Kerry Washington: ‘I’m the luckiest broad in Hollywood now’

Kerry Washington is looking pretty enviable on the cover of June’s Elle magazine.

The “Scandal� star is proclaimed by the fashion mag to be “the hottest woman on TV.� The ABC political drama in which she plays White House PR maven Olivia Pope, who has a steamy affair with the president, helped launch her to stardom. But her role in Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-winning “Django Unchained� has people continuing to pay attention.

“I’m the luckiest broad in Hollywood now,� she told the mag. “To be the lead actor on ‘Scandal’ and to be in the highest-earning Tarantino movie -- I don’t get to ask for more.�

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Washington was recognized for her role as slave Broomhilda von Schaft, the wife of Jamie Foxx’s titular Django, who is taken to a different plantation than her husband. Washington’s resume is long but has a few standout roles, including a stint in “Boston Legal� and appearances in the “Fantastic Four� franchise, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,� “For Colored Girls� and “A Thousand Words.� Her first big film role came before all that in 2001, when she appeared with Julia Stiles in “Save the Last Dance.�

The 36-year-old will next appear in Tina Gordon Chism’s comedy “Peeples,� alongside “The Office’s� Craig Robinson and David Alan Grier. The film hits theaters May 10.

But her recent success seems to be unexpected. If you were to ask her if she ever thought she’d be an actress or model, she’d say no.

“I was not that girl. I was a kooky theater kid, silly and goofy and academic,� she said. “I imagined I’d be a clinical psychologist, with a focus on how performance shapes identity. I’d figure out ways to use role-playing in the healing of people.�

Washington dons designs by Giorgio Armani, Balmain, Tom Ford, Giambattista Valli and Marc Jacobs for the Elle spread and admits all the glitz and glam has been pretty nice, even the strenuous routine of getting red-carpet ready.

“I found out I enjoy the process,� she said. “All these people show up at my house, they all have kits, someone has dresses. And it’s like, let’s have fun. It’s not all about me. We’re able to create stories on the red carpet.�

And she totally has. Monday night she wore a black and floral Vera Wang gown to the Costume Institute’s annual Met Gala and rocked purple highlights in her hair.

The June edition of Elle hits newsstands May 21.

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