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
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Page 6 The Seattle Skanner February 29, 2012