Katie Lowes has recently been receiving a lot of praise for her portrayal of former Vanity Fair staffer Rachel Williams in the Netflix series Inventing Anna. The true crime miniseries is the latest show from Shonda Rhimes exclusively produced for the streamer. And as fans may have noticed, Rhimes certainly assembled an impressive cast featuring some Shondaland regulars, including Lowes (in addition, Rhimes also tapped two-time Emmy winner Julia Garner to play Anna Sorokin).For Shondaland fans, Lowes is certainly a very familiar face. After all, the actress was last seen in Rhimes’ political drama on ABC, Scandal. Since then, it wasn’t immediately clear if Lowes would take on another Shondaland project.But after seeing her on Inventing Anna, which Katie took her preparation for very seriously, it became clear that the actress isn’t done with Shondaland just yet. One also can’t help but what the relationship is like between Lowes and Rhimes behind the scenes.
Katie Lowes Credits Shonda Rhimes For Her Big Break
As hard as it may be to believe now, there was a time Lowes was hustling all kinds of jobs to make things work. Sure, she had dreams of becoming a successful actress, but Lowes knew she had to start somewhere. “I had every side job you could imagine starting off in my career—waitressing, babysitting, catering, personal assisting,” the actress revealed during an interview with Rose & Ivy.
Around this time, Lowes even did babysitting for actress Connie Britton and Disney Animation casting director Jamie Roberts who asked to her to “do a line here and there.” In fact, over the years, the actress has done voices for Frozen, Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph, and Zootopia.
“They have no idea who I am until they’re like, ‘YOU HAVE A LINE IN FROZEN?’” the actress even told She Knows. That said, for Lowes, getting into Shondaland proved to be life changing.
At first, things started small for Lowes. She made two brief appearances on Rhimes’ Private Practice then showed up as a blood donor on Grey’s Anatomy. As Lowes recalled, she “simultaneously was lucky enough to book one line, then two lines and then three lines, then a scene, then a recurring arc, then a pilot that didn’t go, all the way until I finally booked Scandal.”
That’s when things really clicked for the actress. “That was the huge game-changer that shifted my course,” Lowes said. “Meeting Shonda Rhimes and getting cast as Quinn Perkins in Scandal was the moment my entire life and career changed.”
And while work on Scandal was notoriously fast-paced, things seem to be a little more relaxed behind the scenes. In fact, Rhimes even created an environment that was mother-friendly, which was important to Lowes since she had her son while working on Scandal.
“He was like 12 weeks old, and I had to breastfeed him,” the actress recalled during an interview with The List. “I felt so supported, and so taken care of, and everyone was so respectful of my needs and the identity shift.” Lowes also added, “It was an incredible place to work.”
Shonda Rhimes Convinced Katie Lowes To Start A Podcast
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Rhimes may have decided to end Scandal after seven seasons but didn’t mean that she was done working with Lowes. In fact, with Lowes being a new mother at that time, the hit showrunner decided they could readily do a new project together. It was the podcast Katie’s Crib.
“Shondaland approached me about it actually,” Lowes told People. “They came to me and thought, ‘I feel like you’re going through this huge thing called motherhood and there are probably a lot of people that would benefit going through this stuff with you.’ It’s been amazing.”
So far, guests have included Tia Mowry, Caterian Scorsone, Patton Oswalt, Meredith Salenger, and Gabrielle Union.
Working On ‘Inventing Anna’ Felt Like ‘Coming Home’
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Lowes may be a Shondaland veteran, and they may have kept in touch over the years. But that didn’t necessarily mean that the actress had any inside scoop about Inventing Anna when the show was newly announced. In fact, the actress first found out about the Netflix show just like everyone else, in the news.
Initially, Lowes also didn’t think Rhimes would tap her for the show. “I was like, ‘Huh. Interesting.’ But I didn’t discuss it with Shonda,’” she told Shondaland. “I just didn’t think there was any way that lightning strikes again. I count my blessings. She saved and changed my life forever. I am so grateful. But, like, call me if you want me to play waitress No. 3.”
Following Inventing Anna, fans can look forward to seeing Lowes in the new CBS bowling comedy How We Roll. The cast also includes Pete Holmes and Chi McBride. Meanwhile, it seems a future return to Shondaland is always a welcome possibility, as far as Lowes is concerned.
“I don’t care what the role is,” the actress even remarked. “I don’t care if it’s big or small, if it comes in late, early, whatever, I’m game. I just want to be in the Shondaland universe.”
As for Rhimes, it’s safe to say the feeling is mutual. In fact, at one point, the showrunner made a post on her Facebook page that read, “I love me some Katie Lowes.”
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