To recap (SPOILER ALERT): In the pilot, a woman threatens to expose an affair she had with the President (Tony Goldwyn). In walks political fixer Olivia Pope (played by the beautiful Kerry Washington), who does her best to cover it up before Washington, D.C., is hit with Monica Lewinsky 2.0. Little do viewers know, however, that Olivia herself has a past with the President — and it’s a steamy one.

Celebuzz recently caught up with Washington, the star of such hit movies as Ray, The Last King of Scotland and Lakeview Terrace, to get the scoop on how that twist will play out in the rest of the season.

We also talked about how she handled Shonda Rhimes’ hyper-speed dialogue, and what it’s been like to work with another famous writer — Oscar winner Quentin Tarantino — on his new movie, Django Unchained. Check out the full interview below!

In the pilot, we find out that Olivia hooked up with, of all people, the President of the United States; how is that going to play out in the rest of the season?
I know this is going to sound like I’m trying to be vague, but I have to be honest with you: By the end of the season, you will realize that nobody is who you thought they were in the pilot episode, that things continue to unfold and reveal themselves. I can’t even begin to prep you for what lies ahead. I say that with a compassionate heart, because we were in your position. When you start working for Shonda, you don’t get an outline of the season. Each week was exciting and thrilling and shocking for us.

Given all of the twists and turns, it must have been very easy for you to say “yes” to this show.
Yeah. I wasn’t looking to do a network TV show, but I read the script and I was just floored; I just fell in love with the world of the show, which I feel like we’ve never seen before, and the character of Olivia Pope, who so complicated — the idea that, in her professional life, she’s so smart, sophisticated, powerful, totally together and in charge, and that, in her personal life, she’s so conflicted and vulnerable and torn in different directions. The idea of working as an actor, to embody both of those realities — which feels so human; we know so many people like that, who are able to be one way in one area of their lives, but in another area of their lives, they’re not able to empower themselves in the same way — is pretty incredible.

Kerry Washington Attends 'Welcome to ShondaLand' Event

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I was very impressed by your acting during the big scene inside the Oval Office. As an actor, how difficult was it to film such an emotional scene?
Actors, we’re very funny people. We’re like the only human beings who sit around waiting for a reason to someone to make us cry. So, when you get an opportunity to do a scene like that, you think, “Wow, this is a joy.” But then you get on set and you’re like, “This is painful!” [Laughs] So it was hard. But it was hard in the ways that are most fulfilling as an artist, to be able to kind of courageously go into those areas that challenge you emotionally, psychologically, and artistically.

At the end of the pilot, Olivia seemed very determined to take down the President, but I’m wondering if her feelings for him will get in the way as the season goes on.
Well, one of the things I love about the show is, the audience kind of enters the world through the Quinn character (Katie Lowes); they enter the world through the innocence and surprise of Quinn. They feel kind of impressed by Olivia Pope, the same way that Quinn does. But by the end of the episode, Olivia is shocked in the same ways that the audience is shocked — almost at the same time — so you begin to realize that even the person who’s supposed to have it all figured out is just as confused as you are. It’s one of the things I really like about the way the audience interacts with the first episode, because you begin seeing the world through Quinn’s eyes. You move to see the world through Olivia’s eyes and still Quinn’s eyes and other people’s.

You’re known primarily for your movie roles; were you at all nervous about transitioning into a full-time TV gig?
I mean, it wasn’t something I was looking for, but I guess I’m just so committed to being a person who works in lots of different mediums. The women whose careers I admire most are women who have made a life of working on the stage, and on film and on television, and just sort of in a fluid way doing the work in whatever the context. I think it’s really about the material — and that’s what happened. I fell in love with the material and I thought, “Well, that’s what matters.” I also think there’s so much quality stuff on television right now, and partly I think that’s because, in TV, the writer is King — or in our case, Queen — and that doesn’t always happen in film; the writer is not as important, or they are as important but they are not as respected or valued, always. So you tend to get really strong material on TV, because the people who are in charge of story are in charge.

Shonda Rhimes’ dialogue tends to be very fast-paced; have you forgotten any of your lines yet?
Oh, are you kidding? I’ve forgotten most of my lines. It’s a lot; I had full page, two page speeches at times, so, yeah, I definitely don’t still have the season memorized. It was hard, because sometimes we’d be holding two episodes in our brains at once, because we’d be finishing up one while starting to work on the next one.

I have to close with a nerdy fan question: How has it been working on Quentin Tarantino’s new movie, Django Unchained?
Oh it’s pretty amazing; I’d never worked with Quentin before. It’s tremendous to work with a true auteur, and somebody who is such an inspired filmmaker. It’s a phenomenal process. It’s great to be reunited with Jamie [Foxx] again, and shooting in New Orleans with Jamie again. It’s great.

Kerry Washington at the 2011 Emmy Awards

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]]> http://www.celebuzz.com/2012-04-12/kerry-washington-talks-scandal-no-one-is-who-they-seem-exclusive/feed/ 1 http://www.celebuzz.com/2011-11-19/trend-spotting-celebs-loving-monochromatic-ensembles-photos/ http://www.celebuzz.com/2011-11-19/trend-spotting-celebs-loving-monochromatic-ensembles-photos/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:00:57 +0000 Kristie Dash http://www.celebuzz.com/?p=9277951 On the red carpet, there are always multiple trends to be spotted. Whether we are talking menswear, neons, or neutrals, they all have one thing in common: Celebs are making them monochromatic! The key to really achieving the effect of the monochromatic trend is to truly commit to sticking with one color. It may scare...Read more»]]> On the red carpet, there are always multiple trends to be spotted. Whether we are talking menswear, neons, or neutrals, they all have one thing in common: Celebs are making them monochromatic!

The key to really achieving the effect of the monochromatic trend is to truly commit to sticking with one color. It may scare you to think about at first, but it is easier than it looks.

One way to easily work this trend into your wardrobe is to go for a long sleek dress in one solid color. Any color works, but if you want to be bold, go bright! Fergie, Jessica Alba, Zoe Saldana, and Jennifer Lawrence all went for daring colors like bright blue, emerald green, and orange red, while Emma Stone and Beyonce Knowles wore slightly subdued colors in peach and deep green satin.

Heidi Klum and Rihanna have both worn monochromatic suiting separates, so that is another way to experiment with working a single color. Guys…this one works for you, too!

Hot ladies in Menswear Separates

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Starlets like Leighton Meester, Naya Rivera, and Kerry Washington have sported short dresses with coordinating shoes and jewelry at their events.

The ultimate commitment? Matching dress, makeup, shoes, bag, and jewelry. Jennifer Lopez, Ashley Greene, and Dita von Teese would all have to be nominated for the best monochromatic ensemble award.

But the top spot has to go to Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga, who wore an all-green airport outfit (with matching hair) as well as the red foil MTV EMA costume straight off the runway. The world is always watching to see what Gaga will wear next, and quite often, she goes monochromatic.

There are so many ways to wear this trend, so whether you have a red-carpet event on your agenda or are preparing for a hot date, you can find a way to try it out.

Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev jumped on the red gown band wagon with a super-sexy, show stopping Donna Karan getup. She told Celebuzz of the style, “It’s different than anything I’ve ever worn before. I like to take risks, I try to step out of the box every now and then.”

Check out all red getups at the Emmys in our gallery and let us know which one best suits you. 

kate winslet wears red

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Be sure to follow Celebuzz on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr for more fashion tips, pics and quips!!

nina's show-stopping gown

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]]> http://www.celebuzz.com/2011-09-18/trend-spotting-ladies-in-red-hit-emmy-awards-red-carpet-photos/feed/ 14 http://www.celebuzz.com/2011-09-18/kerry-washington-rocks-2011-emmys-red-carpet-in-red-photos/ http://www.celebuzz.com/2011-09-18/kerry-washington-rocks-2011-emmys-red-carpet-in-red-photos/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:20:21 +0000 Andy Scott http://www.celebuzz.com/?p=8815931 Keeping with the unofficial trend of the evening, Kerry Washington arrived to the 2011 Emmys wearing – you guessed it – red. The 34-year-old actress looked effortless in a red half-see-through Zuhair Murad dress that gave fans a sneak peek at her stunning legs. She also matched the dress with a shade of bold red lipstick....Read more»]]> Keeping with the unofficial trend of the evening, Kerry Washington arrived to the 2011 Emmys wearing – you guessed it – red.

The 34-year-old actress looked effortless in a red half-see-through Zuhair Murad dress that gave fans a sneak peek at her stunning legs. She also matched the dress with a shade of bold red lipstick.

Kerry can next be seen at midseason on the ABC drama Scandal, from Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes.

In the meantime, check out Kerry on the Emmys red carpet now.

So we want to know: Who do you think is the sexiest? Vote in the poll and leave your favorite a few comments!

Carey Mulligan

The Drive actress has been spotted all over Australia with Leonardo  DiCaprio and Tobey MacGuire filming the highly-anticipated remake of The Great Gatsby. It’s be also rumored that she’s secretly engaged to boyfriend, Marcus Mumford, the frontman for Mumford & Sons.

Tobey macguire & Carey mulligan spotted jogging on bondi beach

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Keri Hilson

Riding on the success of her sophomore album, No Boys Allowed, the pop and R&B crooner has been touring with Lil’ Wayne and the Far East Movement. In addition to her music career, Keri recently voiced her opinion on how hard it is for single women to find an honest man nowadays:

“It’s like real men are a dying breed. It’s hard for single women, and I just wanted to really, correctly, represent our standpoint. We all feel we need to start holding men more accountable.”

Kerry Washington

The actress is gearing up for the debut of her new ABC show, Scandal, which premieres this fall. She also used her Twitter account to express her excitement:

“I’m so inspired by this entire cast & crew on @scandalABC WHOA! So fun! So much love. So much commitment and effort and joy and creativity!”

Carrie Underwood

The country megastar recently revealed that she’s back in the studio, and that her latest album is halfway done. “I’ve been writing quite a bit. And I’ve been in the studio a little bit. So I probably have about half an album done right now and trying to fill in the gaps and figure out what pieces of the puzzle are missing, but it’s a fun time right now figuring everything out,” she told On Air With Ryan Seacrest. She also revealed her plans for a 2012 tour. We can’t wait!

carrie underwood cheers at nashville predators hockey game

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Carey Hart

With the birth of his daughter, Willow, in June with wife, Pink, Carey has been busy as a doting dad. When he’s not changing diapers, the BMX star was found earlier this month at this year’s Dew Tour in Salt Lake City, which features skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross competitions.

new parents pink & carey hart run errands in beverly hills

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Keri Russell

The former Felicity actress is pregnant with her second child, and was spotted at the US Open with hubby, Shane Deary, and Entourage actor Jeremy Piven. In addition to gearing up for baby No. 2, Keri is prepping for her latest film, Austenland, which is produced by Twilight author, Stephenie Meyer.

Kerry, 33, wore a peach bandage dress to the Producers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, January 22. Kerry accessorized her pretty dress with ivory Rene Caovilla heels.

What do you think of Kerry’s dress? Check out previous editions of Love the Look and play fashion critic in the comments.

Not only does the color of Jen’s fuchsia Rouland Mouret frock just pop on the red carpet, we Love the Look of the unexpected draping and sweet Peter Pan-like collar. Plus, who can resists the peek of the red soles on her Louboutin heels?

Click through to check out Jen’s head-to-toe look and scope the other celebs who made the cut for Love the Look.

Cameron Diaz rocked a lipstick-red Azzaro sheath at the Green Hornet premiere in Hollywood while Rachel McAdams popped on the red carpet in Berlin in Michael Kors. We Love the Look of these super-hot screen sirens.

Click through to see more of Cameron, Rachel and other stars who made the cut for Love the Look.

We love how these stars in stripes make make their everyday outfits look that much more chic with timeless striped shirts. The oversized shades never hurt either!

Click here to check out Nicole, Emma and more lovely ladies who made the cut for Love the Look.

Photo Credit: Fame/Flynet

We Love the Look of their long sleeves, short hems and body-hugging fits!

Click here to indulge in some leggy loveliness and scope out the other ladies who made the cut for Love the Look.

Photo Credit: Getty/WireImage

We Love the Look of Taylor’s twist and Lucy’s easy breezy chignon; both look like the ladies simply pulled their hair back, let a few face-framing strands hang loose and said “Voila!” Both accentuated with statement lips (red on Lucy and peach on Taylor) that say ‘awards show chic without trying too hard.’

We Love the Look! Click through to scope out Taylor and Lucy’s styles and more ladies who made the cut for Love the Look.

As challenging as it might be for an average Jane to pull off, we Love the Look of Beyonce’s daring New York streetwear. Don’t expect to catch this diva in a pair of Uggs anytime soon.

Click through to check out Beyonce’s studded leggings, Kim Kardashian’s shimmery mini dress and more ladies who made the cut for Love the Look.

Emmanuelle bucked the system with sexy, snug fitting jeans and added a hint of holiday sparkle around her neckline. Loose waves completed the effortless party ensemble she rocked at the grand opening of the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas.

Click here to check out Emmanuelle’s sexy look, Kim Kardashian’s shimmery mini and more of the fine-looking ladies who made the cut for Love the Look. Click here for Emmanuelle’s Sexiest Looks!

Katie made us say well, well wellie with her pre-gym rain couture. Click through to check them out and peep the other ladies who made the cut for Love the Look. For more photos of Stars Braving The Rain, click here.

Spotted on the red carpet were 90210‘s AnnaLynne McCord, 21, Heroes‘ Kristen Bell, 28, and Brea Grant, 27, fired from the sequel to Twilight‘s Taylor Lautner, 16, Gabrielle Union, 36 (*ahem* Young Hollywood?), Channing Tatum‘s fiancee Jenna Dewan, 28, Entourage‘s Kevin Connolly, 34, and Jerry Ferrara, 29, Taye Diggs, 37 (did he come with Gabrielle?), a bespectacled Matt Dallas, 26, Jennifer Morrison, 29, Sanaa Lathan, 37, Lakeview Terrace‘s Kerry Washington, 31, and former Dirty Sexy Money actress Samaire Armstrong, 28.

Celebrities designed their own red carpet jewelry and shoes for the event. The pieces will be sold to the highest bidders at a charity auction at a Los Angeles art gallery on May 28.

Everyone seemed to arrive with some taste, with a few exceptions.

That giant braid wrapped around Samaire’s head wasn’t flattering.

Kristen Bell rocked some trousers that might have looked more appropriate at a retirement community’s dance recital.

And Taylor Lautner seems to be taking his firing from the upcoming Twilight sequel as an excuse to get a Saturday Night Fever re-make going.