The Scandal actress is doing such good work on TV, but the film roles have been thin. Wheres her Silver Linings?
Im not going to dress this up in any larger construct. Kerry Washington just needs better film roles. Shes been working steadily in films for over a decade now, so its not like shes so invisible, but the contrast between what shes been allowed to do on television -- where her ABC series Scandal has her front and center -- versus what shes been able to do on film has been stark and disappointing.
Up to and including this coming weekends Peeples, heres a rundown of Washingtons last 15 film roles:
Ray
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
The Last King of Scotland
The Dead Girl
I Think I Love My Wife
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Miracle at St. Anna
Lakeview Terrace
Mother and Child
Night Catches Us
For Colored Girls
The Details
A Thousand Words
Django Unchained
Peeples
Of those 15 movies, 8 have seen Washington play the part of "the wife" or "the girlfriend" (okay, in I Think I Love My Wife she played "the other woman"). Even in Django, a film that garnered much acclaim and for which Washington was placed prominently during its publicity push, the role was ultimately a damsel in distress for Jamie Foxxs Django to save. Its not a role you could see Washington riding to an Oscar the way she might have done with a Silver Linings Playbook level of narrative attention. This isnt to say that many, or even most, of the above roles didnt have merit. They were just limited in terms of either how much the character was allowed to do in the movie (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) or how small the films overall impact was in the mainstream (films like Mother and Child and especially Night Catches Us are exactly the kind of stuff that Washington should be doing, its just that they didnt end up making much of a splash).
Of course, the bigger problem is that quality roles in studio films are just not available in great numbers for women, period. So the competition must indeed be fierce. Even when you find a good-quality movie with a decent promotional push from a studio, like, say, The Place Beyond the Pines, it often offers great roles in abundance for its male cast while leaving its female characters -- and thus Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne -- somewhat underserved. So when you talk about actresses who should be getting better parts, theres an aspect of having to take from other good actresses.
I could say that Kerry Washington would have been a brilliant and interesting choice for Oz: the Great and Powerful, but then maybe Id be sitting here typing about how Rachel Weisz isnt getting any big roles these days. I may think that Washington would have been an inspired choice for the lead in Zero Dark Thirty, but where does that leave another talented young actress like Jessica Chastain. Sometimes, its just a matter of getting people to pay attention to the good roles that do come along. Michelle Williams gets noticed for Blue Valentine while Washington doesnt for Night Catches Us. Thats the way it shakes out, I guess.
Still, I make my humble plea to producers and casting directors: watch your Scandal, and keep an eye out for roles for this woman. Theres a lead role in a big film out there just waiting for her. Dont miss it.
Previously: Trailer Tunes: Girl Most Likely and Icona Pops I Love It
--
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
The Scandal actress is doing such good work on TV, but the film roles have been thin. Wheres her Silver Linings? 
