Emmy winner Kerry Washington participated in a global press conference with members of the media about starring in “Imperfect Women” on Apple TV.
In this new psychological thriller TV series, nothing stays secret forever. It is based on Araminta Hall’s book of the same name. It is available to stream on Apple TV as of today, March 18th.
Kerry Washington stars as Eleanor opposite Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss as Mary, and Kate Mara as Nancy. Washington served as an executive producer of the series alongside Moss.
“Imperfect Women” examines a crime that shatters the lives of three women in a decades-long friendship.
The unconventional thriller explores guilt and retribution, love and betrayal, and the compromises we make that irrevocably alter our lives.
As the investigation unravels, so does the truth about how even the closest friendships may not be what they seem.
Washington on the type of complexity that she personally looks for in a character
On the kind of complexity that Washington looks for in a character, she said, “The centering of women and women’s stories and not being the accessory to a male story is important. I do love playing supporting characters as well, but when I’m looking for complexity, understanding that this person is at the center of the story is part of it.”
“I love that for this show that you have three women who sit at the center of the story at different times,” she admitted. “That is so cool. I think the title speaks to the complexity in terms of the imperfections.”
“Our characters do pretend, and then we get to reveal the truths underneath their pretense, which is really exciting,” she added.
Exploring messy dynamics and long-term friendships
This series explores decade-long friendships shaped by resentment, secrets, and compromises that surface after tragedy.
On exploring these messy dynamics and long-term friendships, Washington remarked, “That is what drew me to this project. We don’t get to often dig into women’s stories, and friendships that have happened over a long period of time.”
“That’s part of being actresses who have been on the planet for a certain amount of time and can produce and create stories that are about women our age. It means that there is a lived experience, and depth that we can bring to it that is really exciting,” he noted.
“This show says a lot of things, but one of the things this show is about is this fun, juicy ride where you never know who is telling the truth and who is betraying who and who is sleeping with who,” she observed.
“With all of these things and where they land you, there is so much power when you have the courage to reveal the truth. That real intimacy is on the other side of that fear of being who you really are,” she added.
Washington on balancing the flaws of her characters with empathy and humor
The show portrays women who are far from perfect, which makes them deeply relatable.
On balancing their flaws with the moments of empathy and humor throughout the story, she said, “We’ve all worked really hard on making them feel perfectly imperfect and having the right balance of humanity. I think the tone of the show is something that we’re all very proud of too.”
“The tone is sexy, juicy, thrilling and dangerous,” she admitted. “There is also humor and romance. I think that’s part of the reason why this show is for everybody.”
“As actors, we always want our characters to be as human as possible because that’s where it works,” she said. “That’s when it feels like truth… when you feel like it’s a real person. I think we just tried to bring that to the characters the best we could.”
Washington on playing Eleanor
Eleanor creates her own family through friendships and often takes on the role of making sure everyone else is okay, even while hiding how she really feels.
It appears that her focus on caring or others makes it harder for her to care for herself, especially in the finding love department.
“One of the things that I really love about the character of Eleanor is that she has found family in these two women,” she admitted.
“As with most families when she discovers that it’s dysfunctional, she then actually gets to deal with some of her family of origin, and sort of unpacking what about the family she comes from has made it hard for her to have a healthy friendship with these two found family members,” she elaborated.
“Then, she comes back to this found family and really shows up in a more loving, beautiful way. Sometimes, I think, we separate ourselves too much… it comes to loving other people or loving ourselves,” she explained.
“I think having community can also be part of how we love ourselves. Self-love is not just what I do for me, it’s also how I give myself to community so that I’m part of an environment that is loving and caring,” she expanded.
“I think that’s part of what they learn to find with each other,” she added.
Washington addresses whether perspective offers comfort to women who feel pressured to be perfect
All of these women make mistakes, yet none of them are portrayed as villains, which often happens in stories about women like them.
When asked if perspective offers some comfort to women who feel pressure to be perfect in real life, she responded, “I love the idea of not villainizing people for being human, for making mistakes.”
“I think part of how we grow, evolve, and learn is by having the courage to make mistakes. So, I think it’s important that we not villainize mistakes. It’s really beautifully observed,” she added.
Washington on whether the show is a reflection of today’s society
“Imperfect Women” addresses issues such as violence against women and the consequences of poverty.
When asked if she sees this series as a reflection of the world today, she said, “I don’t think that any of us set out to make a show that was like courageously tackling important social issues I think we wanted to tell a story that was grounded in real human experience.”
“I always think it’s very interesting when we talk about something like violence against women that it becomes like a political act,” she noted.
“I don’t know if that’s because we want women to be on the margins and silenced and to not address like the very real concerns. It seems like a heroic act of social justice just to talk about human pain when it has to do with women because we’ve pushed women’s stories to the side,” she elaborated.
“I think that’s part of what it is. We’re just really telling a very human story about imperfect people and imperfect friendships and all that comes with that,” she added.
Working with costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne
On working with costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne, Washington said, “I thought Tiffany [Hasbourne] does such a great job telling story through the clothes and revealing things.”
“Helping us to reveal things about our character through the armor that we put on every day. It was such different fashion languages between these three characters, and she never skipped a beat,” she elaborated.
“I never felt like she didn’t know exactly who these women were in every single fitting,” she added.
Closing thoughts on ‘Imperfect Women’
These three characters are layered, interesting, and very relatable. We’ve all known a Nancy, an Eleanor, or a Mary in our lives.
For fans and viewers, Washington expressed, “Everybody is imperfect. I think that’s one of the things when you watch the show is that you realized that they are all messed up.”
“We’re all just doing the best we can and making the best choices we have. Nobody is perfect,” she concluded.
To learn more about Kerry Washington, follow her on Instagram.
