Shonda Rhimes has two rules for all of her actors.
Bronson Pinchot — who stars in Netflix’s new show “The Residence” — talked to Page Six’s Unforgettably Famous series about what it was like to work with the prolific producer responsible for shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Bridgerton,” Scandal” and many more.
The 65-year-old detailed that on the first day of working on “The Residence,” Rhimes told them her “two rules.”
“Say the words exactly as written and don’t be a–holes!” she told the cast, per Pinchot, before laughing it off.
Bronson Pinchot shared the two rules Shonda Rhimes gave “The Residence” cast before filming. FilmMagic
The prolific producer told the cast not to change the script and not to be “a–holes.” WireImage
The “Perfect Strangers” alum, 65, agreed that they were “great rules” because the writing was “absolutely unbelievable.”
However, they did set the tone for filming despite him knowing that the assembled group would never “have been a–holes or fudged with the words.”
“To have somebody that experienced and respected and powerful say those two things so clearly and so succinctly … it was wonderful to hear it said. It’s a wonderful thing,” he commented.
Uzo Aduba plays a detective investigating a murder at the White House in the series. JESSICA BROOKS/NETFLIX
Pinchot told Page Six he was impressed by the level of detail on the set. JESSICA BROOKS/NETFLIX
“The Residence” — which also stars Uzo Aduba, Randall Park, the late Andre Braugher, Giancarlo Esposito and Susan Kelechi Watson — is a screwball comedy set in the White House where “the world’s best detective” (Aduba) investigates a murder.
Pinchot describes filming the series as “like being in a big Hollywood movie from that period when there was no such thing as cutting corners.”
However, he stressed that the show is “complicated (so) you’re going to need to binge the whole thing!”
The show also features Susan Kelechi Watson and Randall Park. Getty Images
Pinchot said being on set was “like being in a big Hollywood movie.” Getty Images
While speaking with Page Six, Pinchot said he was amazed by the level of detail involved in the show, which he called as intricately designed as a “Swiss bell tower clock.”
“They recreated the White House on seven soundstages, each one as big as a high school and the depth of it,” he marveled. “The windows were hand-blown glass, wavy glass, which is exactly what the White House must have because it was built in the early 19th century, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, the camera will never even see this.’”
The “Beverly Hills Cop” star knows what he’s talking about as he’s “something of an expert in Federal and Greek revival architecture.”
He even starred in “The Bronson Pinchot Project” which saw him buying and renovating old properties in rural Pennsylvania.
“The Residence” is now available to stream on Netflix.