Kerry Washington’s roles as an actress have changed and developed drastically from her “Save the Last Dance” days. Since 2012, she has gained widespread public appreciation after starring in ABC’s drama “Scandal,” as head-honcho and gladiator, Olivia Pope. However, before landing the lead role, the actress struggled to find work that was a good fit for her.
It’s no secret, Hollywood has been known to type-cast women of color to special stereotypical roles. Instead, Washington wanted roles that would allow her to interpret them in her own way.
The actress told Aziz Ansari in Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, “Before Scandal, I was actually cast in two other pilots,” she said. “Both went to series, but I was fired and recast. For both, It was because they wanted me to sound more ‘girlfriend,’ more like ‘hood,’ more ‘urban.’”
As a solution, Ansari, as well as several writers and producers in the industry, including Shonda Rhimes, writers of “Scandal”, have created roles to give characters more dimension and opened doors for minorities that are not able to break out of the type-casted roles. “You can’t wait for anyone to open doors for you.” He said. “You have to create your own doors.”
Washington is far removed from the “girlfriend” roles; she feels she is now able to create her own roles. “I definitely feel like I’m at that point where it’s nice to not have to sit at home and wait to be invited to the party, but to be creating work for yourself,” Washington told Ansari.
