Shonda Rhimes has been writing for ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy since it began, but due to the WGA strike, she, along with the rest of the writing staff, has found herself out of the office and in the streets. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that her absence immediately put a stop to production, which is why one upcoming episode was completed after the strike and without her input.
“[The network] shot it after we walked out,” Rhimes told The New York Post on Wednesday, December 12, while walking the picket line in front of Paramount Studios in L.A. “That one episode hasn’t aired. Everything else we’ve done has aired.”
Rhimes also said that she has “never not been in the editing room,” and that “it’s been a very weird transition.”
Since the strike began on November 5, Rhimes has not written anything for Grey’s Anatomy, although she admits that she is constantly thinking of the show’s characters.
Rhimes wasn’t the only one on the picket lines that day. The show’s stars were also present and eagerly showing their support for the writers, although they too have started to feel the effects of being out of work.
Katherine Heigl, who plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on the show, is in the middle of planning her wedding, but with no guarantee of a paycheck, has grown more conscious of her finance.
“It’s starting to get stressful. I’m just try to be as smart [financially] as I can,” she said. “I’m just trying to save as much as I can.”
Sara Ramirez, who portrays Callie on Grey’s Anatomy, told the New York Post about how she relocated to Los Angeles after living in New York for 14 years in order to appear on the show.
“I moved out here to play this role and now I’m not playing her,” Ramirez said. “[The strike] kind of forces you to take matters into your own hands.”
Also picketing was former Grey’s Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington, who was fired from the show following his utterance of a gay slur against T.R. Knight (Dr. George O’Malley). While on the picket lines, Washington did not speak to reporters, although he was seen posing for pictures with Justin Chambers, who plays Alex Karev on the medical series.
The last episode, titled “Lay Your Hands on Me” will be airing on Thursday, January 3rd.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The New York Post, The New York Daily News
(Image Courtesy of Viewimages)
Staff Columnist, BuddyTV
