by Rachel Ogbu

36 year-old Hollywood actress, Kerry Washington is on the cover of Vanity Fair, August’s edition.

The hot actress wears a white cut out swimsuit with her wet hair is all pulled back as she poses in a pool.

The Hollywood it-girl has seen her career skyrocket since appearing in very box-office and critical successes Ray and more recently, Django Unchained.

More significantly, her role as Olivia Pope in the drama series, Scandal, the first leading role for a black woman on US Network Television in over three decades, has taken her to even greater heights, sparking meaningful dialogue about gender and race in US entertainment.

In a new interview with U.S. Vanity  Fair, Washington reveals how she  has been surprised at the level of veneration her character has garnered,  particularly from the white community.

[READ: She’s flawless: Kerry Washington looks HOT and ready on the cover of Arise ]

“One of the most profound  things for me about the show is the number of white women of all ages who come  up to me and say: “I want to be Olivia Pope,” she said.

‘It’s especially profound in a place like  South Africa. It’s called The Fixer over there and it’s just started its second  season.

‘The fact that white women can see this woman  of colour as an aspirational character is revolutionary, I think, in the medium  of television.’