Curled up on a couch with bare feet, Kerry Washington doesn't emit the aura one might expect from a Hollywood celebrity. Her speech may be carefully articulated and her demeanor may be pleasantly down-to-earth, but she is nevertheless a talented and accomplished actress.
Hold it against her or not, Washington graduated from George Washington University in 1998. Her opinion of AU?
"No, I have nothing to say about your school!" Washington replied.
Her disinterest in AU notwithstanding, Washington has distinguished herself on the silver screen in roles such as Mrs. Ray Charles aside Jamie Fox in the 2004 movie "Ray." Washington can also be seen as Alicia Masters in the 2005 film "Fantastic Four." Washington also displays her talent to audiences in Chris Rock's new film, "I Think I Love My Wife."
Washington plays Nikki, a sultry seductress who wriggles her way back into the life of Rock's character, a happily married but sexually deprived investment banker named Richard Cooper.
Washington's turn as Nikki contrasts sharply with her previous roles. Instead of replaying the same part multiple times, Washington said she doesn't "like to do the same thing over and over again."
More importantly, Washington said she likes roles that take her far and away from her true personality, so she can show off her acting abilities. While finding Nikki's essence, Washington said she found herself exploring a personality type that almost everyone has encountered at some point.
"Nikki was a really hard character for me to play," Washington said.
Looking at herself on-screen, Washington said she asks, "Who is that person?"
In real life, there is little trace of the one-dimensional Nikki in the multidimensional Washington. Yet Nikki, as portrayed by Washington, is anything but one-dimensional. She manages to make viewers wonder what goes on behind her steamy exterior.
A great advantage of taking part in the making of the film, according to Washington, was the impressive directing and organizational skills of Rock. Having worked on the script for half a decade, Rock had made storyboards despite juggling half a dozen roles during the film's production, including writer, director and main character.
Washington manages to exhibit an enormous amount of humility in "I Think I Love My Wife." She said her favorite scene is in fact one where Nikki has no part, a scene in the trailer where the wife of Rock's character confronts him, telling him to fix the situation in which he's found himself.
In watching the scene, Washington realizes that Rock's Cooper is in "an incredibly special marriage to this incredibly special woman"
