Plus: Executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers share their favorite audition stories.
Kerry Washington(Olivia Pope)
“I had a meeting with Shonda, not an audition.
I remember walking in and seeing ‘Shondaland’ on the wall, and thinking, ‘Who is this person?
Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images
I don’t know if I’m going to like this meeting.’
Here I am, years later, living in Shondaland and loving it!
It’s the best ride of my life; I’m so glad I got on it.”
Danny Feld/ABC
Tony Goldwyn(Fitzgerald Grant)
“I didn’t audition.
I thought the commitment was too much.
I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll check it out this year because television has changed so much.
Danny Feld/ABC
I need to open myself up to this.’
That one ended up not doing it.
Shonda asked me to do it.
ABC
I heard it was with Kerry.
Obviously, I knew Shonda from directingGrey’s Anatomy.
So that’s how it was.
Danny Feld/ABC
I thought, ‘Any president that Shonda Rhimes is going to write is going to be pretty interesting.’
I went out the night before, which I never do, and shopped.
because I didn’t have much to go on in terms of text.
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage) ; Inset: Danny Feld/ABC
I went in and said my two lines.
Then they called me later and I was working the next day!”
and I say, ‘I want to be a Gladiator in a suit!’
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic ; Inset: Danny Feld/ABC
I remember doing it and then Shonda saying, ‘Great, do it again faster.’
I remember saying, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been told to slow down my entire life.
I’m a New Yorker, I talk really fast.’
Danny Feld/ABC
I remember her telling me to speak faster.
I did it as fast as I could, and I could tell that she liked it.
I was like, ‘Oh my God, maybe this is for me!
Danny Feld/ABC
I can keep up with her.’
It was magical."
Shonda basically said, ‘No, no, you got the part.’
Danny Feld/ABC
We have it on tape.
She cries, she laughs, she jumps she Katie Lowes it.
I had never seen him before.
ABC
To me, he was this sweet, adorable, shy, meek guy.
I thought, ‘What?
Why do they want to see me for this?’
ABC
I connected to the character.
I guess Shonda liked what I did."
When I look now at who Abby is, that’s such an Abby thing to say.
Abby wouldn’t drop a designer name; she would be very practical and a straight shooter.
‘Just need a good tailor.’
I remember Betsy chuckling to herself as I said that as I settled into my audition.
ABC
I also remember ripping my turtleneck sweater.
I felt like she and I hit it off right away."
We taped one scene and sent it upstairs.
It was a beautiful note.
Maybe 24 hours later, we taped the scene again, and we got a thumbs up."
So I just started sitting on the side next to the wall, and everybody was staring at me.
I thought, ‘I’m not supposed to be here, am I?’
Joe Morton(Rowan Pope)
“I didn’t audition.
It came together in a very odd way.
I came out here [to Los Angeles] for pilot season.
I had never seen the show.
Of course, I knew who Kerry Washington was.
I was like, ‘Yeah, sure, I’ll come in and read it.’
I read and it went well.
I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’
I felt so bad for her for having to make that call.
I’ll empty your trash, I’ll do whatever you want.'
I think I lucked out though.
It said, ‘Marcus Walker, guest star, possible recurring.’
My people jumped on it.
I couldn’t make the audition, so I made a self-tape because I was going out of town.
The year passes over and I hear that they haven’t cast the role.
They asked me to come back in, I auditioned in person, and I booked it that night.
I started shooting that week and the rest is history.
It happened kind of fast, but I’m really blessed in how it all unfolded.”
