Scandal: Bellamy Young teases what's next for Mellie when series returns

Scandal is returning from its midseason break next month as the race for the real-life presidency is in full swing, and the off-screen political drama has been a boon for the ABC series, according to star Bellamy Young.

“I think the crazy thing about where we are right now is that some of it has to be sort of tempered down a little bit, but our writers are being completely inspired,” she said at EW’s SAG Awards party on Friday in Los Angeles. “I think they’re taking advantage of this once in a lifetime kind of synergy of fiction and fact and just really going to town with it.”

Young also teased what fans can expect to see next for Mellie, who was last seen successfully filibustering a bill on the Senate floor.

“The [midseason] finale really saw Mellie personally emancipated — she went through this filibuster process, which was not a premeditated thing, and really found her footing, found her voice as a politician,” the actress explained. “She’s so excited to be part of the presidential campaign, but I think she’s really learning that it’s easier to be a backseat driver now that she’s behind the wheel. She just makes unbelievable mistakes.”

She added, “I can’t wait for everyone to see all the candidates. We’re moving into the primaries in our next season, in our spring season as we are in American politics. The old characters, the new characters, are really going to be a bunch of wild, wild craziness to watch.”

Scandal returns Feb. 11 on ABC.

—Reporting by C. Molly Smith