Kerry Washington doesn't want to "play by other people's rules".
Kerry Washington
The 'Scandal' actress - who is expecting her second child with husband Nnamdi Asomugha, a sibling for their two-year-old daughter Isabelle - wants to take time to assess what she wants out of life instead of letting someone else "dictate" her goals.
She said: "I think that's where the need for quiet is coming from. You arrive at a certain place of achieving and suddenly you feel like your goals are being dictated by other people...Right now, as I get ready for this second baby, it's really about me being in touch with what I want. I didn't get here because I was trying to be what somebody else wanted me to be... I am not interested in playing by other people's rules. So for now, I'm leaving myself open to the adventure."
The 39-year-old actress has been receiving advice and support from 'Scandal' creator Shonda Rhimes as she prepares for the birth of her second child, and has learned to understand she needs more help than she realises.
She told America's InStyle magazine: "I've really leaned heavily on my boss's experience. I consider myself busy, but Shonda has about four of five shows, three kids... She says, 'If you feel like you have just the right amount of help, then you don't have enough.'
"My therapist said this too. You need a lot of support. Not just logistically but emotionally and spiritually."
Kerry's pregnancy was not written into the new season of 'Scandal', so the wardrobe department simply had to make alterations to her well-dressed alter ego Olivia Pope's regular garments.
She said: "There's nothing high-end for professional women who are pregnant, so for the show, we wind up just buying the same clothes.
"We will cut out the front of Armani trousers and put in a pregnancy panel. That's what we do for everything."
But off-screen, the actress has found her maternity style easier thanks to her friend and mother-of-two Jessica Alba.
She explained: "She told me she had this box of maternity clothes that she would ship from girlfriend to girlfriend. I was like, 'Can I have it?' And then I started doing it as well.
"I'm not getting clothes back that I wore the first time. Everybody adds cute stuff to the box. You're less afraid to spend money because you feel that a lot of people are going to use it."
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