Tune in tonight for the ‘Scandal’ ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ crossover event! Beginning at 9pm ET on ABC, watch Olivia Pope and Annalise Keating team up for a class-action suit. Plus – check out this exclusive interview with Bellamy Young aka President Mellie Grant regarding the final season of Scandal!
I was invited as media to cover this event. All opinions are my own.
Photo credit: ABC/Mitch Haaseth & Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com
Exclusive Bellamy Young Interview
We sat down with the beautiful and talented Bellamy Young over the weekend to discuss her role as President Mellie Grant on Scandal, and her appearance in the upcoming Wrinkle In Time film. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Bellamy is nothing like her character on Scandal. She’s so fun and sweet – a people pleaser. She has some of the most interactive fans on Twitter, and she’s the one behind her Twitter account – replying and answering fans questions. Bellamy knows some of her fans so well that she knows their name and location! Amazing, right?!
When asked what Mellie has taught her, Bellamy shares, “I was only supposed to be there five minutes. So [she] taught me, first of all, you show up and do your best work, even when it’s two lines, and you might not be there for a minute. You never know what’s going to turn into your dream. You never know which lottery ticket might pay, so always showing up for yourself, and doing your best work, regardless.” Adding, “I marvel at her. It’s been a great, great gift. Not just the fact of having a job, but the fact of getting to be her.”
Now that the seventh and final season of Scandal is coming to a close, Bellamy and the rest of the cast are pushing for a Scandal movie….or musical…or any way to keep it going! That would be really fun, right? The cast is so tight knit, like a big family, and they are really sad to see this journey end. What’s the one thing Bellamy plans to take from the Scandal set? Presidential pens!! She wants to write with one for the rest of her life. LOL!
Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com
How is the show going to end? Bellamy has no idea! Her final table read is this Thursday for the last-ever episode, sharing “we don’t know anything that’s going to happen. I have no idea how the show is going to end. I cannot see what is coming. I have no idea.” Adding, “honey, I’m acting crazy (on the show) but they always manage to ground it down somehow.”
We asked Bellamy what she loves about playing the many different sides of Mellie Grant and she shared, “I feel like getting to be an actor is like getting to live a million lifetimes in one little lifetime.” Adding, “it’s nice to be evil. Because if you’re evil, you’re running the generator, right? You’re the fuel for the story, you light the match, and it all burns.” What’s her favorite Mellie to play? “All of them! I love her rainbow. I’m so interested to see if she [will] get to be happy Mellie.”
If Bellamy could write the ending of her own story as Mellie she would want eight years in office and a White House wedding with Marcus. She’s such a romantic at heart.
#HowToGetAwayWithScandal Crossover
In the midst of moving on from the White House, Olivia gets an unexpected visitor in criminal defense attorney Annalise Keating, who seeks her help in fast-tracking a judicial reform class action to the United States Supreme Court. However, after Olivia’s recent fall from political grace, it’s going to be more challenging than ever to get the support they need. Meanwhile on How to Get Away with Murder, Bonnie discovers concerning information pertaining to Simon that threatens to expose what really happened during night he was shot.
(ABC/Mitch Haaseth)
Bellamy Young in A Wrinkle in Time
An epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light.
Bellamy plays a stepford wife in the film. When asked about the role, and what drew her to the film, she shares, “working with Ava is a dream. She’s such a visionary, but the book meant everything to me when I was a kid. So, even the tiny little bit, just to be a part of something that might get other kids to read the book, or get excited about it….And Meg, I mean, it was like somebody read my diaries and then added some sci-fi elements to it. And to watch her journey into owning who she was. Plus, I said things like Tesseract.”
Photo credit: Disney
Bellamy Young was kind enough to snap a few photos with each of the bloggers that interviewed her. She complimented me on my jumpsuit and hugged me too! Even with this hugely successful show, she’s still down to earth and approachable – I just love that!
Tune in to the #HowToGetAwayWithScandal crossover episodes airing Thursday, March 1 on ABC (Scandal at 9|8c and HTGAWM at 10|9c)
And don’t forget – you can get caught up on past episodes of your favorite ABC shows on the app or streaming On Demand.
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