Actress Kerry Washington reveals she wants to break down barriers in the comic book movie genre and is open to star in another superhero movie in an exclusive interview. Washington is best known for her lead role as Olivia Pope in the hit Shonda Rhimes political drama Scandal and will be lending her voice to the upcoming animated feature film Cars 3 as Natalie Certain, a statistical analyst. Washington has also appeared in Oscar-winning films such as Django Unchained and Ray and has received two Golden Globe nominations in her career. Over the years, she's put together an impressive résumé.
Washington is no stranger to the world of superheroes, she previously starred as Alicia Masters, the girlfriend of Ben Grimm and a skilled sculptress and known artist, in both Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). She is also rumored to be appearing in the upcoming Deadpool 2 (2018), a sequel to the hit Marvel 2016 film Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds, before the role of Domino went to Zazie Beetz.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant during the Cars 3 press junket this past weekend, we spoke with Washington about the possibility of starring in another superhero movie. She said she is interested in returning to the genre and hopes to break new ground in it, mentioning a comic book film her company is currently developing:
Oh, man. I would definitely be open to doing another superhero movie. My company is actually working right now on a comic book movie that’s not a superhero movie, but it is a comic book movie. Um, it's about a teenage girl. Um, but I… you know, I’m really open. I’m really open. I feel like the landscape is so open in terms of, you know, casting against type when it comes to you know to even gender, race, so, um, I’d love to do it. I’d love to be a part of another franchise like that. I’d love to kind of break new ground and tell a new story that hasn’t been told, so I’d love to do it. I feel like the thing about comics and animated films are because somehow we are suspending our disbelief because to enter into an alternate universe, we’re able to get to the core of our humanity. I don’t know how that is, but when you take humans beings out of the question or kind of push them to the side, so how our themes with being the best versions of humans you can become more clear, so I’m into it. I love it. I’m a fan.
With Scandal entering its final season on ABC next fall, Washington will certainly have free time on her schedule to take on a comic book role if she so chooses, and hopefully the right part comes across her desk one day. On both the big and small screens, she's demonstrated a considerable amount of talent and would be a valuable addition to either the Marvel or DC cinematic universes, which continue to expand. Unfortunately, it does not look like she will appear in Deadpool 2, but with all the projects studios are developing, there's bound to be something fit for Washington one day. Even if that never comes to pass, her own comic book movie about a teenage girl should make for an interesting watch.