The scene is less than two minutes long.
Unconventional artist Mia (Kerry Washington) opens the door and says, “What?”
There’s a whole world in that one word.
Erin Simkin/Hulu
She labored, and she held our hands while we labored through the birth of this project.
It was just extraordinary.
We all loved this book so much.
Really, she created the world."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Liz, this is your first Emmy nomination, correct?
LIZ TIGELAAR:Yeah, it is.
KERRY WASHINGTON:So deserved and long overdue.
WASHINGTON:That nomination and the Lynn Shelton nomination.
That was the one where I lost it.
Clearly, that was a good morning!
And I was deeply, deeply entrenched in the very distracting engagement of wiping down my groceries.
So I really was like, “Why is my phone blowing up?”
Like, “Why is he congratulating me?”
I was super in a different world.
And then my publicist called me and told me all the news, and I was really… As involved as I am in politics, to have artistry be involved in a campaign is really interesting.
And so, I have very complicated feelings.
But on that morning, I’m with Liz.
that was so meaningful.
And then, to hear about Lynn’s nomination was just… Liz, why was it important to have her direct on the show?
And so, I think Lynn was the same, in the best way.
In that way, as all of us, where we read it and we just connected so deeply.
Or a legit combination of both, depending on what day it is.
So, Kerry, how many times did you shoot that “What?”
to get just the right tone of exasperation and anger?
WASHINGTON:I don’t remember.
TIGELAAR:I’m guessing it was perfect the first time.
WASHINGTON:Although, we are producers who really like options.
This is an intense scene.
And it’s nighttime already.
It is a really masterful two-hander.
I’m imagining that must’ve been an intense moment.
WASHINGTON:Yeah, every second that I got to work with Reese was so exciting.
It’s this cycle of really challenging each other.
If I loved Reese Witherspoon any more, my heart would explode.
It’s just not possible.
Liz, what do you do to get them prepared to be in that space?
TIGELAAR:Well, I mean, with Reese and Kerry, absolutely nothing.
And one of the things was talking about the abortion, and who had the abortion.
But we had this very visceral, intrinsic feeling in the finale that everything had to happen like dominoes.
Everything had to be a snowball gaining momentum that was unstoppable for all of this to be believable.
And I think we feel sympathy I did in that moment, for her being misunderstood.
That he couldn’t understand where her actions had come from.
She has to put it on someone else.
But then, of course, that’s juxtaposed with where Mia is.
This is the last time these characters will speak to each other.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Kerry, did you and Reese do much rehearsal?
WASHINGTON:Yeah, I want to reference something you talked about, the safety between us.
There was a lot of safety, and I mean, what we did often was play off camera.
I was saying other things to attempt to help her drop into that moment.
And she would do the same for me.
And you’re free to only do that in really safe relationships and safe environments.
I’m going to say things to you that are not in the script.
We need a safety word.
Reese and I, we knew.
But we would play.
Obviously, this is a joyous moment, being nominated for Emmys.
You don’t want this to be where we are in our culture in society and country.
Is that good or bad?
