Acting is a mirror through which we get entertained, inspired, and sometimes educated. Creators like Shonda Rhimes know this too well. Whether they are retelling the life of an icon or creating an imaginary world for us to live in, show producers have no choice but to bring nothing but their very best to the table.
The story of Olivia Pope was therefore not just another story on television. Several young girls of African American origin may have looked at Kerry Washington in her element and said, ‘I want to be an actress when I grow up.’ That is how powerful a show like Scandal can be. Before Rhimes and her team settled on Washington, other actresses almost played the iconic role. What was the casting process like? Here's how it went.
6 Shonda Rhimes Was Making History
Shonda Rhimes’ production partner Betsy Beers introduced her to Judy Smith, a Washington fixer who handled a couple of high-profile cases, including the Monica Lewinsky – Bill Clinton scandal. What Rhimes thought would be a quick meeting turned into hours of talk. “Four and a half hours later, we both looked up and we were starving, but I’d had, like, ideas for almost a hundred episodes in my head already,” Rhimes said during an interview with Charlie Rose. Rhimes thought Smith’s entire job description was fascinating, especially the idea that it involved walking into someone’s life during their worst day and having to get too personal too quickly. By the time she was ready to develop the show, she was about to make history since it had been thirty-plus years since a female black lead had appeared on primetime television.
5 Almost Every High-Profile African American Actress Auditioned
The entire character, Olivia Pope, was inspired by Smith, but Rhimes had to give her a whole new background and a messy love life that viewers were fascinated by. Given that it was a history-making kind of show that eventually paved way for actresses like Viola Davis, Rhimes says that every top actress of color was given the opportunity to audition. “I felt a real responsibility to let every actress who’s in the age range, who was an African American actress, working in town of a certain level, audition. It was like Cinderella. We had everybody try that shoe on” Rhimes said.
4 It Was Taraji P. Henson’s Last Audition
Back in 2016, Taraji and Ryan Reynolds got to talk about auditions, and the Empire star revealed that she was amongst those who wanted to play the role of Olivia Pope. “Thank God Kerry got it. It was her job…I think that was the last time I auditioned. It’s crazy because I’m not that actress that wants to do everything. When I got it (the script), I was like, ‘This is Kerry Washington,” Taraji told Reynolds. “That was her blessing…absolutely!” the vibrant actress added.
3 Gabrielle Union Auditioned Too
Before we came to know Gabrielle Union as the fierce Mary Jane Paul on the BET series Being Mary Jane, yet another powerful African American woman-led role, she, just like Taraji, was given the option of auditioning for the role of Olivia Pope. Makes sense, right? Olivia Pope and Mary Jane Paul are not too far from each other. Both are in the limelight, both are known to make headlines, and behind the scenes of their public lives, have complicated love lives. Union, while speaking to Essence, said of her loss to Washington: “ When Kerry got it, I congratulated her. Now after every episode, I am leading the charge, like, ‘Gladiators! Stand Up!” I’m obsessed with the show.”
2 Sandra Oh Really Loved The Script
The role of Olivia Pope was so good, that reading the script gave former Grey’s Anatomy star Sandra Oh chills. She badly wanted the part and asked Rhimes for it. Oh, in conversation with Washington, said, “I was on Grey’s. I read that pilot. Someone snuck it to me [I don’t know who], but I got my hands on that pilot and I read it and I was like, ‘How can I play Olivia Pope?'. Even though at the time she was on Grey’s Anatomy, she went up to Shonda Rhimes and asked her, ‘How can I do this? Could I do this, too?’" Rhimes had to remind Oh that she had Cristina Yang to focus on.
1 But Rhimes Knew It Was Washington's Role
Everyone who has watched an episode of Scandal agrees on one thing: whoever did the casting did it right, and just like Taraji said, the role was meant for Washington. When Rhimes had a sit-down with Kerry Washington on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Scandal creator revealed that she immediately had a hunch that Washington was the right woman for the job. “You came in and it was literally like two seconds in, you started talking about politics, and I knew that I wanted Kerry for the part. But I have one of those faces where, when I get excited, I start writing inside my head and my face goes blank. So, people think I don’t like them as opposed to, ‘She’s really excited!’” Rhimes said. The rest, as they say, is history.
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