It’s an end of an era in TV! Scandal will air its final episode on Thursday, April 19, and the cast gets emotional just thinking about it. Darby Stanchfield, who portrays Abby Whelan on the ABC drama, explained to Us Weekly that saying goodbye to the cast she’s worked with for six years isn’t an easy task.
“It’s incredibly emotional. It’s a roller coaster,” Stanchfield, 46, told Us exclusively at the Fulfillment Fund’s A Legacy of Changing Lives event on Tuesday, March 13. “Everyone is kind of leaving at different times. We have three days left [of filming], but there are some actors wrapped now. It’s sort of a goodbye everyday.”
Creator Shonda Rhimes is no stranger to creating epic endings and doesn’t shy away from risks, so it’s no surprise that she tackled writing the finale on her own, the actress told Us. “It does not disappoint. It’s really, really good,” she shared. Additionally, Kerry Washington has been a rock for the whole cast during this final season.
“She’s being the most incredible No. 1 we could ever hope for. She just did this thing of like a week’s worth of gifts for the cast and crew. You can see it all over her social media,” the NCIS alum added. “Of course, she would end the show as elegantly and as much of a leader as she came into it. She’s great.”
Washington hosted a goodbye dinner for the cast and crew on Sunday, March 11, sharing a photo on Instagram. “The dinner, which was to thank the cast and crew and writers, was the official last dinner for the full cast,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly. “Kerry planned everything from the menu to décor and made sure everything was accounted for, dietary restrictions and all.”
The former Mad Men star also revealed that while she’s excited to move on to the next thing — “it’s time, creatively” — she’s also looking forward to doing nothing!
“Playing the same character for 125 episodes is a long time,” she told Us. “I’m also looking for a little bit of rest to just reset. I can’t wait to see what’s next. There is so much good stuff happening specifically in television right now. I just directed an episode on Scandal, as well. So, I’m going to continue going down that road as well as acting.”
Scandal airs on ABC Thursdays at 9 p.m ET.
