Kerry Washington Interview
Kerry Washington, Shadow Force’s lead and executive producer, is part of a growing wave of actors turning to producing. Recently producing and acting in Little Fires Everywhere (alongside Reese Witherspoon’s successful production company Hello Sunshine) and Tyler Perry’s The Six Triple Eight, Washington follows in the footsteps of Issa Rae (One of Them Days, 2025), Regina King (One Night in Miami, 2020), and Jordan Peele (Get Out, 2017) showing the inspiring courage actors are taking to step into leadership roles on set, adding authenticity and creative ownership to their projects.
Washington’s producing career began with Confirmation (2016), followed by producing her Golden Globe-winning show Scandal (2012–2018). She produced Shadow Force through her company, Simpson Street, alongside fellow actor-turned-producer Sterling K. Brown’s production company Indian Meadow Productions.
TNBFC sat down with Kerry Washington to dive into her dual role as lead actress and executive producer, and to explore her journey behind the scenes of Shadow Force:
TNBFC: Hi, I'm Maryam from The New Black Film Collective. First of all, for taking the time to speak with us today. For my first question, I wanted to ask what drew you to this project and what made it feel like it was a unique take on the action genre, because we've already seen a lot of great action films, but this one felt quite different.
Kerry Washington: I think it's the heart at the center of it, right? Because I love action films, and I love the opportunity to get to do all these fight sequences and weapons training and to have a big, splashy action film is so exciting to star in and produce. But at the center of it, it's really a story about a family. It's about the love that two parents have for each other and for their child, and the level of sacrifice that they'll walk through to protect the thing that they love most. So I feel like that heart of the film is part of what makes it feel so different,
TNBFC: Absolutely, and I think following on from that as well, your character is so complex. She's like a high-skilled special forces agent, but she's also the most loving mother and wife. How did you manage to bring those layers together and balance them so well?
W: Honestly, most of the mums I know are like that. Like, it's so, you know, parenting is no joke. Like, really, raising a child is a beast of an endeavor. And so I feel like most of the mums I know are badass, superhero moms. And I just tried to lean into that idea of like we all feel like we love our children so much and we would kill for them if we had to. And so that was me just kind of like paying an homage to all the mums that I know who every day get out there and like, do whatever it takes to make the world a better place for their kids. And sometimes that looks like killing somebody, or maybe not that for most people, but sometimes that looks like really going nuts, and sometimes it's a more gentle task.
TNBFC: Just more now on producing, I just wanted to ask about your producing career. You produced Shadow Force and you also produced Little Fires Everywhere. What advice would you give to other actors or other creatives who want to take that step and transition, transition into producing.
W: I think just do it. I think, you know, there are so many different kinds of producers and so many different ways to produce, but really, for me, it's about having more of a voice at the table where decisions are made. And I think the important thing to remember is that producing isn't about a title. It's not about status or being a VIP on set. Like, producing is about working and adding value and like, making sure that you are carrying water, that you're contributing to the process in a way that makes the product better. So I think if you focus on that as a producer, and you don't focus on the ego part of it, of like - oh, I just want my name to be mentioned as a producer. No, like, what are you doing to make this a better experience and a better product for everybody around you? That is what producing is for me.
TNBFC: Okay, and what do you think might stop people from wanting to do that, or hold what might hold people back, especially like women or people of color? What do you think is a barrier to them in that respect?
W: I think there can be some resistance to really understanding how much value you bring into a room you know. I think there can be so much fear that maybe I don't have something to offer. But you do. You absolutely do. You know, if you're being called to be of service, then step into that service and let yourself bring value.
TNBFC: Great. That's amazing advice. Now, I wanted to ask a bit about the stunt work and how much of it did you do yourself? How much training did you do, both mentally and physically? Because the action sequences were very impressive and incredible.
W: I have an amazing stunt double named Sina. She's phenomenal, and I loved working with her. A lot of what we did was she would help me figure out. How to do a stunt more safely, and that was really necessary. She did do some of the stunt work, but she will tell you, I wanted to do everything myself. I really love doing fight training. I love the weapons training. I loved all of it. And the stunt work is really exciting, and I think it's an important part of the acting and the storytelling, but it does take a lot of training. I mean, we had an incredible stunt team who really worked hard, because those fight scenes, those sequences, are like dances. If you make a mistake, that's when somebody can get really, really hurt. And so we worked very hard before we started filming, before we went overseas to film, we were training here in Los Angeles, Omar and I worked together, separately and it was really an exciting part of the process. I love it. I hope I get to do more of this kind of work.
TNBFC: Amazing. Sounds great. And then I just had one more question about your cast. You had an amazing cast. You had Omar, Da’Vine Joy, Method Man and there's such diverse characters, really funny characters and really serious characters as well. How did you all build such great chemistry that really translated on screen?
W: We have an amazing casting director, and I think people were very drawn to the material. I think people were really drawn to this story, to this family, to this love, and so it really allowed us to work with the best of the best. I mean Da’vine (Joy Randolph), Method Man, Mark Strong, and also Jahleel (Kamara), who plays our son who, like everybody who sees the film falls in love with Jahleel (Kamara). He's so good and so adorable and so talented. So the casting for me is another. It's one of the things I really love most as a producer, is getting to help make those decisions, because I feel like as an actor, I really recognise what work is needed to bring the film to life from the actors, so that's a fun part of the process for me.
Shadow Force is coming to UK cinemas Friday 13th June 2025.