Tony Goldwyn, who famously portrayed President Fitzgerald Grant III for two terms on the hit show Scandal, faces an intriguing question: Would he ever consider stepping into the role of president in the real world?
During a conversation on the Saturday, June 6, episode of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Kerry Washington, his former co-star and on-screen love interest, playfully inquired, “Do people constantly ask you to run for president in real life?”
Goldwyn noted that he frequently encounters this question, often when he’s simply out and about, standing “on a street corner,” as he put it.
“I used to respond with a polite thank you, but emphasize that it’s truly not a good idea,” he explained.
For six thrilling years, audiences watched Kerry Washington bring to life Olivia Pope, a character known for tackling seemingly impossible problems on Scandal. The ABC series, masterminded by the prolific Shonda Rhimes, reshaped television landscapes, even after its 2018 finale following seven successful seasons. The show centers on Olivia Pope as she steps away from her previous role to establish her own crisis management firm.
Washington, 49, took a different stance on the issue.
“I don’t think you would be a terrible president, to be honest,” Washington, who starred as Olivia Pope on Scandal, noted. “You’d assemble a really wonderful Cabinet and team around you. And you care!”
Goldwyn, who affirmed that he would care about the gig, noted his plans to enlist Washington for a cabinet position.
“You would not bring me. I would not be available,” she joked. “You’re such a nice guy, clearly.”
Scandal, created by producer Shonda Rhimes, followed a D.C. fixer named Olivia Pope amid her on-and-off affair with Fitz despite his presidency and marriage. Scandal wrapped in 2018 after seven seasons, with Olivia and Fitz getting back together.
“They weren’t the healthiest couple,” Washington admitted on Saturday’s episode. “That doesn’t mean they weren’t madly in love, but they had some difficulties, which is why people loved it. What did you think about the ending?”
Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn are always down to clown their devoted Scandal fans. “I really am so grateful for the healthy relationships that I was able to have, also, with the men on that show like Scott Foley and Tony Goldwin,” Washington, 49, said during the Tuesday, April 14, episode of the “Good Hang” […]
Goldwyn and Washington both concurred that they “loved” the finale story arc.
“I feel that Fitz and Olivia are together,” Goldwyn predicted of the beloved Olitz ship. “I feel that what we had at the root of it was very real, and it’s why we could never get away from it — as opposed to being something that was ultimately dysfunctional. I thought ultimately these two people were their answer to each other.”
While Washington similarly believes Olivia and Fitz finally made their romance work, she noted that they’d likely be in “couple’s therapy.”
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“Yes, regularly!” Goldwyn quipped. “Because they know that’s what they have to do to survive, but I think Fitz [also] spent some time in Vermont. He needed to get out of the toxic patterns. I think Olivia probably taught him how to make jam, but then when she ate his jam, she’s like, ‘Your jam sucks!’”
Regardless of Fitz’s lack of jam-making talent, Goldwyn was sure of one thing about where Olivia and Fitz ended up.
“I feel like he was very supportive of her trajectory — whether she became president of the United States or whatever her thing was,” he said. “I feel like his real jones was to help this woman be, like, her best self.”