KERRY'S Time

She's been acting for decades, but this fall, KERRY WASHINGTON welcomes a new chapter in her artistry.

- by ELIZABETH HOLMES

Miu Miu cardigan, bralette, skirt faux-fur stole, socks.

and shoes.

Hair: Takisha Sturdivant-Drew.

Makeup: Carola Gonzalez.

Manicure: Sreynin Peng at Opus Beauty using Apres Gonzalez. Set Design: Amy Jo Diaz.

ON THE COVER: Thom Browne jacket, cardigan, shirt, tie, and skirt.

As Olivia Pope, Scandal’s commanding lead, Kerry Washington spent seven seasons as number one on the call sheet, the production schedule that ranks actors on a project.

That list, and her place on it, looked different last summer when Washington was filming Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the third installment of the campy detective series. The star-studded cast includes Daniel Craig, Glenn Close, and Jeremy Renner, to name a few.

“You go to sign out at the end of the day and we are all used to signing on the first line,” Washington says with a laugh. She quickly traces her finger down an imaginary call sheet, recalling how she and Andrew Scott would joke: “Nope, nope, nope, nope—all the way down here.” She flashes a smile. “And we love it.”

Washington welcomed the creative freedom of joining an ensemble cast and jumping into the dark, witty world dreamed up by Knives Out creator Rian Johnson. It's part of a new chapter for the 48-year-old, one that prioritizes people and the process. “I want to be willing to be ambitious for things other than professional success,” Washington tells me over ginger tea at San Vicente Bungalows one afternoon in late July. “Ambitious for my artistry, and that’s working with great directors and great actors.” The upcoming kidnapping thriller Animals sees Washington starring alongside director Ben Affleck;