1 of 3 | Screenwriter Shonda Rhimes attends the 26th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. on March 21. The Shondaland creator revealed her significant weight loss was part of a personal initiative to take control of her fears as outlined in her memoir, 'Year of Yes.' File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
License Photo
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Ahead of the release of her memoir, Year of Yes, Shonda Rimes, creator of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder opened up about her social anxiety, weight loss and written alter-egos.
Speaking with Nightline in an interview broadcasted late Monday night, Rhimes revealed she struggled with severe anxiety which caused her to turn down most of the elaborate parties she was invited to on a regular basis. A family party, however, became the catalyst she needed to make a change about her vulnerabilities.
"I was sort of going on...about all the invitations that I've received," she explained of the conversation that prompted her to change her habits, "and my sister finally sort of cut in and said 'are you going to say yes to any of these things?' and I remember being very taken aback and saying 'no, I'm busy, I can't."
The Grey's Anatomy screenwriter and showrunner said when her sister pointed out she "never said yes to anything," something changed. For a full year afterward, she worked to say "yes" to the invitations that scared her, including an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and a public speaking engagement at her alma mater.
Rhimes also shared how she previously coped with her social weaknesses by writing parts of herself and her "dreams" into her characters. In fact, she revealed Grey's Anatomy character Cristina Yang was her true alter-ego.
"During my darkest hours, my quietest saddest moments, my loneliest times, writing Cristina Yang fortified me," she told Nightline. "[I] let her do and think and live in ways that voiced my dreams. She did not want to get married. She had a genius that she chased. She loved her work. I gave her a strident desire to not have children because while I adore children, I wanted to watch her fight that feminist battle and win."
Rhimes' memoir, Year of Yes -- announced earlier this summer -- details her personal growth since learning to face her fears as she became increasingly famous. "In writing the book, the honesty that came out of that was so comfortable," she said. "It was part of not needing to hide. I was not afraid of anything. I no longer cared what anybody thought about me."
Year of Yes is available for purchase starting Tuesday.
