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Arts & Entertainment Kerry Washington: The ‘A Thousand Words’ Interview By Kam Williams Special to The Skanner News B orn in the Bronx on Jan. 31, 1977, Kerry Washington attended the Spence School and graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from George Washington University. After mak- ing an impressive film debut in Our Song in 2000, she went on to win the NAACP Image Award just five years later for play- ing Ray Charles’ wife, Della, opposite Jamie Foxx in “Ray.” She will again be paired with Jamie as his spouse in “Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino’s revenge flick about slavery in the antebellum South. Over the course of her meteoric rise in ‘There are so many untold stories when it comes to great women of color. Harriet Tubman’s definitely a shero, for sure’ Hollywood, Kerry has proved to be a versa- tile thespian by virtue of an impressive list of credits that includes memorable perform- ances in “Mother and Child,” “Night Catch- es Us,” “For Colored Girls,” “The Last King of Scotland,” “The Dead Girl” and “Lakeview Terrace.” She has also co-starred in “Fantastic Four” and its sequel, “Rise of the Silver Surfer,” “Miracle at St. Anna,” “I Think I Love My Wife,” “Little Man,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “She Hate Me,” “Against the Ropes,” “The Human Stain” and “Save the Last Dance.” On the small screen, Kerry is set to play the lead role of Olivia Pope on “Scandal,” a dramatic TV-series premiering on ABC in April. Here, she talks about her latest film, “A Thousand Words,” a comedy co-starring Eddie Murphy. Kam Williams: Hi Kerry, thanks for the interview. Kerry Washington: Thank you, Kam. How are you? KW: Great! And you? Kerry: Fine, thanks. KW: What interested you in “A Thousand Words?” Kerry: I really liked the message of the film, as well as the opportunity to work with Eddie Murphy. KW: What was it like working with Eddie? Kerry: It was great! It was particularly fun for me because I had worked with so many people who looked up to Eddie who had been inspired to go into the business by him, from Chris Rock to Jamie Foxx to the Wayans Brothers. So, it was like finally going to the source. KW: Did you every have trouble keeping Kerry Washington and Eddie Murphy star in ‘A Thousand Words’ a straight face on the set? Kerry: Yeah, he’s very funny. But he’s also incredibly focused, and takes comedy very seriously, if that makes any sense. [Chuckles] KW: Of course it does. What message do you think people will take away from the movie? Kerry: It’s kind of about valuing your words, understanding that what you say has consequences, and that you can’t just B.S. your way through life. KW: I have a lot of questions for you from fans. Kerry: Oh, fun! KW: Larry Greenberg says: The name of your character in “A Thousand Words” seems to be double top secret. I can’t find it anywhere at the usual online sources. See CELEBRITY on page 8 Check Out The Skanner Turn-the- Pages Web- Paper www.theskanner.com home page: click the ‘Full Print Version Online’ button to view our full newspapers, just as they are printed, on-line. Just click to turn the pages and click to zoom. Page 6 The Seattle Skanner February 29, 2012
