not your real partner in life, doing that is awkward. And then doing it in a room full of people is awkward.”
On Scandal’s massive sex-appeal appealing to real people, their being so invested in the chemistry and the importance of balancing [what she knows to be simply ‘acting’] versus what the audience feels is so real:
“Particularly with a show like ours, where people are so invested in the chemistry, you just learn to be careful, because people’s real relationships in life are important. I so respect and admire his wife and him and their family, and he feels the same way about mine. And so you learn to be careful about how you say things.”
On early career decisions and playing stereotypical roles and what she did to keep the focus on the person/character (versus the stereotype) hse played in ‘Save The Last Dance’-playing a teen mom:
[My first task] was “to make sure the character wasn’t a stereotype, but that she felt like a real person…. Especially for me, as a woman and as a person of color, I play these roles where many people in society may never think about that person.”
[She sought out variety and range in her career]:
“I knew that there were going to be special challenges to being a woman of color as an actor. We have a different world now. But still…it’s not as though we all live in a wonderland of inclusivity.”
On morphing into Olivia Pope:
“There’s a reason why you say, ‘Oh, they walk in this world in a certain way.’ Shoes have a big impact. Even in rehearsals at Scandal, oftentimes I’ll ask for my shoes. I’ll be standing around in my sweatpants and tank top and hoodie sweatshirt with Christian Dior or Gucci shoes, because I want to be able to walk and stand like Olivia…. How a person walks says a lot about who they are.”
File: Naomi Campbell
