Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington thinks pregnancy has made her a better actress.

The 'Scandal' star, who is expecting her first child soon with husband Nnamdi Asomugha, admits it was a challenge to hide her growing baby bump while filming the third season, as her character Olivia Pope isn't pregnant, but it has made her more aware of her movements.

The 37-year-old actress told The Hollywood Reporter: "I work very physically as an actor. The biggest thing for me has been the challenge of how to be this person with the personal transformation that's going on for me physically and how to stay true to this character."

"That hasn't been easy."

But Kerry, who has won praise for her maternity style, added: "It's been an awesome challenge for me as an actor because so much of how I access character is through my body. It's definitely been complicated, to say the least. I've learned a lot about other ways to access Olivia and be her."

The actress had no input in the decision not to incorporate her pregnancy into the plot.

She said: "The decision of whether or not a character would be on a similar journey, I had nothing to do with that decision. I trust (writer/creator) Shonda (Rhimes) with all things. I feel very grateful that we have such an amazing team that was able to protect the character within the context of what the actress was going through."