Scandal star Kerry Washington's second pregnancy has been a very different experience to her first.The actress, 39, had her first child, a girl named Isabelle Amarachi, in 2014 and is now expecting a second baby with husband, former American football star Nnamdi Asomugha.Speaking about her impending arrival, Kerry told the Associated Press, "Every day is different and, for me, definitely these two pregnancies have been very different."Happily, the mum-to-be also has a slightly reduced workload on Scandal, the U.S.
TV series in which she plays political fixer Olivia Pope. Its sixth season, which will air next year (17) has been cut from its usual 22 episodes to 16, a decision Kerry says was taken by the show's creator Shonda Rhimes for creative reasons rather than to accommodate her pregnancy.According to the actress, Shonda "knows what the story is. She knows about how many episodes she needs left to get there. And that was her decision."
In addition to her role in Scandal, Kerry has been branching out by producing as well as starring in Confirmation, an HBO drama about the infamous 1991 U.S. Senate hearings confirming Clarence Thomas as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, which aired earlier this year (16).In the TV film, Kerry played Anita Hill, a woman who testified alleging Clarence had sexually harassed her.
While she enjoyed sinking her teeth into a meaty role, Kerry particularly loved the opportunity to produce the show - because it enabled her to act like her Scandal alter ego Olivia in real life."I love producing because it allows me to play other characters in other worlds in other situations," she explained. "But that part of me, that part of Kerry, that likes to be a fixer and a helper and solve problems is really able to play. "I'm not exactly wearing a white suit or a white hat or carrying Prada. I usually have on sneakers and jeans and a baseball cap. But I still have a little Olivia Pope with me when I'm producing."
