Interview: Bellamy Young, A First Lady Ahead of Her Time

Bellamy Young as Mellie Grant, photo courtesy ABC

Bellamy Young is a familiar face on the television landscape. You might recognize her from her scores of guest-starring roles on shows such as “The X-Files,” “Cold Case,” “Castle,” “Private Practice,” “Criminal Minds” and “Franklin and Bash.” But it’s her role as first lady Mellie Grant on ABC’s breakout hit “Scandal” (which airs tonight at 10/9c on ABC) that really has people talking. Mellie is a no-holds-barred, eye-on-the-prize kind of gal, and that prize is retaining her position in the White House (and in President Grant’s life), no matter what it takes. I spoke with Bellamy recently about her role and the show, and was thrilled to discover she is pretty much the opposite of her scary “Scandal” character.

Celebrity Extra: When I first heard about “Scandal,” and the fact that it was created by and is written and produced by Shonda Rhimes, I knew I’d be in for a treat. What did you think when you first auditioned for the role?

Bellamy Young: I was overwhelmed. It was probably two years ago, and I was reading all the pilots for that year, and this was fathoms above the others. Shonda just understands people. She just knows how to hook your heart. She gets your brain, but she hooks your heart. She can pull you through a narrative, and this one is so intense. For the audition, I did what I never do, which is I bought an outfit especially for Mellie. I went in and I had two lines, and I was just so happy for them to let me do two lines in this piece that I thought was so beautiful. Then I got the part, and they suddenly just started writing the most incredible story line for my character, and they made me a regular. I just couldn’t be any happier.

CE: How about that Mellie? She is quite a character to play.

BY: And you know what? I don’t think Mellie is necessarily wrong. She’s always got the country’s best interest at heart, and she always has a very strong rationale behind her decisions and her actions. She just isn’t patiently waiting for everyone to catch up to her genius.

CE: Speaking of genius, how is it working with Shonda Rhimes?

BY: Shonda’s awful special because she sees people, not packages. So race and gender and sexuality are all sort of arbitrary to her and to the integrity of the character. Linda Lowy casts everything for Shonda, and there are no words to explain how amazing Linda is at her job. So I knew that they would, from this incredible script, attract the best people in town, and then just keep writing surprising story lines for everyone. For me personally, the office of first lady is so fascinating, and throughout the political history of our country, it’s been where you can see the most visible change, because gender roles have changed so much. I knew it would be a fertile ground to explore if given the chance. And it has proved to be beyond my wildest imagination in that regard.

Every character on the show is so nuanced and complex. No one is all right; no one is all wrong. No one is all good; no one is all bad. Humans are flawed, so it gets interesting when you bump up against other smart, flawed humans.

CE: Does Mellie love Fitz, or is it more of a business arrangement for her?

BY: I do believe they loved each other when they got married. Mellie loves Fitz — she would take a bullet for him, like only if it grazed her ear. I watch the show with my mom. My mom’s been widowed three times, bless her heart, and the third time she got married, I saw her fall in actual love. It looks so different from the other thing she’d been trying. And it wasn’t like she didn’t think she was in love before; it’s just different when it’s real. You don’t know it until you know it. And I sort of feel like that’s poor Fitz’s problem (being in love with Olivia Pope and not his wife, Mellie).

CE: As we saw in the season premiere when Mellie used the announcement of her baby’s sex as a chance to address the nation about genocide, Mellie isn’t afraid to use any circumstance to help further her agenda. Can we expect to see more of that this season?

BY: Oh, positively. Mellie is going to use every moment available to her to forward her agenda. But she really wants to be the president, so she would never be careless with the country. She really always believes she’s doing the right thing in her mind. There will be plenty of little bombshells, little smiling, sparkling bombshells that Mellie will drop along the way. They also give us some true moments of grace and connection, which helps for me because I always feel like I’m just playing Mellie in one moment in time, and it’s usually a bad moment. She’s really hurt. She is not at her best right now. I think that also helps you understand her relationship with Fitz, because there’s not a person alive who can’t empathize with that kind of complex relationship — true love-hate relationship. You never hate the people more than the people you love the most. They can make you the craziest.

CE: What kind of a mom is Mellie?

BY: I think Mellie is a very devoted mom. Bottom line, she is fiercely loyal. So, is she warm? I don’t think so. But she is fiercely supportive of and instills in her children that they can be anything they want to be in this world; they just have to believe in themselves. But she is also a working mom. She has a lot of help during the day while she’s off trying to make the country better. I think she struggles like so many women do with balancing the domestic with the professional.

CE: What does the future have in store for Mellie?

BY: That’s the thing — I don’t really know the answer. But I do know I’d do this job forever. The show gives such wish fulfillment for the audience and the actors, but it also has a conscience. That’s part of that battle for Mellie: Once you get to your end game, is it fulfilling? I think personally the answer is that love has to be the most fulfilling thing, and Mellie is falling at a deficit right now. And you try anything you can to fill that hole when you don’t have love. It will be pretty darn interesting to see the way Mellie flails around for a while.

CE: How is it working with Tony Goldwyn as your husband?

BY: Heaven. There’s no other way to describe it. Tony is the kindest human being and the most devoted person — personally to his children and his wife, but also as an actor. His generosity is unreal. And also his acting is so organic that it’s just quietly dumbfounding. You know, you just watch him and it’s just truth happening. There’s no artifice. He’s really living what’s happening, and it just raises your game. It’s so inspiring. I can’t say enough great things about him.

CE: In general, it sounds like a great show to work on.

BY: It’s unbelievable, across the board. The cast, crew, writers, the production office — everyone is at the top of their game. Everyone is kind, and everyone feels lucky to be there. We know how lucky we are to be working on a project this good with people who love it. And then (writer-creator) Shonda (Rhimes) — man, she’s just a gracious, brilliant, big-hearted woman.

CE: Any teasers for what’s coming up?

BY: Shonda plays it all very close to the vest, so I really don’t know much. Let’s see ... we have college students gone missing and sex scandals. Of course, more sex scandals. God, there’s always so much sex. Everyone loves sex. That’s the fun part. And Olivia Pope (played by Kerry Washington) will get more complicated this season, so that’s fun to watch, because Kerry does it so well, and it’s just so human. Of course, Mellie will be up to no good at all. Just smile and rub her pregnant belly the whole time.

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Interview: Tony Goldwyn's Scandalous New Gig

In its bid to take over network-television dramas completely, a few weeks ago ABC debuted yet another new kick-ass series (joining the likes of "Revenge" and "GCB") called "Scandal," which airs Thursday nights at 10/9c. In case you are unfamiliar with the show, it centers on a "fixer" named Olivia Pope (played by the exquisite Kerry Washington), who has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the nation's elite and keeping those secrets under wraps. One of those elite just happens to be the President of the United States, Fitzgerald Grant, played by Tony Goldwyn. I recently had the chance to speak to the Prez about his latest role, one that was able to coax him back to series television. 

Celebrity Extra: "Scandal" is definitely at the top of my favorites list for new shows this year, and I can certainly understand why you'd want to be a member of this creative team. For you, what were some deciding factors that made you want to be a part of this show?

Tony Goldwyn: Well, a couple of things. Number one was Shonda Rhimes. I’d worked with Shonda as a director on "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Private Practice," and have so much admiration for her and know what great rich characters she writes, so that was number one. The second part was Kerry Washington, who is one of my favorite actresses. I think that she’s one of our best young film actresses, and every time I see Kerry in a movie, I am just knocked out by it, so that excited me a lot. 

And turning down the President of the United States is difficult. That’s going to be an interesting character anyway, but particularly I knew that Shonda Rhimes writing a president, he’d be a pretty interesting president. Then there was the script, which just a great recipe for really good storytelling.

CE: You know it's going to be good with Shonda involved, and looking at "Grey's" and "Private Practice" ...

TG: Yeah, that’s the whole thing. I was constantly surprised in the best way as the scripts kept coming in. [The character of Fitz] just keeps getting better and better and better as these scripts go along, and more complicated and interesting. As an actor, I feel like these gifts keep being dropped in my lap. I’m really grateful to Shonda for involving me, because it’s just literally every episode, I can’t believe the stuff that I am getting to do. By the end of the season it gets really interesting. It’s just been a really, really exciting thing to be a part of.

CE: What do you like best about playing Fitz?

TG:  Well, there are two things really. Fitz is a guy — for better or for worse — who leads with his heart, and in a very committed way he does that. Sometimes that gets him into terrible situations, but it ultimately gives him a sense of purpose, and I think maybe I’m biased, but a goodness because he leads really with his humanity. I think it’s what gives him great strength as a leader because he’s ultimately uncompromising in that way. Sometimes his heart gets him into real messes as well. But he’s an open-hearted man in a very dangerous world, and he has the courage to be that way. I find that a really admirable quality. All of his feelings admit it.

CE: And even though the president definitely has his faults, he's not a "bad guy," because he has redeeming qualities and you can see where he is coming from.

TG:  I think that’s right. Maybe that’s why I love playing villains, because I like to find the humanity in villainous characters. Shonda has this ability to find actors who have an intuitive understanding of what lies beneath that actor, like what their potential and complexities are. You’ll see as you get to know the characters better that Shonda digs things out of actors that are just amazing. There are people that she’ll hire not knowing how much they are going to be in the series, and she’ll just sense something about them and start to write for that person, unearthing aspects that that actor has to offer that a lot of them have never seen before. 

Shonda just has this instinct about people. It’s a beautiful thing as an actor to feel that you’re seen by a writer. That’s a very rare thing. I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced it. I’ve been cast in roles that I was very right for, but one of the great things about television is the writing continues constantly, so Shonda intuits things and then she writes to the show. So many decisions won’t be made until she sees what’s happening on screen, and then she’ll start to write to that. We were constantly surprised by where the show was going. Every week we had no idea what was going to happen, and neither did Shonda sometimes. I’d say, “What’s up with Amanda Tanner?” and she’s like, “I don’t know yet!” It was great.

CE: Speaking of casting, the chemistry between you and Kerry is just sizzling. I love Fitz and Olivia when they are in the same room together.

TG: It’s like it’s magical. As I mentioned, I have so much respect for Kerry as an actress — we knew each other socially and we’re both really involved politically, so we have always kind of hit it off personally. I just have tremendous respect for her on many different fronts, and she’s a stunningly beautiful woman. So, I don’t know, chemistry is such a funny thing. There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s either there or it’s not. Our acting styles seem to mesh, you know, our way of working, and I think we have a mutual respect for each other. Then there’s physical chemistry, which is something, like I said, you can’t manufacture. We find that we work really well together, and it’s easy to fall in love with her.

CE: And you really feel bad for Fitz, still being in love with Olivia, even though he's married and it's really not something he should be feeling.

TG: It’s impossible. It’s an impossible situation, and that’s what makes it great and that’s what people will have to see. One of the great things about it is Shonda puts us in extreme conflict with one another. So, you have those two opposite forces constantly battling each other, and there’s so much that happens. All Fitz wants to do is have Olivia talk to him and be able to have her see him and understand the truth of his situation, and her unwillingness to do that and the assumptions that she makes make it really, really difficult. That thing — that opposition and that undeniable kind of magnet that thing that they have together — just constantly plays out in different ways, and creates more and more problems.

CE: As we get into the home stretch of this first season, can you give me any hints or spoilers?

TG: I don’t want to give anything away but I can say that, in my opinion, every episode gets better than the last one. Whatever you think you know, you’re wrong. It gets really complicated. The last couple of episodes, particularly, just rock. They’re like a roller-coaster ride. It’s really fun.

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Q and A: Week of May 7

Q: I am so hooked on “Scandal,” the new midseason show on ABC, and I am especially glad to see Tony Goldwyn in a strong supporting role. How is he liking his new role as president of the United States? — Tina W., Atlanta

A: Like you, I love “Scandal,” so I jumped at the opportunity to speak with Tony about his new role. He told me: “First of all, turning down the role of the president of the United States is difficult. That’s going to be an interesting character, but particularly I knew that with Shonda Rhimes writing a president that he’d be a pretty interesting president. The script was really well written and just a great recipe for really good storytelling.

“As an actor, I felt like these gifts kept being dropped in my lap. I’m really grateful to Shonda for involving me; each episode, I couldn’t believe the stuff that I was getting to do. By the end of the season, it gets really interesting.” Check back here later today to read my entire interview with Tony, where he gives inside info about what to expect by season’s end.

Q: One of my favorite screen actors of all time is Anthony Hopkins. What can I see him in next? — Jared G., via e-mail

A: Presently, Anthony is filming “Hitchcock,” a movie about “Psycho,” “Rear Window” and “Birds” director Alfred Hitchcock. Unless you want to wait until 2013 for the movie, Google “Anthony Hopkins Hitchcock” to see the eerily true-to-life transformation of the enigmatic actor to the horror auteur through the magic of makeup and prosthetics. The film also stars Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Beal, and definitely on my must-see list for 2013.

Crystal Allen

Q: Can you tell me what Brandon Routh has coming up? — Theresa G., Brighton Beach, N.Y.

A: Brandon has a new movie coming out May 18, which is quite a departure from portraying the Man of Steel. Brandon stars in “Crooked Arrows,” about a reluctant coach who takes on a Native American lacrosse team. I spoke with Crystal Allen, who plays Brandon’s love interest in the film, and she told me: “Brandon’s character, Joe, and I were high-school sweethearts. I give him a hard time. I challenge him throughout the movie. Brandon is such a nice guy, and he’s got such a presence on film. He just really shines and he’s really moving. He was great to work with.” Read our entire chat right here next week.



Q: How is Guiliana Rancic doing after beating breast cancer last year? — Audrey T., via e-mail

A: Guiliana, who beat breast cancer after undergoing a successful double mastectomy last year, is expecting a baby — via surrogate — with husband Bill. The baby, who is due later this year, is genetically Guiliana and Bill’s; however, due to Guiliana’s health issues, they decided to go with a surrogate to make sure the baby has a greater chance to be carried to full term.

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Q and A: Week of Jan. 30

Q: I was watching an old episode of “Dexter” from season one and was thrilled to see Tony Goldwyn as a guest star that episode. What has he been doing lately? I know he’s done a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but I’d love to see his handsome face on screen soon. — Ginger F., Madison, Wisc.

A: Well, you won’t have to wait too long, Ginger, because Tony is one of the stars of the new ABC drama “Scandal.” The show centers on Olivia Pope (played by Kerry Washington), a former communications director to the president of the United States (Tony Goldwyn), who left the White House to open her own prominent crisis-management firm. She’s hoping to start a new chapter in her life — both professionally and personally — but she can’t seem to completely cut ties with her past.

“Scandal” premieres Thursday, April 5, at 10 p.m. ET. With the show’s creator and executive producer being Shonda Rhimes, who also is behind the powerhouse series “Grey’s Anatomy,” you can bet there will be plenty of edge-of-your-seat drama to keep you coming back each week.

Q: I know you’ve mentioned this before, and every now and then I hear teases about it, but are they ever going to make a “24” movie? — Gerry D., via e-mail

A: Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland, told reporters at a Television Critics Association press event about the planned movie: “Hopefully we’ll begin shooting at the end of April, beginning of May.” So, while that’s about all the details anyone can offer at this point, at least it’s something, and if we cross our fingers, maybe this movie will see the light of day by fall 2012 or early 2013.

Q: Are the rumors of a Van Halen reunion true? If so, is it with David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar as the frontman? — Steve V., Akron, Ohio

A: Those rumors are not rumors, Steve. They are cold, hard facts: Van Halen, with David Lee Roth, is back with a new album and upcoming tour. The album is called “A Different Kind of Truth” and will be released Feb. 7, with the debut single, “Tattoo” already getting airplay. The band starts touring Feb. 18, so check online to see when they are coming to your town. Hopefully they’ll stay friendly with each other long enough to complete the tour this time.

Q: Will “Top Shot” be back for another season? — Jeremy W., via e-mail

A: The History Channel recently announced that its top-rated competition series hosted by Colby Donaldson will be back for a fourth season starting Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 10 p.m. ET. The show promises more twists and history-inspired challenges than ever before. Unless your lady is into the show, I’d suggest taking her out to dinner for Valentine’s Day and DVRing the show to watch once she’s gone to sleep

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