In The Hollywood Reporter, Kerry Washington opened up about filming "Scandal" while pregnant and how it affected her character Olivia Pope.
Last night, 10.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the "Scandal" season three finale, easily making it the show's highest rated episode. And whether you've got issues with how the tide turned this season with certain characters and plot twists....the talented cast definitely deserves some accolades.
In the latest issue of THR, Emmy-nominated actress Kerry Washington revealed that this was her most challenging season...because of her pregnancy. Kerry, who's expecting her first child with husband Nnamdi Asomugha, opened up about the creative ways producers and stylists had to work around her belly and how the pregnancy affected her "Olivia Pope" character.
What was the hardest scene for you to film this season?
I work very physically as an actor. The biggest thing for me has been the challenge of how to be this person [Olivia Pope] with the personal transformation that's going on for me physically and how to stay true to this character. That hasn't been easy. It's been an awesome challenge for me as an actor because so much of how I access character is through my body. It's definitely been complicated to say the least. I've learned a lot about other ways to access Olivia and be her. It's interesting that Olivia has had such a dark season and that's been hard, too. I have my own understanding about who she is and to watch her go through and have to embody some of the things Olivia had to go through this season has really been challenging. I've always talked about my favorite thing about the character being the balance between her strength and vulnerability, so to be this very strong woman in these very dark periods of emotional vulnerability has been hard -- and fun (laughs).
What do you think about all the creative ways Scandal has concealed your pregnancy? Is there one that stood out to you?
I'm just grateful for how hard everybody has worked to maintain the authenticity of this character in this world. I'm grateful to [costume designer] Lyn Paolo and all our producers. The decision of whether or not a character would be on similar journey, I had nothing to do with that decision. I trust Shonda with all things. I feel very grateful that we have such an amazing team that was able to protect the character within the context of what the actress was going through.