Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes promised more information about Olivia Pope's past in season 3 of the ABC drama series, she told Vanity Fair in its August 2013 issue.

"I think it's time to unfold a little bit more about Olivia's character," Rhimes said. "We're in the writers' room right now, and we're still planning all that out. I have some very specific ideas, but we'll see how much we unfold."

Season 1 opened in the middle of all the drama: Pope is working at Olivia Pope and Associates, already had the affair with the President and she has already gotten him elected. Rhimes said she purposeful did not reveal anybody's backstory early on in the show, wanting to have the option to "bounce back and forth" to reveal details as needed. 

"People say, 'These characters have no backstory.' Well, there's a reason for that. You're discovering it along with us, as opposed to a lot of shows that tell you exactly who everybody is up front," she said."

Kerry Washington Vanity Fair Cover Interview for 2013 August Issue 

Season 2 ended with the revelation that Joe Morton's character is her dad. In the script he is called Rowan but whether or not that is actually his name is "debatable," Rhimes said. She added that she and Morton were the only ones who knew about a father figure being introduced before the season finale filmed. Kerry Washington (Pope) was shocked at the table read to see the word "dad" on the last page of the script for the finale.

"I told [Morton] that he couldn't tell another living, breathing soul. I knew that he needed the underpinnings of what that meant for his character," Rhimes said. "And so I told him, but we didn't tell anybody else. Including Kerry."

Scandal airs Thursdays on ABC. The network has yet to announce its premiere dates yet for the fall lineup.

Tags: Kerry Washington scandal Vanity Fair Shonda Rhimes