Claire Donald

I mean, she loves it.

And there it is, Jess.

And there it is.

So thank God she did keep writing because her first big break is on the way.

So HBO was developing a biopic about Dorothy Dandridge, which we also need to do a Ram episode on her because she was the first black woman nominated for best actress at the Oscars.

So the project was being produced by Halle Berry and Halle Berry really wanted to tell Dorothy's story correctly.

And at the time there were very few black female screenwriters in Hollywood.

So Shonda was still really early in her career and,

But she did have something that executives noticed.

Her writing was emotionally precise, character driven, and she understood women's psychology and that made her stand out.

Wow.

They were like, wait, women have depth and this woman can write about it?

Dorothy Dandridge was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, right?

Best Lead Actress.

Best Lead Actress, but she...

Did she win and she wasn't allowed to go up there?

No, you're thinking of Hattie McDaniels.

Yes, yes, yes.

Okay, so she wasn't allowed to give an acceptance speech?

She had to sit in a different room.