'Django Unchained' was more than a role for Kerry Washington

On screen and off, Kerry Washington is a strong woman with strong convictions. Not only does she play the tough political crisis manager Olivia Pope on ABC's highly rated show "Scandal," she also commanded the national stage on the final night of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. So it's a bit incongruous to see Washington taking on a role like Broomhilda von Shaft — a plantation slave desperately in need of being rescued by her man — in "Django Unchained."

By Nicole Sperling, Los Angeles Times

December 31, 2012