Shonda Rhimes talks about producing Hillary Clinton's DNC film
Shonda Rhimes' in-depth look at the life of Hillary Clinton could have easily been three hours long, the "Scandal" creator says.
Rhimes and her producing partner, Betsy Beers, were tasked with putting together the short documentary -- narrated by Morgan Freeman -- that served as the introduction to Clinton's triumphant speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
"It was a mini-series when we first started. It could have been three hours," Rhimes said in an interview with People.
"As a writer who builds characters for a living, it was exciting to take an actual human being and pieces of who she is and see how it builds a person and her character, why she is who she is," Rhimes said. "And the best part? I didn't have to add a plot twist!"
As research during production of the video, Rhimes got to sit for several hours with Clinton over coffee in the Democratic nominee's kitchen, an experience she was inspired to try to replicate for audiences.
"I wanted everyone who sees it to feel like they were sitting with a friend, drinking coffee, so that had to be authentic," Rhimes said.