly
. Smith seemed even more annoyed that she had just relocated her family to Los Angeles and then this happened.
Adored: Ellen Pompeo
While Ellen Pompeo has had her salary issues with Grey’s Anatomy, she’s never fallen out of love with her character, Meredith Grey. In fact, she’s more than proud of what Rhimes and everyone involved achieved.
“Shonda Rhimes is definitely walking the walk. I can’t really say enough about her leadership skills and the way she’s running the company and how far she’s come,” Pompeo told Variety.
“I don’t know if one show can change the stats and if one show is enough to move the needle with respect to the whole television business, but certainly, our numbers are much more impressive than I’m sure any other show. I doubt there’s another show that hires as many women as we do,” she said.
Regretted: Isaiah Washington
In Isaiah Washington’s case, he said something wrong and suffered the consequences for it. After insulting T. R. Knight in an argument with Patrick Dempsey, he was promptly removed from Grey’s Anatomy and labeled as persona non grata in the TV industry thereafter.
Washington has been involved with a number of projects after being fired from Grey’s Anatomy.
Washington did apologize for his actions and he seems to have been forgiven for it all. However, he claimed that his career ended because of it and he’s never recovered from the fallout.
“I don’t worry about whether or not the stories I tell will destroy my acting career because you can’t take away something that doesn’t exist. They killed the actor [in me] on June 7, 2007,” he told I Am Entertainment.
Adored: Britt Robertson
Britt Robertson received a golden opportunity. After ABC green-lit For the People, the news broke that it would recast the two main characters. Out went Britne Oldford as Sandra and in came Robertson.
Robertson isn’t taking anything for granted and recognizes the magnitude of the role and what it can do for her career.
“For me, it was a really cool opportunity to be able to work on a show like this for Shonda Rhimes, who was a part of the producing team, and I just think what she’s done for specifically women in television has been so phenomenal, and I’m a big fan of hers. So that part of it was really cool for me and super-exciting,” she said to Entertainment Weekly.
Regretted: Dan Bucatinsky
Scandal rocked its fans when it took the life of fan-favorite character James Novak (Dan Bucatinsky). It was a shocker that caught everyone by surprise – the actor included.
“It was really hard to take. I pulled over to the side of the road and was in shock. It was a tough pill to swallow and took me a long time to wrap my head around. I started going through the stages of grief: anger, denial, bargaining. I sent an email to producers playing out some thoughts I had. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I hadn’t tried,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
Bucatinsky did walk back his comments, though, and everything seems to be good between him and Shondaland now.
Adored: Kate Walsh
Rhimes believed in Kate Walsh’s talent so much that she gave her character, Dr. Addison Montgomery, her own spinoff series titled Private Practice.
It was a move that angered some of her Grey’s Anatomy castmates, mostly out of jealousy, but Walsh is still thankful for the opportunities she received due to her time at Shondaland.
Similar to Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice focused on the lives of a group of doctors.
“It’s been such an amazing ride between Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. It’s been such a big piece of my life,” she said to Arizona Foothills. Walsh also praised the writers who made the character as popular as she was.
“The writers are so incredible on the show; it’s like this endless cornucopia of great storylines for my character,” she added.
Regretted: Eric Dane
According to E! News, Eric Dane didn’t request to leave Grey’s Anatomy, but there were “very legitimate reasons” for Rhimes to let him go. McSteamy kept it professional for some time and didn’t speak out about his departure.
It wasn’t until 2016 when his animosity towards Rhimes surfaced on Twitter. After a rant, Dane said, “… I could give no [expletive] about @shondarhimes opinion…” Rhimes responded, “Um?”
In 2017, he seemed to cool down, stating how he felt about being called McSteamy. “I’ve been called a lot worse. And it never did anything bad for me, that nickname, so I don’t mind it… It’s not what I’m doing now, so it does get a little tiring, but it’s not something that really upsets me,” he said.
Adored: Mireille Enos
Sadly, The Catch never took off like other Shondaland shows, only lasting two seasons.
However, that’s no fault of the series lead, Mireille Enos, who provided a sensational performance and did her best as Alice Vaughan every week. Chatting on Hollywood Today Live, Enos gushed about her experience working with Rhimes.
“[Shonda Rhimes] is an incredible lady. She’s beloved, she’s changing the face of television, and she casts these really strong, bold women,” she said, as she elaborated on why she was interested in the part.
Unfortunately, The Catch didn’t garner Enos any Emmy nominations like The Killing, but it appears as if she had a good time on the series portraying a different character from what she’s normally cast as.
Regretted: Tim Daly
Tim Daly might be better known for his time on Wings and as the voice of Superman in the ’90s, but he was a big part of Private Practice as Pete Wilder. Over the years, Daly hasn’t been shy of talking about his frustration with the show.
Daly appeared in five seasons of Private Practice before his character was written off the show.
In a recap about some of his famous roles with The A.V. Club, Daly said this about his role as Pete: “You know that old saying, ‘If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all’? I think I might invoke that. Except to say that I loved the cast. But other than that, I think that anything I might say would just get me in trouble and hurt some people’s feelings.”
Adored: Lashana Lynch
Rhimes isn’t afraid of plucking out upcomers and giving them the leading part in her productions. She did the same for Lashana Lynch, who portrayed Rosaline on the period drama Still Star-Crossed.
Chatting about Still Star-Crossed with The New Potato, Lynch said, “I found the script reflected the same strength of women I know, which I think ended up coming out a lot in the way [Rosaline] holds herself. She’s had to overcome a lot in her life and playing that pain was probably the most difficult thing I’ve done in my career thus far.”
The show might’ve only lasted one season, but it helped Lynch’s career and she’s set to star Captain Marvel next year.
Regretted: Bethany Joy Lenz
The entertainment industry is unforgiving. Just when you think you’ve scooped the role of a lifetime, the rug is yanked out from under you. This happened to Bethany Joy Lenz, who thought she had secured the role of Zoe in The Catch.
The show-runners had other plans, and Lenz was pulled from the production.
The former One Tree Hill star took to social media to announce her departure. “Looks like they need a different type for Zoe, so I’ll be replaced,” she said. What she means by ‘different type’ is anyone’s guess, but her annoyance is evident.
To her credit, she still encouraged her fans to watch the show because she said it’s good and she’s proud of her friends’ work.
Adored: Viola Davis
Viola Davis’ talent has never been in question. Viola has been in the industry for years but she’d never received her moment in the spotlight, until she was cast as Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder
. It transformed her from a talented actress to one of the greats of our time. Davis is under no illusions and appreciates everything that the role has done for her.
Viola Davis expressed her gratitude for being cast as Annalise Keating, crediting the role for changing her as an actress.
“It’s changed me as an actress in a lot of ways, playing Annalise. One of the things that’s changed is that I no longer apologize for my work. And what it’s done for me [is that] it’s been freeing. It’s given me a renewal of hope for the future,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
Tell us, do you know any other actors who regretted or adored starring in Shondaland shows? Let us know in the comments!
