Kerry Washington avoids roles that ‘reinforce stereotypes’

Kerry Washington deliberately avoids roles that “reinforce stereotypes”.

The Scandal actress explained that she carefully considers the cultural impact of every role before accepting it, particularly in relation to women and the Black community.

“I’ve always been comfortable saying no to something if it wasn’t good for the culture,” she told InStyle. “If I read a script and thought, ‘That’s not going to be good for women,’ or ‘That’s not an image that’s good for the Black community’ – not that my character had to be perfect; I was always really drawn toward flawed characters. But I never wanted to play characters that reinforced stereotypes. That clarity has always been there for me.”

The 48-year-old went on to share that she has grown increasingly confident in turning down projects that do not align with her values.

“Now I’m in a place where I’m more comfortable saying no for my inner artistry,” Kerry said. “In this season (of my life), it’s more important for me to be at drop-off and pick-up (at school). It’s a real privilege.”

The Django Unchained actress, who has two children with her actor husband Nnamdi Asomugha, also reflected on shifting her ambitions beyond professional achievement.

“I want to be ambitious for things other than professional success: Ambitious for my kids, ambitious for my marriage, ambitious for life,” she explained. “Work is a big part of my life – I’m not retiring, I’m not walking away – but I’m ambitious about living a full life.”