Why Kerry Washington Thinks Scandal Would Never Have Been Made Today

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Kerry Washington, who played Olivia Pope connected the governmental play Scandal from 2012 to 2018, revealed whether she thought the deed bid would person been made successful 2024.

By Will Reid Oct 11, 2024 6:31 PMTags

Shonda Rhimes Reveals SHOCKING Method Behind Her Creative Process

Kerry Washington has a scandalous blistery take.

While the Scandal star received captious acclaim for her groundbreaking portrayal of situation manager Olivia Pope connected the ABC governmental drama, the histrion was blunt erstwhile asked if she thought the amusement would get made today.

“No,” Washington said during a panel astatine the Bloomberg Screentime league Oct. 10. “100 percent no. For truthful galore reasons.”

When the bid premiered successful 2012, Washington was the archetypal Black pistillate to pb a web play successful 38 years—after Teresa Graves successful Get Christie Love!, which debuted connected ABC successful 1974—and lone the 3rd successful American tv history.

“I was successful my aboriginal thirties astatine the time, truthful it hadn’t happened successful my lifetime,” the Django Unchained prima noted. “I hadn’t seen it, and everybody called it a risk. The workplace thought it was a risk, the web thought it was a risk. Everybody was arrogant of ABC [and] Disney for taking this risk.”

Describing the existent TV clime arsenic being “risk-averse,” she added, “I don’t cognize that it would person been greenlit with me, with a Black pistillate astatine the center.”

The 47-year-old besides pointed retired that execs initially had a antithetic histrion successful caput to instrumentality connected her now-iconic role, for which she earned 2 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress successful a Drama Series.

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Shonda Rhimes has talked astir this publicly,” Washington said of the Scandal creator. “When they archetypal work the script, the executives were like, ‘This is simply a large relation for Connie Britton.’ And I emotion Connie, but the amusement is inspired by a existent pistillate named Judy Smith, who is simply a Black woman.”

She continued, “If it hadn’t been inspired by a existent pistillate who is simply a Black woman, past everybody would person said, ‘Let’s marque her white.’ You didn’t person the enactment to accidental that.”

While Britton yet didn’t instrumentality connected the relation arsenic Rhimes’ imaginativeness yet won ABC over, the Nashville alum does person rather the transportation to the series: Katie Lowes worked arsenic a nanny for her lad Eyob, present 13, earlier being formed successful the relation of Quinn Perkins.

“I was truthful upset erstwhile she got this small pilot,” Britton joked to E! News successful 2014. “I deliberation it was truly beauteous selfish connected her part, I'll beryllium honest.”

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