In my previous reading notes, I highlighted the Japanese Wabi-Sabi tradition that advocates for accepting our imperfectness. It is a philosophy that finds beauty not in flawlessness, but in authenticity, complexity, and the quiet dignity of things exactly as they are. Kerry Washington seems to live by a similar belief.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, writer Coco Khan sits down with the actress and producer, best known for playing Olivia Pope in ABC’s hit series Scandal, which made history as the first network show led by a Black woman in nearly 40 years.
Washington is back with a new project, Imperfect Women, an Apple TV thriller adapted from Araminta Hall’s novel. She stars alongside Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara as three old college friends whose polished lives begin to unravel under the weight of secrets, class tensions, and long-buried trauma. Think Big Little Lies meets The White Lotus. The title alone feels like a nod to Wabi-Sabi. These are not broken women in need of fixing. They are fully human ones.
The show is about more than a murder mystery. Washington sees it as a meaningful exercise in empathy. At a time when our culture feels increasingly divided, it invites viewers to experience the same set of events through three very different perspectives. Telling stories from multiple points of view, she says, is “a real exercise in empathy and sympathy, and a service.” That willingness to sit with complexity, rather than flatten it, is very much in the spirit of Wabi-Sabi.
She also pushes back on the idea that stories centering women of color are automatically political. Telling her own story, she says, is not an agenda. It is simply being human. That said, she is clear-eyed about where the industry stands. While things have improved, largely because women like her have stepped into producing roles and started creating their own opportunities, progress on inclusion is now facing real pushback.
On a lighter note, Washington speaks candidly about aging, Botox, and those famous reaction memes that have made her facial expressions internet gold. She is not opposed to a dermatologist visit or a good laser treatment. But she also knows her job is to feel things fully. In a culture that increasingly smooths everything over, literally and figuratively, that is a quiet act of courage. And very Wabi-Sabi.
Acknowledgement: This summary was generated using AI writing tools. For full context, please refer to the original article linked below.