The Power of Purpose

Kerry Washington moves with a quiet assuredness that instinctually makes you want to follow her lead. Her natural walk is softer than the strut we watched her do for seven seasons as Olivia Pope on Scandal, but no less commanding. When she stepped onto the set of her EBONY cover shoot, she barely made a sound, yet everyone hopped to attention in such a synchronized fashion that you would’ve thought we were all part of her Six Triple Eight battalion. Yet, in real life, she needs no whistle.

As requested, a Beyoncé and Rihanna playlist began to blast from a nearby speaker. She quietly conferred with the photographer for a few quick minutes before taking her place in front of the camera, where we thought she’d be taking a few warm-up test shots. However, as we watched her instantly contour her body into a broken doll pose that perfectly juxtaposed her Carolina Herrera black and white strapless gown, we quickly realized that this actress needed no rehearsal.

As the day went on, we watched her effortlessly slay every shot, leaving everyone both in awe and overwhelmed by the sheer number of cover image options. It was a reminder that there are levels to this, and Kerry Washington is at the top of every call sheet for a reason.

“I want to participate in life on a really high level, to my maximum potential and capacity,” Washington said on set as we sat down to discuss her journey embracing leadership and power. “I am by nature a pretty curious person; I really love to learn. I love to challenge myself. I love to contribute. If I can be additive to a situation, I really want to be,” she said before admitting with a laugh, “This is me trying to find kind ways to say I’m bossy and controlling at times.”

Kerry wears a Carolina Herrera dress and Jimmy Choo shoes. Image: Kanya Iwana for EBONY.

For over 20 years, we’ve seen those desires within Washington play out on screen. First winning our hearts in the cult classic Save The Last Dance. She then held her own against heavyweights in award-winning films like Ray, The Last King of Scotland, and Django Unchained.

She became the highest-paid Black actress on TV, eventually leading projects such as Confirmation, Little Fires Everywhere, and, of course, Scandal.

“I always feel like projects come to me when I have something to learn from them,” Washington said. “The biggest experience I’ve had that invited me toward leadership in my life was being cast as Olivia Pope. Just the nature of being the lead on such a historic show, playing a character that was such a boss, propelled me to ask myself what leadership looks like for me and in what ways I, Kerry, was ready to lead in my personal and professional life.”

It was from that reflection that her production company, Simpson Street, was born. Named after the street in the Bronx her mother grew up on, the company’s mission stems from Washington’s belief in the power of storytelling to make us feel less alone and more connected as people.

Simpson Street creates and supports projects that sit at the intersection of individuality and commonality—stories that everyone can relate to, yet are rooted in specificity. “At Simpson Street, we really see the value in having everybody sit at the table, and if that’s not something you can get down with, then we’re going to disagree,” Washington said with a chuckle. “And we’re going to continue to fight for the space to be able to tell stories about everybody all the time because every single person deserves to see themselves reflected, and every single person deserves to experience a culture outside of themselves.”

As founder and CEO, Washington has already hit the ground running, bringing diverse and richly complex stories told by diverse creators to the screen. Whether exploring emotional childhood wounds in Unprisoned, a comedy-drama series where she plays a single mother whose formerly incarcerated father comes to live with her and her son, extending that narrative with the documentary Daughters, which follows the real-life stories of daughters of imprisoned fathers, or helping creators she’s collaborated with, like Scandal and Little Fires Everywhere writer Raamla Mohamed, develop the hit series Reasonable Doubt.

Kerry wears a full Dolce & Gabbana look. Image: Kanya Iwana for EBONY.

“I had this moment on the red carpet at the NAACP Image Awards where I was standing with Ebony Obsidian, who’s the star of Six Triple Eight and Emayatzy Corinealdi, who’s the star of Reasonable Doubt, and it was such magic. I am so grateful to be in a place in my career where I’m able to create opportunities for extraordinarily beautiful, talented Black women to shine. And where I’m getting to help build the platforms that allow for multiple other people to chase excellence in their own way,” Washington said.

Washington’s desire to uplift and create opportunity has always extended beyond Hollywood, and the work she’s doing through Simpson Street is no different. The company also includes a venture arm focused on funding and mentoring post-seed start-ups, and an impact arm that seeks to champion democracy by supporting grassroot movements and issues like voter suppression.

We most recently saw her impact work in action during former Vice-President Kamala Harris’ run for president last year. When asked how she feels about Harris’ loss in November, she said, “I felt like I was sprinting toward a finish line we never got to.” Noting that now, what the country is dealing with feels more like a marathon. “One of the greatest things that I can do in this moment is just show up fully as me because so much about who I am is under attack,” she said. “If I can do that as I think about how I can protect other people’s ability to do the same, then I’ll be walking in the right direction.”

Washington brings a high level of consideration to everything she does. Even before she answers a question, you can see her searching, not just her mind but also her heart, for what truth she wants to bring forth in that moment. One of the overarching themes of her 2023 memoir, Thicker Than Water, is her journey to learning to trust her instincts and develop the strong sense of self she carries within her today. Watching her in action is a reminder of how much easier it is to trust someone who trusts themselves.

“Coming out of releasing my memoir, I’m tapped into a deeper strength and a deeper kind of courage, she said. “So on the other side of it, I have been drawn to more genre pieces, more action, more thriller, more intensity in the work.”

Audiences will get to see their first glimpse of this in Washington’s upcoming action film Shadow Force, starring her and Omar Sy. The pair play highly-trained operatives who have to go on the run with their son when their former employer puts a bounty on their heads. “I get to do all this crazy action that I was trained on for months. It’s really exciting to challenge myself in that way. And to take on the spirit of a fighter, particularly in this time, and somebody who is not just a fighter, but she’s a fighter for her family, a fighter for love. That feels like the right zone to be in right now.”

At 48, she represents the kind of power that comes not just from public acclaim and achievement but from having done the kind of inner work that allows her to operate fully in her purpose. To handle her multiple roles as a CEO, director, author, wife, mother and very in-demand actress, she has learned that there are certain thought patterns she had to break free from to expand and grow alongside her blessings.

“Something Michelle Obama talks about often is that you can’t be everything all the time,” Washington shared. “Like, I somehow thought that I could like suspend the time space continuum and do it all. But I have learned that you have to put one thing down to pick something up, and to be present in the moment for each thing.”

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 250309_EBONY_KW_-LOOK_02-0333-1.jpg — Kerry wears a Zimmermann dress and Casadei shoes. Image: Kanya Iwana for EBONY.

Washington had to relearn how she defined excellence by changing her outlook on perfectionism – “Perfection is an illusion. It’s a weapon that I can pick up to make things harder for myself, but it’s not a realistic goal,” she said – as well as her willingness to ask for help. “Coming out of isolation in my ambition has been one of the greatest gifts because it’s helped me build more community and deeper relationships both personally and professionally,” she added.

These lessons, along with regular therapy and an active daily prayer life, have helped her stay in alignment with her elevation. For Washington, success is holistic, evidenced not just in how it looks but how it feels both at work and at home. “One of the things I love most about my life right now is sharing courtside seats with my husband as we get to witness the blossoming of my children,” she said. “I really need more sleep, but I am very, very grateful for the opportunity to wake up each day and try to walk toward who it is that I think God wants me to be.”

Sylvia Obell (@sylviaobell) Sylvia Obell is an acclaimed freelance journalist, podcast host, and author of the weekly(ish) newsletter Sincerely, Sylvia on Substack. She’s written profiles for publications such as Elle, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, and BuzzFeed News.