"Scandal" star Kerry Washington scored an Emmy nomination for best leading actress yesterday, making her the first black actress since since Cicely Tieson in 1998's "Sweet Justice" to earn the prized nod. If she wins, she will be the first black actress to receive this coveted Emmy since the award show began 65 years ago.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the star found out about her exciting nomination as she was boarding on a plane to fly back to L.A.
"I was at the airport, and it was that wonderful thing - you know how you're always a little preoccupied at the airport?," said the star of the unexpected news. "You're trying to get the right food to take on the flight with you. I had my dog with me, and I had to walk her, and go through security. My hands were full, and it was really nice to be so distracted. And then my phone rang and I saw that it was my publicist/friend Michelle, and I was like, 'Oh, oh, yeah. Whoa. I wonder what she's calling to say.'"
Needless to say, Washington was shocked and excited to learn she'd earned her first ever Emmy nomination.
"I'm just so excited that I get to see everybody and hug everybody and thank everybody today, because to me, this nomination is really a reflection of this cast, how we inspire each other and how we elevate each other," she told Entertainment Weekly yesterday.
"To me, I don’t approach the work or the life of the work from the perspective of, like, what are voters gonna think? Or, what are critics gonna think? I just can’t. Once you try to please a specific perspective or audience, for me, it gets in the way of the work. The work is telling the story, and that’s what you have to do: Tell the story in the best way possible to serve the creative vision and to serve the story. You can never control how it’s going to be received."
The actress recently spoke to ET Online, reacting to the news of her nomination while showing off her gorgeous wedding ring in a brand new video, which you can see and watch below!
Credit: Video Still, courtesy of OhNoTheyDidn't
