Last Updated:
Washington wanted to allow the Obamas to create some distance if they felt it was necessary.
Scandal was a cultural phenomenon. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Kerry Washington recently recalled about a hilariously awkward moment involving her iconic role as Olivia Pope on Scandal. Imagine landing a dream role and then having to make a delicate phone call to the White House — yes, the actual White House. Washington, 47, shared how she handled the unique situation back in 2012. At the time, she was a member of President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. This meant her new role as Olivia Pope, a high-powered political fixer romantically entangled with the president on-screen, felt a little too close to home.
“I had to call Valerie Jarrett, who worked for the Obamas, and say, ‘I just want you to know that I’ve been cast in this show. Lil awkward, because on the show, I’m sleeping with the president,’” Washington recalled. She was referring to Jarrett, President Obama’s trusted senior advisor. “But like, you know, it’s gonna be fine, right?” she added with a laugh during her December 18 appearance on The View.
Washington wanted to allow the Obamas to create some distance if they felt it was necessary. “I wanted to give them a chance to distance themselves if they needed to. But they were like, ‘It’s fine. It’s TV.’ Again, for art, everything’s okay,” Washington explained. Thankfully, their response was laid-back and supportive.
From its premiere in 2012 to its dramatic finale in 2018, Scandal was a cultural phenomenon. Washington’s Olivia Pope and Tony Goldwyn’s President Fitzgerald Grant II, or Olitz, as fans affectionately called them, entertained the viewers with their tumultuous romance. The very first episode set the tone by revealing their affair, which would fuel the show’s drama for seven memorable seasons.
Interestingly, Olivia Pope was inspired by a real-life powerhouse: Judy Smith. Smith, who worked as deputy press secretary under President George H. W. Bush, made history in 1991 as the first Black woman to lead a White House press briefing. Later, she left politics to establish Smith & Company, a crisis management firm that inspired Shonda Rhimes to create Scandal, reports People.
Even Smith found herself in a “little awkward” moment when she had to inform President Bush about the show’s plot. Speaking to PEOPLE in April 2022, Smith recounted his humorous reaction: “I remember he left a message on the cell phone because he’s always a joker. It was like, ‘I love you. I want you. You left me. By the way, I’m the former leader of the free world. Call me.’”
Of course, Smith wasted no time shutting down the teasing. “I called him up. I said, ‘See, this is why I’m calling you now. Let’s stop joking about this stuff,’” she said. Though President Bush was known for his sense of humour, Smith emphasised that such jokes could be misconstrued.