Channeling her inner 60s glam goddess in a high-fashion spread in this month’s VOGUE Italia, Scandal star Kerry Washington wraps her vintage glamour in some pretty powerful words: America is not a post-racial society and black actors are suffering because of it.
A caption accompanying stunning pictures of Washington wearing Roberto Cavalli animal print jumpsuits, bouffant wigs and Jackie Onassis-inspired pencil suits credits the actress with saying that Hollywood is still hung up on color—a problem that limits black actors from truly excelling in their craft. A rough translation of the quote reads: “In this country we fancy ourselves to live in a post racial era, but [that is] a blunder. If the lead role is given to an African-American, the studios are still convinced that the film will be seen by an audience mostly of color. [There are] very few African American actors who do not suffer from this limitation.”
Washington’s observations come just as she prepares for a second season of her hit show Scandal, a high-drama show featuring a multi-racial cast assembled by Shonda Rhimes, one of the rare African American show runners with the success and power to cast black actors in diverse TV roles. The VOGUE Italia feature also comes as Washington wraps filming on the upcoming Quentin Tarrantino film, Django, which also stars Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio.
