Kerry Washington Lands First Leading Film Role in Over a Decade


Kerry Washington's cultural influence has risen in meteoric fashion because of her leading role as Olivia Pope in ABC's "Scandal," but it's been years since Washington carried a feature film. That will soon change with Kerry's next film project--a romantic comedy titled "Is He The One."

Inkoo Kang of Women in Hollywood reports:



Hollywood is a difficult industry for everyone, but racism and sexism make it much harder for women and minorities to succeed. Lift, in fact, was Washington's last lead film role -- over a dozen years ago. That's why I can't help having absurdly high hopes for Washington's next film project, the romantic comedy Is He the One. I've been waiting so long to see Washington at the center of a movie again.

Written by Michelle Morgan and DJ Richardson, Is He the One finds Washington as a bride with a trio of romances in her past. The mystery is which one of the three men she was wooing will end up at the altar with her. I'm always up for an innovative rom com -- and director Malcolm D. Lee helmed the much-loved The Best Man and its sequel -- while the premise reminds me of a fun take on what Amma Asante said about her movie Belle: "I wanted to show a woman of color being loved. We don't see it that often."

Washington's already made her mark on the small screen. Now is the time for her to shine on the big screen.

I'm beyond excited by the prospect of a romantic comedy starring a Black woman that doesn't rely on old tropes about our loneliness and desperation. Let's hope "Is He the One" doesn't disappoint.

Photo Credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or