'Confirmation' Could Win Kerry Washington An Emmy

Kerry Washington is one of the most engaging actors on TV right now, and her latest role is sure to solidify that fact. TV movie Confirmation airs on HBO on April 16, 2016, and anticipation is strong, not least because Washington's performance is sure to be amazing. Washington plays Anita Hill, an American attorney who accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in 1991. Thomas denied the accusations, even calling the hearings a "high-tech lynching." To this day, the accusations remain a case of "he said, she said" with both parties maintaining their versions of events and no single accepted account of what happened. The revelations caused a media uproar, and Confirmation is sure to tackle the events head on, including a fierce performance by the Scandal star. So, will Kerry Washington win an Emmy for her role in Confirmation?

The actor is no stranger to being nominated for awards. Her role as Olivia Pope on Scandal has garnered a lot of attention, including a Golden Globe nomination in 2014, and Primetime Emmy nominations in 2013 and 2014 respectively. While the actor is yet to win an Emmy, Confirmation will most definitely bring Washington to the forefront of the race, especially as the TV movie is based on a true story. By portraying a real person, instead of a character, there's a lot of focus on Washington's performance, and even the most casual Scandal fan knows that she can deliver one hell of a performance.

In particular, it's Kerry Washington's transformation in Confirmation which has convinced me she could receive an Emmy for her role as Anita Hill. From the outfits, to the accent, to the completely different demeanor she conveys, Washington has taken on a part different from anything else she's done before. Uber confident Olivia Pope is replaced with forced-into-the-spotlight Hill, uncomfortably speaking out in public and receiving intense criticism as a result. Having watched all of Scandal to date, pretty much only because of Washington's captivating performance, it's exciting to see the actor take on a serious part based on a true story, and prove she's more than capable to handle it.

Washington has discussed her latest role in depth, and, at the Television Critics Association she said, "Portraying somebody who's real is a different kind of responsibility, especially when they're alive. That significance was not lost on me both as an actor and as a producer, wanting all of these characters to feel real and to matter as much as these people do." Bringing a true story, and portraying historical events which stirred up such controversy and emotion, is no mean feat, but the Django Unchained actor is most definitely up to the challenge.

With so much interest in the TV movie, and Washington's role as Anita Hill in particular, the actor could certainly find herself nominated for, and maybe even winning, an Emmy come September 2016. One thing's for sure — Confirmation will be just the latest performance to validate what a major talent Washington is.

Image: Frank Masi/HBO; Giphy