Kerry Washington gave the White House a heads-up about her “Scandal ”role: 'I’m sleeping with the president'

Kerry Washington is looking back at the time she personally called the White House to confirm that starring in Scandal wouldn’t cause its own real-life political scandal. 

The actress, who was a member of former President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, explained during Wednesday’s episode of The View that she alerted government officials that she’d been cast as Olivia Pope in the ABC thriller given one of its spicer political plotlines.

“I had to call Valerie Jarrett, who worked for the Obamas, and say, ‘I just want you to know that I’ve been cast in this show. Lil awkward, because on the show I’m sleeping with the president,’” she recalled as the View cohosts burst into laughter. “But like, you know, it’s gonna be fine, right?”

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The Six Triple Eight star was just trying her best to be transparent by reaching out. “I wanted to give them a chance to distance themselves if they needed to,” she said. “But they were like, ‘It’s fine. It’s TV.’ Again, for art, everything’s okay!”

Washington may have also been concerned about potential implications surrounding the plotline given that Scandal aired in April 2012, just seven months before the presidential election between Obama and Republican senator Mitt Romney. 

The 47-year-old starred as the no-nonsense political fixer Olivia Pope for seven seasons on Scandal, with her character embarking an on-and-off-again romance with President Fitzgerald Grant III (Tony Goldwyn). The series, which was executive produced by Shonda Rhimes, also starred Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Bellamy Young, Scott Foley, and more.

Washington and Goldwyn recently reunited at the Democratic National Convention in August in support of then-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. At the event, Washington maintained in her speech that she was “not the lead character in this story,” but that voters were. 

Related: Scandal star recalls 'very intense' feeling of filming death scene: 'I had Scott Foley at my knees'

“You are the messengers. You are the fixers,” she said. “Dare I say it, you are the Olivia Popes.”

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on ABC.

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