The Real Life Olivia Pope
Judy Smith
The television drama Scandal was produced in 2012. Although it did not gain popularity until late in the first season, Scandal began to receive recognition for its second season quickly becoming one of the most popular television shows on ABC. As the story unfolds, people are constantly questioning if the events and characters are based of actual facts and people (Andrews&Heil,2013). The most evident example is the character of Olivia Pope. Working in Washington, D.C. at her own professional crisis management office, Olivia Pope is based off of real crisis management professional Judy Smith. As similarities between the two have formed over the episodes, Judy Smith’s “secret” business has been discovered and has since opened up about the show and her professional career.
Judy Smith cannot be found in the phone book or online but instead by word of mouth from her previous clients. Similar to Pope and Associates, Smith and Company runs a prestigious crisis management office with high clientele in Washington D.C. Supporting celebrities such as Clarence Thomas, Michael Vick, Paula Dean and other Washington natives(Starling,2013), Smith has unquestionably made a name for herself. One of Smith’s biggest cases has been commonly referenced in the discussion around Scandal. Smith was once Monica Lewinsky’s lawyer in the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky trial. This directly relates to Pope and Amanda Tanner’s relationship on Scandal.
Pope supported and protected Amanda Tanner’s defense when her relationship with President Grant was brought to public attention. Similar to Pope and Tanner, Smith represented Lewinsky in her fight against Bill Clinton. Both of the crisis management professionals hid their client in secret locations including their personal homes and kept them out of the media and mainstream as much as possible(Andrews&Heil,2013). Pope and Smith had complete control over how Tanner and Lewinsky should act in public, what they should say and where they should be at all times.
As the show continues, Pope and Smith have regular meetings to discuss her character role. Smith has accepted that the character of Olivia Pope is based off of her and is proud of the role she represents. Pope and Smith walk fast, talk fast, and dress similarly in their symbolic white overcoats. Smith, being a co-executive producer of Scandal is able to lead Pope in the direction to make her character as crisis management professional as authentic as possible. “ She does an incredible job. You want the character to be someone strong, someone who is very strategic and smart, at the top of her game, and someone who is very passionate about their work and very compassionate toward their clients,” said Smith (Valiente,2013). By having this information, Pope is able to develop into a dedicated and hardworking character. Smith admits that Kerry Washington has accurately captured the “essence of the real life Olivia Pope,” (Valiente, 2013).
Although Smith thoroughly agrees with how Pope precisely portrays herself, there are certain aspects of the show that Smith does not necessarily coincide with. One of the most commonly asked but silly questions when Smith is interviewed by professionals is if she had an affair when she was working on the campaign of President George Bush Jr. She is constantly rejecting this thought and believes that since Scandal is non-fiction, the affair with President Grant is for entertainment purposes only. Smith also argues the ethical duties of the show. “ We always say the cover-up is always far worse than the crime…That system doesn’t work. It just doesn’t,” (TJ,2013). Olivia and her team are constantly covering up their client’s mistakes, which is something that Smith has never been a part of doing. Pope also holds herself to an extremely high standard thinking she can fix any problem that walks through her office, which is very unlike Smith. “There are some things that cannot be fixed, pointing to the case of Casey Anthony as an example,” (Andrews,Heil,2013).
Smith believes that Pope is so popular because of her strength, fearlessness and passion (Starling,2013). Although Scandal may have some far-fetched plot lines that Pope has to face, Smith believes that Olivia Pope is a good representation of herself. She values the time they have together and does her best to show the world how tedious and difficult her job as a crisis manager can be. It is interesting knowing that Shonda Rhimes, the producer of the show, came up with the character Olivia Pope based off of a real person in Washington because it helps give the show a sense of realism on top of their dramatic scandals.
Reference Page
Andrews, H & Heil, E. ( 9 Dec. 2013) Judt Smith, the inspiration for Olivia Pope talks about life amid ‘Scandal’. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2013/12/09/judy-smith-the-inspiration-for-olivia-pope-talks-about-life-amid-scandal/
Starling, A. ( 2 May 2013). ABC’s ‘Scandal’ based on real life crisis handler, Judy Smith. ABC 7. Retrieved from http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/05/abc-s-scandal-based-on-real-life-crisis-handler-judy-smith-75576.html
T,J. ( 9 Oct 2013). 5 tips from the “real Olivia Pope” Judy Smith. WBLK. Retrieved from http://wblk.com/5-tips-from-the-real-olivia-pope-judy-smith-scandal/.
Valiente, A. (12 Nov. 2013). ‘Scandal’ ripped from the headlines: 6 real-life political scandals on the show. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/scandal-ripped-headlines-real-life-political-scandals-show/story?id=20852177
Photos
Photo 1: Retireved
Photo 2: Retrieved
Photo 3: Retrieved
