Gladiator fever is in high and just when you couldn’t get enough of Kerry Washington on the red carpet and movies, Essence Magazine has the golden girl in full glory on it’s November issue. In celebration of Kerry’s return to ABC this Thursday night for Season 3 of “Scandal” she talks about her role as Olivia Pope and why she has more impact on America then we think.
“They are allowing an educated, intelligent, powerful, complicated, human, flawed, multidimensional Black woman into their homes. They’re not walking past her on the street, they’re not trying to avoid engaging her, they’re not ignoring her and pretending she’s somebody else’s family and somebody else’s problem…” – Kerry Washington
Shonda Rhimes, the brilliant creator behind it all, says Washington “is truly dedicated to making Olivia a real person. She adds layers and depth and a soul to Olivia.” No doubt that’s what keeps Washington’s 8.5 million die-hard fans, or Gladiators, coming back for more every Thursday at 10pm. But we wanted to know how similar Kerry Washington and Olivia Pope really are.
In the Essence Magazine feature “Olivia Vs. Kerry,” writer Denene Millner asks the 36-year-old what divides the artist from the muse. Washington says, “Olivia has three [fashion] modes: Work Olivia, Black-Tie Gala Olivia and At Home Olivia… My fashion is more eclectic: There’s Going to Work Kerry, which is gym clothes and Nike kicks. That’s the Bronx girl. There’s also Red Carpet Kerry and Out to Dinner With Friends Kerry.”
On what a Girls’ Night Out for Olivia would be, Washington says “it would involve a lot of wine.” For her, “I drink maybe twice a year. I would be with my three best friends from high school or my girlfriends from the show.”
ESSENCE’s November issue hits newsstands on October 10th.
