You would not have guessed Kerry Washington was pregnant as Olivia Pope on "Scandal," and now the new mother opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the challenges of shooting the series while pregnant. Find out what she had to say!
"All of last season was a challenge for me, on a few levels. For one thing, I was going through this amazing physical transition, this physical journey of having a baby, that my character was not going through," Washington told the publication.
"And I work very physically. What I do is often grounded in the body. That meant I had to figure out how to be this woman while my instrument was changing and evolving every day. It was like seeing the keys on a piano jump around on a daily basis. It was tough for me to even maintain Olivia's walk because of the changes."
She also revealed the emotional aspect that comes with being pregnant.
"At the same time, everything I understood about Olivia unraveled because of the storylines. The season really broke me. I'm a Type A actor who likes to have it all figured out going in, but suddenly I had no idea where this woman was going to go next. I had to jump in without everything being perfect," Washington explained.
"I felt like I had been in control playing the character, but it all got taken away from me last season. That meant my acting toolbox had to be upgraded. I had to trade in my screwdriver and hammer for a Black and Decker power tool."
Washington and former NFL star Nnamdi Asomugha welcomed daughter Isabella Amarachi Asomugha on April 21.The former cornerback signed the certificate on April 29 as the father and as the attendant who served as legal witness to the birth on April 24.
During a Q&A session with the LA Times, a fan tweeted, "Now that you're a mom, will it be bittersweet to go back to work?"
"So tricky, 'cause you know I don't talk about this stuff," the star replied. "But I will say I feel really, really blessed. I feel really blessed that I'm kind of living extraordinary dreams come true in my work life and in my personal life."
Are you surprised Washington faced challenges while shooting "Scandal" pregnant? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.