'The School for Good and Evil' on Netflix: How did enchanted school's principal Kerry Washington rise to fame?

From backup dancer at JLo's concert to one of the highest-paid actresses, read more to find out about the stellar journey of Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington stars in Netflix's fantasy drama 'The School for Good and Evil' (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images and IMDb)
Kerry Washington stars in Netflix's fantasy drama 'The School for Good and Evil' (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images and IMDb)

'Scandal' star Kerry Washington, one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood, will star in the new Netflix movie 'The School for Good and Evil'. 'The teen fantasy film is about two best friends, Sophie and Agatha, who find themselves on opposing sides in an epic battle when they end up at an enchanted school where budding heroes and villains are trained to protect the balance between good and evil.

The Netflix original film is set to air on Oct 19, 2022, and is directed by Paul Feig, who also contributes to the screenplay and serves as executive producer. Other executive producers include Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Jane Startz, and Laura Fischer, while Soman Chainani and David Magee are the other screenwriters. The film is based on Chainani's book, which was published in 2013 under the same name. The film stars Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Flatters, Kit Young, Peter Serafinowicz, Kerry Washington, and Charlize Theron. Read more about The Good School's director, Kerry Washington.

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Who is Kerry Washington?

 Kerry Washington was born on January 31, 1977, in the Bronx, New York City. She is the daughter of Valerie, a professor and educational consultant, and Earl Washington, a real estate agent. At the age of 13, she witnessed Nelson Mandela's speech at Yankee Stadium when he was released from prison. She attended George Washington College, graduating in 1998 with a double major in anthropology and sociology with Phi Beta Kappa. She also studied at the Michael Howard Studios in New York City. Washington confirmed that she learned to dance from Jennifer Lopez in New York in the 1990s. During her appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' she told host Jimmy Fallon, "I been taking dance for a long time, since I was a little girl. I had this very inspiring teacher named Larry Maldonado, for anybody from my neighborhood in the Bronx, he was our role model. ... And he had an awesome substitute teacher named Jennifer who would sometimes step in and teach. But then she left to move to Los Angeles and be on the TV show In Living Color. So, yes, I learned to dance from JLo!" Looks like she always had her eye on the big screen.

What was Kerry Washington's first TV appearance?

Although Kerry starred in an ABC telefilm in 1994, she only took supporting roles at that time. In 2002, however, she played Chris Rock's love interest in the spy thriller 'Bad Company,' a film that was a turning point for her, as for the first time in her career she earned enough money annually to qualify for health insurance at SAG.

How did Kerry Washington rise to fame?

After appearing in several supporting roles and becoming known in 2002, she played obvious roles in films such as, 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' in 2005, 'Little Man' in 2006, 'I Think I Love My Wife' in 2007. However, even these films did not make her as famous as she is today. In 2012, Washington starred as Olivia Pope, a crisis manager who runs her own crisis management firm in Washington, DC called Olivia Pope & Associates, in the drama series 'Scandal' (ABC) created by Shonda Rhimes. In this position, she worked for high-profile personalities, most notably the President of the United States, who was also her ex-lover. The series was a commercial and critical success and was named one of the most discussed drama series on Facebook and Twitter. Washington's performance received positive reviews, and in 2013 she won the award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series at the 44th NAACP Image Awards and was also awarded the NAACP President's Award, making her a major celebrity. The series aired for six years.

What is Kerry Washington's net worth?

According to celebritynetworth.com, Washington has a net worth of $50 million. For the Hulu show Little Fires Everywhere, Kerry joined the exclusive club of actors who have earned over $1 million for a single episode of television. She earned $1.1 million per episode in the first season. There were 8 episodes which means she earned a little under $9 million for the season.

Trailer

You can watch the trailer of 'The School for Good and Evil' below.



 

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