Kerry Washington, who plays lead role Olivia Pope in the television drama Scandal, is an actress that has certainly made a name for herself. Her career has evolved over time and has helped her land the main role in one of America’s favorite television series. Washington’s popularity first came into mainstream media just a few years back and has increased ever since. Starting from very low paid, non-recognizable film features, Washington was able to work her way up and become a household name in America.
Growing up Washington wanted to be a SeaWorld whale trainer but living in Brooklyn (Green,2014), New York she did not have easy access to that kind of life. Named after Ireland’s County, Kerry her mother was a professor and her father was a real estate broker (Green,2014). Her family was a quick train ride away from Manhattan and became involved in many groups that helped kick start her pursuit as an actress. She attended a Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx with Jennifer Lopez and has looked up to her as an inspiration in acting (Starpulse,2014). At the Spence School in downtown New York City, Washington was part of a nine girl a cappella group called the Triple Trio. At this same school she was able to star in school plays and get deeply involved with theater (ABC,2013).
From there, Washington furthered her acting career at George Washington University with the help of her acting scholarship provided where she received a degree in Performance Studies (Kerry,2014). As a child Washington never thought she would be able to get to where she is today (Ellen,2013) but because of all of her involvements when she was younger it has helped her develop confidence and courage in performing. After her college years, Washington went abroad to India to focus more on the culture of yoga and study traditional Indian theater. In India she was able to gain even more of a respect for acting helping her feel more emotional about the different roles she would play (Green,2014).
Her next big movie performance was for Quinten Tarantino’s film Django Unchained. Here she was able to rekindle her relationship with fellow friend, Jaime Fox by playing his wife who was a slave. Together they performed an incredible movie that achieved great popularity. In 2012, Washington switched over from her big time movie star roles to the small screen to star in the dramatic political series, Scandal (ABC,2013).
Washington has received a lot of attention by starring as Olivia Pope. She is the first African American female role in a major television series since the 1970’s(ABC,2013). Scandal had trouble gaining viewership within its first season but has steadily increased and is continuing now on its’ third season. This show has provided Washington with numerous nominations such as Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Telvision Series, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a drama series.(ABC,2013). Washington has gained world wide recognition for being such a versatile and humble actress. Presidents such as Barrack Obama and Bill Clinton love the show Scandal and have all expressed their strong feelings for it (Green,2014).
Life off-screen is just as extraordinary as Washington’s life on-screen. Just after a year of dating, Nnamdi Asomugha, she recently got married and had a baby. (Starpulse,2014). Washington has starred on many talk shows such as The Ellen Show, Wendy Williams, Dave Letterman and more. She is a friendly and an outgoing person that it is fun to watch through her interviews. Washington likes to play on her goofy side and poke fun at the different scandals her character; Olivia Pope has to deal with. She has a witty and spontaneous personality that encourages people to connect and relate to what she is saying.
Outside of acting Washington is involved in many advocacy groups. She is the advisor for a club called V.D.A.Y which is the Violence Against Women and Girls. Adocacy has been a major part of Washington’s life ever since her college years at George Washington University. “ She has been active in organizations like Creative Coalition and Americans for the Arts and has gone to the Hill to talk about arts appropriations,” (Green,2014). She believes that arts and humanities give Americans and understanding of the culture and as a nation. In 2008, she worked as an official surrogate with the Obama campaign and became fascinated with Washington D.C. Kerry Washington is a great fit as Olivia Pope in Scandal because she is able to bring some of her background knowledge of the district to her acting career making it feel authentic and genuine.
Kerry Washington has certainly followed her dreams in the pursuit of acting and will continue to chase that dream in the future. Scandal has made her a recognizable name to much of the American population creating a diverse and dedicated fan base. Washington’s love for Washington D.C. and passion to act has helped her in her development of the show. As she leads an interesting life both on and off the screen, Americans will continue to follow her success as she divulges into more Hollywood creations.
Washington’s first big on-screen debut was her part in the movie Our Song which came out in the year of 2000. She played Lanisha Brown, who was a high-schooler at the time. Washington’s premature acting career gained noticeable attention to people in the business, which lead to bigger future roles in movies such as Save the Last Dance and Bad Company (Green,2014).
In 2004, Washington played one of her biggest roles in her career in the movie Ray. Starring as Ray Charles, wife, Della Bea Robinson Washington was able to showcase her talents and receive major nominations which helped her increase popularity (Starpulse,2014). Ray won many awards which put Washington on the map for film producers. A year later, The Last King of Scotland opened the eyes to life in Uganda. Washington was able to play a similar role as she had previously in Ray, as the wife of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin (Kerry,2014). By playing a sexy but sophisticated character her versatility was shown to people all over the world. Suddenly fans were intrigued about Washington and quickly fell in love with her presence on-screen.
Reference Page
ABC. (2013). Olivia Pope: Played by Kerry Washington. ABC Scandal. Retrieved from http://abc.go.com/shows/scandal/cast/olivia-pope
Ellen DeGeneres (2013). Interview with Kerry Washing. EllenTV. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2nm-3dIX84
Green,T. ( 2014 January 31). Kerry Washington’s 37th birthday: 37 facts about the Hollywood beauty. International Business. Retrieved from http://www.ibtimes.com/kerry-washingtons-37th-birthday-37-facts-about-hollywood-beauty-1552208
Kerry Washington. (2014). The Biography. Retrieved fromhttp://www.biography.com/people/kerry-washington-21041523.
Starpulse. (2014) Kerry Washington biography. StarPulse. Retrieved from http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Washington,_Kerry/Biography/
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