Does Scandal even exist without Kerry Washington? Once upon a time, there was a chance she wouldn’t play the show’s main character, Olivia Pope. ABC originally had a long list of white actresses selected for the role, and the network’s first choice was former Nashville star Connie Britton.
In honor of Scandal‘s 100th episode, the cast and crew discussed the show’s history with The Hollywood Reporter. Casting director Linda Lowy remembers, “The network was reading us their top choices, and it was Connie and all white women. I panicked. Somebody finally piped up, ‘We’re going to have to redo this list.'”
Washington admits that Olivia Pope would have been a great role for Britton, but creator Shonda Rhimes was not completely satisfied with the preliminary casting choices. She wanted to honor the story of the black woman the show is based on: Judy Smith, a Washington, D.C., fixer. When she was told Scandal would be a perfect match for Britton, Rhimes replied, “It would be, except Olivia Pope is black.”
She continues, “Nothing felt more important than the sense of outsiderness. I didn’t know that there hadn’t been a drama series with a leading black woman for 37 years.” Hence the ultimate choice of Kerry Washington for the part.
Lowy gushes, “It was Kerry from the moment I took her to meet Shonda.”
I, for one, can’t imagine the show without her.