KODIAK — An actress who spent the first years of her life in Kodiak and now plays a lead role on the hit ABC TV show “Scandal” appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday night to talk about coming to Kodiak this summer and receiving a key to the city.
Darby Stanchfield, who plays Abby on “Scandal,” told Kimmel that she was born in Kodiak, lived there until she was 7 years old and then moved to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor.
“Really, I think the only thing I know about Kodiak is that the chewing tobacco is from there, right?” Kimmel said.
“And the Kodiak bear,” Stanchfield replied.
Last summer, Stanchfield arrived in Kodiak to film a documentary and while there was presented with a key to the City of Kodiak by Mayor Pat Branson.
“I hadn’t been back (in Kodiak) in 30 years,” Stanchfield told Kimmel.
She toured Alaska as part of a Discover America documentary series that features celebrities touring their home state.
“It was basically between me and Sarah Palin,” Stanchfield said. “You have to be from the state, and ‘Scandal’ right now is a little, you know, maybe hotter than Sarah Palin, so I got to go.”
During the filming, Stanchfield said she went fishing, bear watching, drank water from a glacier and took helicopter flights, most of which, except for the fishing, she hadn’t done before.
When she arrived in Kodiak, Stanchfield received a Facebook message from a local woman, Fru Finn, who wanted to set up a time for Stanchfield to receive the key to the city.
Finn told the Daily Mirror that she’s a huge “Scandal” fan and got to pose with Stanchfield as “gladiators,” a term for the heroes in the series.
Stanchfield ignored the message at first, she told Kimmel, but Finn showed up at the airport during filming and set it up.
“She really ‘gladiated’ the entire situation,” Stanchfield said.
It happened atop Pillar Mountain, Stanchfield told Kimmel, after shooting a dinner scene for the documentary during a rainstorm.
On Jimmy Kimmel, Stanchfield showed off the key, including the city logo prominently displayed in the handle.
“It’s not bad looking, by the way,” Kimmel said. “What does this entitle you to then?”
“You know, I don’t know,” Stanchfield responded. “I don’t know what it opens.”
Kimmel asked how many other people have the key to the city, and Stanchfield pointed out a key to the city website and 1-800 number on the back of the key.
“If you really want to order one, you probably could just call them up and get your own made,” Stanchfield said.
“You’re going to use this to open a door and there’s going to be a whole bunch of other people in there,” Kimmel joked. “This is probably real gold, right?”
“I would hope so, it’s Alaska!” Stanchfield responded.
The two also joked about being able to fish with the key, using it as a lure to catch salmon, Kimmel said.
“A very big salmon,” Stanchfield replied.
The online clip of Stanchfield on Jimmy Kimmel Live can be viewed on YouTube.
