Art isn't exactly imitating life on ABC's Scandal, but it's definitely following a similar path as the show's fake presidential election is swinging into full gear just as the real-life American one is heating up.
Star Bellamy Young, whose character, Mellie Grant, is just beginning her presidential campaign, tells E! News' Zuri Hall that Scandal has only just begun.
"The greatest thing is you haven't even scratched the surface yet. There's so much more to come," she tells us on the red carpet at the show's 2016 Paleyfest celebration. "Our writers are having such a great time exploring our primary at the same time that a real primary is happening. I think you'll see a lot more interesting candidates emerge, even this week!"
So far, former First Lady Mellie Grant, sitting Vice President Susan Ross and new up-and-comer Governor Francisco Vargas (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) have all decided to run. Who's the biggest threat to Mellie so far? "Vargas. Well, no no, Susan Ross! I don't know! Vargas is very tough as a Democrat and a war hero and all that, but don't underestimate Susan Ross," says President Fitzgerald Grant himself, Tony Goldwyn.
Joe Morton, who plays the super-scary Papa Pope, says not to count anyone else out. "If you look at the statistics, Susan has the president on her side, so that's a big plus for someone who's running for the White House. Mellie has all kinds of op problems in that she's the ex-wife running so that's a difficulty for her, and we have to find out who else is running!"
Star Kerry Washington is happy that the show might inspire fans to engage politically in real life. "It's wonderful that what [Shonda Rhimes] and the other Scandal writers are doing is so relevant and so exciting and I hope that it actually makes people even more interested in what's going on in real life so that we all participate at the level that we need to," she says.
But it's pretty nuts that both the fake and the real races are so eventful already. "They're surreal," jokes Jeff Perry. Says Darby Stanchfield, "They're both super crazy!"
Press play on the video above to hear more from the cast as they compare and contrast the real and fictional presidential races. Plus: Which real-life candidate does Shonda Rhimes think could take on Mellie?
Scandal airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.