Hillary Clinton film: a female-led project is nothing new for Shonda Rhimes

TV creator Shonda Rhimes was behind yet another program featuring a female lead when she produced the movie “Hillary,” screened Thursday evening at the Democratic National Convention.

Ms. Rhimes and Betsy Beers, who works with Rhimes on TV programs such as ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” are the producers for the short film that was screened before Hillary Clinton spoke on July 28 at the convention.

The film, which was narrated by Morgan Freeman, highlighted some of the major events in Mrs. Clinton’s life, including her childhood, her time as First Lady, and her work as secretary of State.

People featured in the film included Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and some of those who were affected by 9/11. 

Ms. Beers and Rhimes said the biggest challenge for them was having too much material. 

“There were so many stories that one of the massive challenges for us initially was, honestly, sifting,” Ms. Beers told People Magazine. 

“It was a mini-series when we first started,” Rhimes said. “It could have been three hours.”

Helping to create a film about the first female presidential candidate to be selected by a major political party is just the newest female-led project for Rhimes. The shows which she has either created or for which she has served as an executive producer are full of female protagonists. Her ABC show “Grey’s Anatomy” stars Ellen Pompeo, while Rhimes’ ABC program “Scandal” centers on a character played by Kerry Washington. The ABC TV show “How to Get Away With Murder,” which is created by Peter Nowalk and executive-produced by Rhimes, is led by a character portrayed by Viola Davis. 

In addition, the TV show “The Catch,” which Rhimes executive-produces, depicts a woman who looks into fraud as a career. The character is portrayed by Mireille Enos.

This is also not Rhimes' first project set in the political world, as “Scandal” depicts the life of the head of a crisis management company who works in Washington, D.C.