Nikki Novak here in the Young Hollywood studio. Stay tuned. We're here to talk to the star of People's, Kerry Washington, and find out how she makes a good first impression. So I kinda feel like, and I don't know if you feel like this, this has sort of like been your year in a in a sense.

I definitely don't wake up in the morning and think, this is my year. No, I don't.

I think everybody collectively collectively thinks it for you. Okay. Especially on Scandal. You've had a lot of people sort of come up to you. Even Bill Clinton said he watches the show. Who have you had lately? Who has been sort of

Oh. Um, I know Oprah watches the show. Yeah, Oprah watches the show. Jamie Fox is a serious Gladiator. Like, I was just with him at the MTV Movie Awards. And every time we would be trying to do an interview about Jamie and his big awards and Django, he'd be like, but Scandal! But Scandal! He said he feels like he's gonna have to go on blood pressure medication cuz the show makes him so anxious.

You are like my fashion icon. Oh my god. No, you are. No, you are. And you've just been nailing it on the on the carpet. I know you're like a you're like what people call a high fashion girl. Is that true?

Yeah.

Do you have a look sort of from the last year, couple of years, that sort of stands out, like that's your baby? Cuz I have my favorites with you.

Oh. What are your favorites?

I liked the NAACP. I love that dress. It was like a It's Oscar de la Renta.

Yeah. You wanna hear a secret that you've never been told before? That belt had a closure in the back that wasn't laying properly. And I knew that I was gonna have to be walking up on stage, and that the back of the dress had to look great. And we couldn't get a safety pin through the belt. It was this whole like fashion panic moment. And my hair stylist, my hair stylist, Marcus Francis, fixed it because we used like hair glue, like wig glue to put glue on the dress. So then he's like using a hair dryer to glue my This is moments before I walked out the door. He solved it. He fixed it.

So, Peoples. Yes. Hysterical. Yes. The theater erupted in hilarious The entire

It was fun to make.

But shooting it because Django unchained and shooting Scandal so serious, you got to have this great comedic role.

Yeah, it's really nice.

In the film

Mhm.

he wants to be engaged with you. He has a ring.

Yes. I know, it's so sweet. It's a family heirloom.

And the ring is kinda small.

Yeah, but it's beautiful. It's beautiful.

Women's perspective. Does the size of the ring matter?

Yeah. I think it depends on the woman. I think to some women it matter it matters a great deal. Yeah. And depending on how much you love the guy.

Well, I think really it sort of depends on your style and and your values. I mean, I think there are a lot of ways to evaluate the worth of a relationship. And it's not always about, you know, your love can be huge even if you can't afford a ring. So, we have a game for you based on the film. It's kinda an either or.

Okay.

So, the film is about meeting the parents, making a good first impression. So, we're gonna give you an either or situation, a couple of situations. You tell me what would be the worst

Okay.

Okay. When trying to make a good impression. Okay, when making a first impression, which incident is worse? Offering to help bake a cake and starting a small fire in the kitchen.

Oh, gosh. That's awful.

Or offering to carry food into the dining room and dropping the plate on the entire floor. Or dropping the entire plate on the floor.

Um, I would say the fire is worse.

I would agree. Cuz you can't go I mean, it could spread. Yeah. The whole neighborhood could go down. And then you're like that girl who took out the Hollywood Hills because you were trying to bake a cake. Okay, which is worse? Clogging the toilet

Oh, with what? That's that's that's sort of a tell.

Okay. Or burping several times at dinner?

You know, depending on the family, burping could be like a special skill. They could be really into it. If it's like a family like mine, they could be really excited. Um, so definitely clogging the toilet.

Okay, which is worse? Backing into your significant other's parents car in the driveway or playing a game of family football and shattering a window.

The car. The car. Because not only do you destroy property, but with the car, but you look massively irresponsible. Like, football, nobody expects me to play football. But driving, people sort of are gonna assume, hopefully, that I can drive.

Bringing wine to your significant other's mom when she's in AA, which happens in the in the film. So funny. Or bringing dessert with nuts when someone is allergic.

Okay, definitely the nuts thing. And here's why. Because I'm allergic to nuts.

Are you?

And sometimes people put nuts in things you don't know. Like, chopped nuts in chocolate chip cookies. And I, here I am, just trying to have like a nice dessert. And next thing you know, I'm at the emergency room.

Oh my gosh. Not good. Because I won't even tell you, we brought nuts for Craig. Craig's coming in today. And this is something from the film. Peanuts is your safe word as a couple.

Peanuts. Yes.

For people who don't know, explain what that what that is.

When Craig's character brings up a topic that my character, Grace, does not wanna talk about, she says, peanuts. And he has to stop talking immediately. She's a little bit of a control freak.

I was gonna say though, I think this is a fantastic idea. I think it's a really good. I've tried to implement it with some of my friends, and they were like, no. What was your safe word? Cuz I don't think I would choose something as benign as nuts. I think

Yeah, what would you choose?

I would choose a swear word for sure. But you wanna be able to say your word at any time. True. You don't wanna be like [beep]. You don't wanna be able to say it at church. Cuz someone brings up a topic you don't wanna talk about. It was so great having you here.

So great to be here.

Congratulations on your year. I'm saying it for you.