It’s not often that you have to have a majorly awkward conversation about the President of the United States—but that’s exactly what Kerry Washignton had to endure when her hit seres “Scandal” aired on television years ago.
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Recounting the experience in a new interview on “The View” on Thursday, the veteran actress detailed how she back when the show aired in 2012, she was a part of the president’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. That position made her question if her role on the show would jeopardize her good standing with the Obamas as her famous character “Olivia Pope” engages in a years-long affair with the fictional president Fitzgerald Grant (played by Tony Goldwyn).
Knowing all of this and how potentially awkward it might be, Washington wanted to make sure there would be no issues with her serving, so she called the president’s Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett to gauge whether or not she’d be okay.
“I had to call Valerie Jarrett, who worked for the Obamas, and say, ‘I just want you to know that I’ve been cast in this show. Lil awkward, because on the show, I’m sleeping with the president,’” she jokingly explained. “But like, you know, it’s gonna be fine, right? I wanted to give them a chance to distance themselves if they needed to.”
Thankfully for Washington, her fears were unfounded as Jarrett ended up telling the Emmy-winning actress that the presidential couple had no reservations about the show or her role.
“They were like, ‘It’s fine. It’s TV.’ Again, for art, everything’s okay!” Washington detailed.
Hearing that the Obamas were okay with “Scandal” airing and Washington playing a president’s mistress is good news -- imagine if they’d said no? We would’ve never gotten seven seasons of nail-biting, delicious drama-filled television.
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