Kerry Washington Gets Real with Lena Dunham in ‘Marie Claire’

Scandal star Kerry Washington sat down for a one-on-one interview with Girls creator Lena Dunham for Marie Claire in which the ladies touched on everything from privacy, to fashion, to (of course) the one and only Olivia Pope.

Although Washington is a public figure, the star has come to realize treasuring your privacy can be a good thing. “Earlier in my career, I was much more super-sharey. There were moments when I wanted to process things that were happening to me more privately, and I didn’t have the space to do it, because once you let people in, they’re in and you don’t get to say, “Oh, I want this for myself.””

Kerry is known for her impeccable sense of style on red carpets. Everything she wears is gold, but she wasn’t necessarily born the fashionista she is today.”…I just put myself in a boot camp of figuring it out—and realized that I really loved it. I guess because I came to it later in life, I realized, “Oh, going to a fashion show is like going to the opening of Degas at the Met or going to see Swan Lake”,”she shared.

Starring in Scandal as Olivia Pope is Kerry’s most notable role to date and the actress describes her relationship with the show’s creator Shonda Rhimes as a “waltz” of sorts. “I’m very respectful of Shonda’s vision of who Olivia [Pope] is, but she has said that she is informed by the choices I make. If we were waltzing, she’s definitely leading. And she picked the song, and she probably dressed us, but it is a waltz.”

Speaking of Olivia Pope, Kerry revealed that, like a lot of us, she channels Olivia’s get-it-done attitude when necessary. “I don’t think I consciously say, ‘What would Olivia Pope do?’ but there’s a new thread of belief in my own capacity that I think comes from her. She makes it happen. She figures it out. She fixes it.”

Kerry Washington for ‘Marie Claire’

You can read the full conversation between Kerry and Lena in the April issue of Marie Claire, on newsstands March 24. Also be sure to check out Lena’s guest starring role on Scandal on March 19!

Photo Credit: Tesh/Marie Claire

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