Kerry Washington is Sultry for Elle Magazine’s April 2016 Issue

Hollywood actress Kerry Washington is the cover star of Elle magazine’s April 2016 issue. The Scandal actress talks to the magazine about speaking up for what she believes in, how motherhood has been for her and more.

See excerpts below.

On speaking for what she believes in: “I’m a person who’s always been politically active and passionate about people’s rights. I marched against the [2004] Republican Convention. And as my career has expanded, it’s been important for me to not stifle that voice. Because you want to be popular, you want people to hire you, and I have to make sure I don’t do it less because I’m an actor.”

On how playing Olivia Pope helped her with motherhood: “Even though Olivia Pope has obviously made the decision that she is not a mom…playing her made me feel like I could be a mom. Because she knows there’s always another way—there’s always a way to fix it, there’s always a way to solve it, to win. And I feel like playing her made me feel like, All right, I can do it. I will figure out how to juggle it all.”

On her mentor/boss Shonda Rhimes: “She’s been such an amazing resource, as a mom, and as a working mom…I am on one show and I have one kid, and she has three shows and three kids.”

For more from Kerry Washington visit Elle.com.