Kerry Washington is best known for her role as Olivia Pope on the ABC drama, Scandal, which was written and produced by Shonda Rhimes.
However, before landing the leading role on the political drama, Washington said that she was dismissed from and recast in two pilots that later went on to become series. Washington explained in an upcoming episode of Variety’s Actors On Actors that she was fired because she did not sound “hood” or “urban” enough.
Aziz Ansari, her co-host in the episode, echoes her sentiments. Ansari says that almost every non-White, non-hetero actor in Hollywood has likely had the experience of being asked by a casting director, “Hey, can you speak a little more like how I think people that look like you speak?”
The problem, Ansari says, is that “you end up with other people’s perceptions on what certain people are like.” The result? An on-screen production that not only lacks authenticity, but is also discriminatory and insulting.
Washington states that with her new role, things have changed. She explains “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 the work yourself.”
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