In Conversation With...Kerry Washington

Award-winning actor, producer, director, and activist Kerry Washington is always charting new territory. Following a number of guest-starring roles in network television and a break-out role in Save the Last Dance, Washington starred opposite Jamie Foxx in Ray (2004), and quickly added a string of notable roles in such acclaimed features as The Last King of Scotland, Miracle of St. Anna, and 2012's Django Unchained. That same year, she landed the lead role of Olivia Pope in Shonda Rhimes' series Scandal, on which Washington also went on to work as a producer and director. When Scandal premiered, Washington became the first Black woman in nearly four decades to headline a network television drama. A fearless and outspoken advocate for civil rights and liberties, she served on President Obama's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and is leading by example, producing diverse and inclusive content for various platforms through her production company Simpson Street. In this in-depth conversation, Washington will speak about her remarkable career, the Festival premiere of American Son — in which she reprises her lauded role from the Broadway production — and her highly anticipated adaptation of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere.

CHRISTOPH STRAUB

Conversation moderated by Cameron Bailey.

New this year! In an effort to make our events more accessible for audience members with hearing impairments, all In Conversation With... events will feature onscreen open captioning.