Say the name Kerry Washington, and our mind goes to Olivia Pope’s trademark white suits and sleek, black hair. The actress has earned plaudits and fans galore through her performance in the tense drama Scandal, taking viewers through six years of intrigue. But as she returns to our screens in new drama Little Fires Everywhere, we’ve been thinking about the roles that came before and a whole host of incredible performances. So, from Save The Last Dance to Mr & Mrs Smith, here are our favourites.
Save The Last Dance
We were obsessed with this film. Ballet dancer Julia Stiles lost her mother and her dreams of studying dance in one foul swoop. Relocating to a new home and a new school, she found love and a new passion for modern dance and hip-hop. Kerry played Chenille, her new best friend who taught her all about how to survive a new environment.
She won us over in her first scene by stealing Julia’s backpack, just to teach her an important lesson about leaving things on the floor. A Marie Kondo convert ahead of her time.
Mr & Mrs Smith
Look, this was a mess of a film. The story made little sense, the script was a mess, and it didn’t really go anywhere. But Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s chemistry was so good that no one really cared. Kerry was along for the ride as Jasmine, one of Jane’s colleagues.
Fantastic Four
Again, a bit of a mess if we’re honest. Some of Kerry’s films have not reviewed well. But in her role as Alicia Masters – a blind woman who falls for gigantic rock man The Thing – she leant heart and warmth to a film that was otherwise a simple series of action sequences.
The Last King Of Scotland
Kerry played Kay Amin in this Oscar-winning drama based on real events. The wife of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Kay meets and falls for his physician, played by James McAvoy. Her tragic fate is the vital reminder that Udi’s charisma was a smokescreen for his cruel deeds and horrific brutality.
Django Unchained
In this revisionist Western from Quentin Tarantino, Kerry plays Broomhilda von Shaft, wife of Jamie Foxx’s Django. Women don’t always do very well in Tarantino films, but Kerry makes an impression as a slave who takes her fate into her own hands, in typical Tarantino fashion.
Scandal
We’ve already mentioned Scandal, but it bears repeating. Kerry is sublime as Olivia Pope, the perfect balance of impressive strength with human weakness. Captivating, inspiring and always watchable, Kerry made Olivia one of most impressive TV heroines of this decade.
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