EXCLUSIVE: Shonda Rhimes declared herself a “writer on strike” while receiving an award for her work in television and told Express.co.uk what the recognition means to her.
On Wednesday evening, Shonda Rhime, 53, received the BAFTA’s highest honor, the Special Award, recognizing her lifetime of outstanding contributions and achievements in the television industry.
Shonda is the mastermind behind hit shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and most recently her Netflix Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte.
Speaking to Express.co.uk at the Queen Charlotte garden party in London, Shonda beamed with pride as she shared what the award meant to her: “I’m so honored! So excited!
“I think it’s amazing, it’s not something I would have ever expected.”
The Shondaland CEO took to the stage on Wednesday for her tribute event where she gushed over the “honour” explaining how an internship at Denzel Washington’s production company had changed her life.
She shared, according to the Hollywood Reporter: “When I was a kid there’s no way I thought I was going to ever be anywhere like this – I thought I was going to be writing stories in the closet.
“This award, specifically the BAFTAs, they mean so much and to get this one in particular just means everything.”
Shonda had been announced as the Special Award recipient weeks ago but the intimate ceremony came at a turbulent time as she joined the ranks of millions of Hollywood writers striking since Tuesday.
However, Shonda utilized the platform to its fullest, telling the small crowd in New York at her tribute event: “I am a writer on strike right now.
“I really wish that we didn’t have to be on strike, and I feel the pain of the people who are dealing with the strike.
“To have somebody devalue art, it’s bad enough as it is right now. That’s happening everywhere.
“But for writers to not be able to make a living wage while making a television show or making a movie is a problem.”
Members of the Writers Guild of America took to the picket lines on May 3 as part of the first writers strike in 15 years and has already had a major impact on late night talk shows, with the effects expected to ripple throughout Hollywood if the strikes continue.
