Kerry Washington doesn’t take on any projects she’s not passionate about these days. Her role in Netflix’s The Six Triple Eight, written and directed by Tyler Perry, is one of her proudest works. Inspired by true events centering on the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in WWII, the film chronicles the racism and sexism – and grueling working conditions – the women faced while they remained committed to serving their country with honor and distinction.
Washington didn’t go into filming blind about the story. She’d previously dressed up as one of the central characters in the film as part of her social media women in history series. The film also marks Washington’s third time working with Perry.
In an interview with Collider, Washington spoke about how she may have manifested her role in the film. She also reveals why working with Perry is unlike any other set or experience.
How Fate and Opportunity Collided for Kerry Washington in ‘The Six Triple Eight’

The actress was familiar with the story before getting the role.

Image via Netflix

COLLIDER: Congratulations on The Six Triple Eight. How familiar were you at all with this story before signing on to be a part of it?
KERRY WASHINGTON: First of all, let me say your Christmas tree is really pretty.
Thank you so much!
WASHINGTON: It’s very pretty. So, this crazy thing happened. I got an email from Tyler Perry or a text — I can’t remember — but he reached out and said, “Oh, I have this sizzle reel I want you to watch for something that I think we can work on together.” And I was like, “That’s great. I’m super busy this weekend. Let me watch it on Monday. We’ll get together. We’ll talk about it.” That weekend, I had a bunch of photo shoots, including one for my social media, which was a series I used to do called #BlackHERstory, where I would dress up as different important women in Black history. My social media director, Emily Kitching, brought me this footage, articles, and pictures of the Six Triple Eight and of Lena Derriecott King when she was there, just Lena Derriecott. I was like, “Let’s do it. I want to be her. Let’s do it. Let’s dress up as her.”
So we rented the uniform, I dressed up, and we shot it for Instagram. It was awesome. I was like, “Gosh, wouldn’t it be cool to do a project like this?” I’ve never seen myself in a story like this because we never see Black women in World War II. A couple of days later, I open up this sizzle reel, and it’s about the Six Triple Eight. It’s a whole feature film about this regiment, and I was like, “I’m in. I’m so in.”
When passion and opportunity meet.

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WASHINGTON: Yes!
You serve a dual purpose in this project. You are the star of the movie and you’re also an EP on the film. How do you balance both roles on a project like this?
WASHINGTON: Well, I’ll say I’m one of the stars of the film because this film is filled with a lot of beautiful, bright stars. One of my responsibilities as EP was actually to coalesce this group of stars, to help these girls bond and get to know each other and feel like they could trust each other and take big risks and show up as their biggest, best, boldest, most creative selves. It was a lot of that Charity Adams type — raising morale and creating a space for them. That was many of the ways that I operated on set. Also, as an EP, I was sort of weighing in on scripts and bouncing ideas with Tyler on different aspects of the story. It was really such a joy to be there primarily to support Tyler. He was our fearless leader as producer, as director, as writer. I feel like, for me as an EP, I was there to support him and his mission and his vision to tell this story in the best way possible.
Working With Tyler Perry Is Always a Joy for Kerry Washington

But she says this project is one of her greatest passions to date.

Image via Netflix

This is not your first time working with Tyler Perry. You guys have worked together twice before, but what makes working with him so magical?
WASHINGTON: There’s so much about Tyler that’s magical, but if I really had to distill it, I would say it’s that you can trust him — that he’s completely trustworthy. So when he gives you feedback about something, you’re not like, “Oh, what’s he trying to say?” Or, “What does that mean?” Or, “Can I trust him? Does he have my best interests at heart?” He means what he says, and he says what he means, and he never says it mean. He’s kind. He embodies that leadership style that I see from Charity Adams, that I read about in her book, that you witness in the film. He is both fierce and warm. He is intense but compassionate. He has so many of those qualities that I find so admirable.
You’ve worked on so many projects, and you always do a project with conviction. All of your work, at least for me as a fan, is just a work of substance. So, at this point in your career, how do you go about picking and choosing what it is that you want to do? Because all of it just seems to be so important at this point.
WASHINGTON: Oh, thank you for saying that. That means a lot to me. I read about this thing that Cicely Tyson experienced. I read about it in her memoir, and then I talked to her about it. I was so grateful to read it because I felt like it was my experience, but I didn’t know how to articulate it. She talked about reading a script and feeling like it already lived inside her. She didn’t have to make choices about the character; she already knew who the character was. And then, of course, she would get into an intense process of figuring more out. But that’s how I feel sometimes. Sometimes I come across a project, and when I hear it, if it feels like a calling back to wholeness, like a calling back to myself, as opposed to an invention of something, if it feels like it already lives in me, then I know it’s something that I really am drawn to do and should probably do.
And what about this story are you the most excited for viewers to see?
WASHINGTON: Oh God, there’s so much that I’m excited for people to see, but one of the scenes that always gives me chills is when the women march through Europe. I know how hard all those actresses, all those background actresses and our lead actresses worked. They worked with Debbie Allen for hours and hours and hours in the cold in the morning and the night, just all the time working to perfect that march. Because the real Six Triple Eight were flawless, and we wanted to honor them by being that flawless. So, that’s something I’m really excited for people to see.
Watch the full interview above. The Six Triple Eight can be streamed on Netflix.
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