Her Gone Life

One of my favorite actress is Kerry Washington. Did you see my girl in Ray or in The Last King of Scotland?! I really do enjoy seeing Kerry act, so I was excited for this interview about her new movie "A Thousand Words" with Eddie Murphy.

Note: This post was written as part of a compensated campaign through Blogalicious' bLink. Views expressed are always 100% my own.

Staring next to Eddie Murphy is no easy job for any actress. Many actress might be nervous but Kerry had some interesting things to say about drew her to the film and whether she see's herself as a 'black" actress

• QUESTION: What drew you to the film and to the role?

Kerry Washington: What drew me most to this film were the values of the story as a whole. I really love that the story is about the value and importance of communication, and of saying what you mean, and meaning what you say. One of the important things that Eddie's character learns is that It's just as important to listen when communicating as it is to speak. All of those messages are dealt with in a comedic way. It elevates the issues in a way that makes them fun, and I love that. In terms of [my character], I enjoyed playing a woman who was committed to her husband, and to her family and really willing to make it work; willing to even do things outside of her comfort zone because she really believes in the beauty of the relationship and wants their family to work.

• QUESTION: You recently accepted an award from Essence "Black Women in Hollywood" and was named an honoree. What has that meant for you?

Kerry Washington: I think that it's great when we, as women of color support one another. One of the things that I said in my acceptance speech at the Essence Luncheon was that I pray for the success of my fellow Women of Color in this industry because when one of us does well it creates a space of opportunity for more of us. It's why I want a film like "A Thousand Words" to do well, because then we get to make more comedies about the values that speak to the goodness of who we are as people. It's why I want a show like "Scandal" to be a hit, so that all of the networks know that you can put a woman of color in the number one position and have a success, even though they've been afraid to do that. The more that we support each other the stronger we'll continue to be.

• QUESTION: You've mentioned that Diahann Carroll is one of your inspirations. Do you see yourself in similar historical terms as her with respect to your new series "Scandal"?

Kerry Washington: There is the reality that not since Diahann Carroll has a Black woman been the lead of her own show on network television. There have been great examples on cable with Jada Pinkett, Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose. But no network has [done this] since Diahann Carroll in "Julia". So it is a tremendous moment and I really celebrate Shonda Rhymes for her incredible success that has created the room for this opportunity. She is a woman of a color, A black woman who inspires me tremendously, and who I know if she didn't exist, this role wouldn't exist so that's what I mean: we have the opportunity to pay-it-forward with each other and as we create spaces of success we have the opportunity to create those similar spaces for other women, and other women of color.

• QUESTION: Do you see yourself as a Black female actor playing a Black female role? Or, do you see yourself as an actor playing a character that happens to be black?
  

Kerry Washington: That speaks to a classic phrase in our history. The idea of Double Consciousness. It's something that none of us as people of color can avoid. We're always aware of being both a human being and also being a person of color. For women it's complicated even more by being [female]. We have a lot of different roles that we play in the world . I try not to think so much about {exaggerated seriousness} "How do I see myself in the context of my own life?" I try to just live it day-by-day and make choices along the way that feel like the best [ones].


So what do you think? The movie has a great story idea right? After all we all know someone who talks just a little bit to much or maybe...we might?


About

Eddie Murphy is Jack McCall, a fast-talking literary agent, who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja (Cliff Curtis) for his own selfish purposes. But Dr. Sinja is on to him, and Jack's life comes unglued after a magical Bodhi tree mysteriously appears in his backyard. With every word Jack speaks, a leaf falls from the tree and he realizes that when the last leaf falls, both he and the tree are toast. Words have never failed Jack McCall, but now he's got to stop talking and conjure up some outrageous ways to communicate or he's a goner.

To learn more about the movie, visit - www.thousandwordsmovie.com