Kerry Washington says that she’s previously been fired from two television pilots for not sounding more like a girlfriend and not being “hood” or “urban” or enough.
“Before Scandal, I was actually cast in two other pilots. Both went to series, but I was fired and recast,” Washington told Variety. “For both, it was because they wanted me to sound more ‘girlfriend,’ more like ‘hood,’ more ‘urban.’”
Washington sat down with Variety in an interview with comedian Aziz Ansari, who also shared his own experiences with racist casting producers.
“A lot of other minority actors have told me, ‘Oh, this so rings a bell’ when you go into an audition room and you see a bunch of people that look like you and you just start feeling like, ‘Oh I’m not here (for me), I’m here because I fit what looks like the person they want in here,”‘ Ansari said.
The firings ultimately led Washington to pursue the role as Olivia Pope in Shonda Rhimes' hit series Scandal, which is now in its fifth season 89 episodes later.
Washington added, "I definitely feel like I’m at that point where it’s nice to not have to sit at home and wait to be invited to the party, but to be creating work for yourself."
