For over a decade, Shonda Rhimes has had a lock on prime time dramas. Thanks to a partnership with ABC network, Rhimes developed many of the most successful dramas on television. Rhimes is the woman behind such hits as Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder.
The writer/producer/director got her big break with the screenplay for the Britney Spears movie Crossroads. She started her own production company, called Shondaland, which houses several hit shows.
Shondaland also recently added Station 19 and For The People to its roster. The casts of those two series are hoping to have the same pop culture staying power as Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, and Ellen Pompeo.
Of course, with any television empire, not every cast member is going to get along. Grey’s Anatomy, which has been on the air since 2005, has seen several actors come and go.
Many of the actors who left the show behind didn’t always do it of their own free will. While some of those actors were sweethearts -- getting along with the rest of the cast and promoting good will -- others were not.
A difficult actor doesn’t always mean someone who makes trouble on set, but can be someone who clashes with other cast members, brings their personal issues into press for the show, or finds themselves unhappy with the decisions made by their bosses, the producers.
Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and many of Shonda Rhimes’ other series have had their share of both the good and the bad.
We’ve rounded up the 9 Shondaland Stars Who Are Sweethearts (And 6 Who Aren't).
Sweetheart: Sarah Drew
Sarah Drew has had a reputation for being one of the good girls ever since her turn as Hannah on Everwood. As April on Grey’s Anatomy, she played yet another good girl.
Her kind heart is also a part of her attitude in real life.
Drew departed Grey’s Anatomy after several years on the prime time soap, and her fans were not happy. In fact, many fans voiced their displeasure on Twitter, targeting actress Kelly McCreary, whose character is dating April’s ex, as they did.
Drew asked fans to put a stop to it. She called McCreary her “loyal sister” and asked that they “stop attacking her for doing her job.”
She pointed out, “when you hurt her, you hurt me. When you show kindness to her, you show kindness to me. Please be kind.”
Sweetheart: Britt Robertson
Former child star Britt Robertson has spent a lot of time on television over the years. She recently joined the Shondaland family in the new legal drama For The People. There, she’s a public defender fighting for justice.
In real life, she also likes to right wrongs and bring attention to injustice.
While Robertson isn’t glued to her social media accounts like plenty of actors (she hasn’t tweeted in over a year), she does use those accounts for good. She spent her 2017 on twitter helping raise money for Camp Anuenue.
The camp provides an all expenses paid summer experience for kids with cancer whose families are putting their money towards medical expenses.
Robertson even donated some of her own TV memorabilia to an auction to raise money to keep the camp open.
Isn't: Columbus Short
As one of the original cast members of Scandal, Columbus Short’s Harrison was a fan favorite in the early seasons of the show. Unfortunately for the actor, behavioral issues landed him in hot water.
During the third season of the series, Short got into one fist fight at a gym and another in a bar. Anonymous sources told several outlets that the actor could lose his job since Shonda Rhimes didn’t “tolerate negative press” or condone violence.
When news broke about domestic abuse allegations and threats against his wife, as well as rumors of substance use, Short was quickly axed from the series.
Fans got to say goodbye to the character with a quick funeral in the season four premiere.
Sweetheart: Rachelle Lefevre
Rachelle Lefevre entered Shondaland as a doctor, but not on Grey’s Anatomy. Instead, she appeared on the short-lived series Off The Map.
She might have made headlines when she spoke out about being recast in The Twilight Saga a decade ago, but she is all about making the world a better place.
Lefevre is committed to helping spread the word for numerous nonprofit groups. In addition to working with Best Friends Animal Society, she’s also an environmentalist and an anti-bullying advocate, as well as a voice for the poor and disenfranchised.
Over the last few years, Lefevre has thrown her star power behind Adopt Together, a group that essentially crowdfunds the adoption process for prospective parents.
She also works with Generation Her, a group that helps pregnant teens who don’t have the resources they need.
Isn't: Patrick Dempsey
Grey’s Anatomy marked a resurgence in Patrick Dempsey’s career. Though he claimed a spot in teen movie royalty in the '80s, his star faded over the following decades. Grey’s Anatomy seemed to put an end to that fade.
Behind the scenes, though, things might not have been so shiny.
Before Dempsey was written out of the series, there were rumors that the actor was on his way out for his behavior on set.
Labeled as a diva by anonymous sources reporting to the press, Dempsey had a storyline that saw him temporarily take his leave from Seattle Grace. Though the storyline created new drama between characters, the word was that it was really a suspension by Shonda Rhimes in hopes that his behavior would change.
Following rumors of an affair with an intern, Dempsey’s time on the show was officially over.
Sweetheart: Taye Diggs
Taye Diggs got his big break on Broadway in RENT, but since then he’s gone on to TV and movies, including a trip to Shondaland. He starred in the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Private Practice.
Diggs plays a lot of smooth characters, but he’s a family man at heart.
He has always been described as chivalrous and polite by fans, and he credits that to his mother. As a self-professed mama’s boy, he even got a tattoo to honor her. He has his mother’s initials, MB, on his left shoulder.
If that’s not enough to show his soft spots, he got into the business of writing children’s books in 2014 for his young son. Published in 2015, he wrote Mixed Me! and Chocolate Me to give his son with actress Idina Menzel characters to identify with on the page.
Now that’s sweet.
Isn't: Isaiah Washington
When the series premiered, Isaiah Washington was one of Grey’s Anatomy’s doctors dating an intern. As Dr. Burke, he entered into a relationship with Christina Yang, and then abruptly left her at the altar because the actor was fired from the show.
Behind the scenes, Washington and co-star Dempsey got into a physical fight and traded verbal insults.
Some versions of the story relayed to the press also detailed his use of homophobic language directed at a cast member who later came out as gay.
Following his time on the series, Washington appears to have learned from the mistakes he made. He hasn’t stirred up any trouble on the set of The 100 and even made a return for an episode of Grey’s Anatomy to close out his storyline.
Sweetheart: Dan Hildebrand
Dan Hildebrand is a versatile character actor. You might recognize him from a stint on Game of Thrones. He also recently appeared in the Shondaland series Still Star-Crossed as Friar Lawrence, the man who married Romeo and Juliet.
The uber talented actor has been in the business since the '70s, and he’s used the sporadic scheduling of gigs to his advantage.
Since the early 2000s, he’s been rebuilding communities damaged during natural disasters.
Hildebrand is certified to build eco-friendly dome structures, and he’s travelled all over to do it. He’s helped build homes in South Africa, Indonesia, and more after disasters wiped out the structures.
He also spent time in Haiti assisting with the build of a new orphanage in 2012.
Isn't: T.R. Knight
When Grey’s Anatomy premiered, T.R. Knight played the intern George. While it seemed to be smooth sailing for the actor at first, what he called a “breakdown in communication” created a difficult situation for the series.
When season five of the series began, George was suddenly in the show a lot less, leading to Knight to wonder just why his character had been cut. (Entertainment Weekly reported George appeared in 48 minutes of the first nine episodes, while Sandra Oh’s Christina appeared in 114 minutes by comparison).
While it’s not clear what happened when Knight asked to leave the show as a result of less screen time, he told EW, “My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George], and with respect, I’m going to leave it at that.”
Sweetheart: Kerry Washington
She’s been the face of Scandal since the show launched, but Kerry Washington isn’t covering up any in her real life. Instead, she’s the picture of class.
As a tradition on the set of Scandal, the lead actors host goodbye dinners for the writing staff at the end of the season.
In the final season of the show, Washington hosted the dinner, and it wasn’t just the actors and the writers who were invited, though.
Recurring cast members and crew were welcomed to the event as well as their families, and Washington planned every last detail to make sure everyone had good time.
Even the camera operators have nothing but praise for Washington. When Steve Fracol was interviewed about his work on the show, he made sure to note Washington’s kindness: she got to know every crew member on set and listened to their advice, never pulling rank.
Isn't: Eric Dane
There might not have been gossip about Eric Dane while he worked on Grey’s Anatomy, but there was quite a bit of press surrounding him outside the show. As Shondaland fans now know, Shonda Rhimes doesn’t like negative press.
When Chyler Leigh discussed leaving the series with Shonda Rhimes, the decision was made to axe both Leigh’s character Lexie and her on screen love interest, played by Dane.
Rumor has it that budget cuts were the real reason why Dane departed the series, but the departure couldn’t have come at a better time for him.
As a result of rumored affairs, depression, and substance abuse, negative press followed Dane once a video leaked of him and his wife in a hot tub with another woman.
He’s learned to put his health first, recently taking a break from filming to treat his depression again.
Sweetheart: Aja Naomi King
She might have appeared in several movies and series before entering Shondaland, but Aja Naomi King’s role as Michaela Pratt in How To Get Away With Murder catapulted her into the spotlight.
Like many of the actors in Shondaland, King has used her high profile role to do some good.
In addition to donating to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, King has become part of the #MyYoungerSelf campaign.
Led by Child Mind, the campaign aims to raise awareness for mental health issues in young people.
She also saved her own father’s life.
The two spent days on an eighty mile hike, but they ran out of water with only a few miles left to go. She ran through the dessert to flag down help to combat his dehydration. That’s one dedicated daughter.
Isn't: Katherine Heigl
Though Katherine Heigl’s Izzy Stevens was a fan favorite on Grey’s Anatomy, when she withdrew from Emmy consideration in 2008, it didn’t take long for her to be branded as “difficult.”
Heigl, who received plenty of critical praise the year prior, publicly commented on the withdrawal, believing the material wasn’t strong enough for her to be in contention for an award.
As she tried to segue into a movie career, her time on the series lessened, until she was let go.
Rumors followed that she had trouble on movie sets as well.
Though Heigl later admitted that she wished she would have just “shut up” with her complaints about the show, her legacy remains.
In fact, when Shonda Rhimes professed the professionalism of the Scandal cast, she said it by noting, “there are no Heigls in this situation.” Ouch.
Sweetheart: Ellen Pompeo
As the longest running of Shondaland’s leading ladies, Ellen Pompeo has been with Grey’s Anatomy since the pilot episode. She’s vowed to continue playing Meredith Grey as long the fans want to watch the show.
Pompeo doesn’t just lead the call sheet though; she also leads by example amongst the cast.
Following Patrick Dempsey’s end on the series, Pompeo recieved a pay raise she had been requesting for years. Though she was the series lead, during his tenure on the show, the actress never made more than her co-star.
She’s continued to speak up about being a woman in Hollywood, most notably when Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw recently ended their time on the series.
When fans accused Pompeo (and her pay raise) of being the reason why Drew and Capshaw were let go, Pompeo encouraged the audience to not pit the women against one another, explaining that they all “lift each other up” instead.
Sweetheart: Viola Davis
Viola Davis became a household name thanks to her roles in Doubt, The Help, Eat Pray Love, and more, but it’s television that she’s known for now. As Annalise Keating, she’s the driving force behind How To Get Away With Murder.
It might seem like she’s an overnight success, but Davis has been steadily honing her craft since she was just nine years old in a poverty stricken family. It took her decades to land a plum role like Annalise.
Star power hasn’t gone to her head, though. Instead, she uses it to give back.
Her difficult childhood is never far from mind, which is why she’s involved with organizations that help combat childhood hunger and aid education.
Most recently, she became the ambassador for Hunger Is, a group working to make sure no child has to go hungry.
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Can you think of any other Shondaland stars who are sweethearts? Do you know any who aren't? Let us know if we missed someone in the comments!