KERRY WASHINGTON won a Teen Choice Award in 2001 for playing a neck-swiveling teen mom in Save the Last Dance. This year, she took home an NAACP Image Award for her depiction of one of Idi Amin’s wives in The Last King of Scotland. And then there’s her 2006 Razzie for Little Man, an award that “honors” the worst films in a given year.
Whether she’s making a silly comedy or a prestige piece, Washington has proven to be one of Tinseltown’s most versatile actresses. In the past five years, she’s appeared in nearly a dozen films including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, She Hate Me, Ray and both Fantastic Four installments. Clearly her career has infinite possibilities—just don’t ask her to speculate on the future. She’s too busy building it.

What are you working on right now?
It’s a film called Lakeview Terrace. It’s about an interracial couple living in Los Angeles, next door to an LAPD officer who doesn’t approve of the relationship. As a woman who has been involved in interracial relationships, it’s a very powerful story to me.

Does Patrick Wilson, who plays your husband, know about your track record with your male co-stars? From Jamie Foxx to Forest Whitaker, they always seem to win Oscars.
I told Patrick about it. But you know, the same year Forest won for The Last King of Scotland, Shawn Wayans won a Razzie for Little Man. So, Patrick has to be careful because it can go either way!

It was surprising to see you in such a...lowbrow comedy.
[Laughter] I had a blast. I loved working on Little Man, and I love that my body of work goes from commercial films to indies to comedies. It’s all good.

You’ve had the opportunity to work with some very esteemed actors. Tell me who would be on the set of your dream film—from the writers to your co-stars.
Oh God, I can’t answer that! I never want to say that I want this one thing. I want everything. I’m the type who loathes decorating because I’m afraid I’m just going to wish it was all different in a week.

How do you choose your roles? Are you ever tempted to take on a film purely for financial reasons?
No way. I turned down roles when I was still working as a hostess at a restaurant in the East Village in New York and teaching yoga. I would rather go back to that than to take a role for the money. But of course I have to think about money. I had moments early on where I wondered how I was going to support myself. But if I want to be creative for a living, I will also have to be creative in how I will make it happen on my own terms. That’s why I seek out things like the endorsement deal I have with L’Oréal that will allow me to just be me.

Chris Rock once said he’s just waiting for you to get your “Barbra Streisand” on and start writing and directing the films you’re in. Is that part of the plan?
I’m preparing. I have four television projects. Two of them are animated, and I may do some voice work. I’d also love to direct, but I want to start small. For now I might do some music videos or a commercial. Iam sure there will come a time when I’m ready to give up being on camera, but not quite yet.

You’re single now, after breaking off your engagement with longtime boyfriend David Moscow. Are you spending time alone?
It’s difficult to carve out that alone time. It’s a big part of why I’m not engaged anymore. I am so in love with my work right now. And that’s where my focus is. I was having a hard time sharing what little down time I do have with others.

I would imagine being alone is especially important if your work is emotionally draining....
It really is. It causes little earthquakes in the soul and I come off the set and I need to stay home and write in my journal and take some time. It can be really intense. And sometimes people will pick up other things, like shopping or drugs or men, to fill in that space. I have to try to learn to just deal with the discomfort that comes with my job.

Is it a good time to be a black woman in Hollywood?
That’s a complicated question. No matter who you are, there are special challenges in this industry. You have to understand, I am a member of a union where 90 percent of the people are unemployed at any given time. So is it ever a good time to be an actor, period?

So that doesn’t make it especially difficult for a black woman?
I think it’s kind of a useless dialogue unless we’re talking about how to get past difficulties. Being a woman of color isn’t a burden. This is who I am. What’s the point in complaining? I mean, are there any African-American women who are movie studio heads? No. But I know I have it a lot easier than Josephine Baker and Dorothy Dandridge and many others who came before me did. I feel empowered.

Where will you be in ten years?
I have no idea. Six months ago I was preparing to get married and picking out baby names. I was so clear about everything. Now I’m living in an L.A. bachelorette pad, and it feels like everything is up for grabs. The only thing I know is that I will be happy. I’m preparing every day to make sure of it.

DEREK LUKE is unfailingly polite but if you want to hear him sigh, bring up the Antwone Fisher discovery myth. It’s the one that describes a humble Jersey City, New Jersey transplant toiling away at a Sony film lot gift shop when a powerful casting agent strolls in, plucks him from behind the counter and hires him to star opposite.
No doubt, Luke is grateful for his Independent Spirit Award-winning film debut. But he will set you straight on the seven years he spent working low-paying gigs and going on unsatisfying auditions before his big break. Since then, he’s taken roles in a wide variety of films, from the quirky indie Pieces of April, to the feel-good sports flick Glory Road to the political biopic Catch a Fire.
On the eve of his latest film, a drama called Lions for Lambs costarring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, Luke explains how he kept his eyes on the prize and why he never, ever had a plan B.

Since you moved to Hollywood in 1995, you’ve gone from working at the gift shop to working with Oscar winners. It’s been quite a wild ride.
It really has been a roller coaster! But my desire has always been to start with legends, and I have. People like Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford are taking me under their wings and showing me the ropes. It’s amazing.

So did you have a grand plan to get to where you are?
I did. But sometimes my mouth was bigger than my actions. I would skip out on auditions to hang out. I had to realize that life will test you to see if you are authentic.

How did you pass that test?
After I came out to Los Angeles, I made sure to surround myself with like-minded people. They came from different backgrounds but we were just on the same wavelength. I didn’t even tell most of my friends back in Jersey that I was planning to move here because I thought they would talk me out of it. After I formed my L.A. support group, I started visualizing how success would be. I’d even dream about people I went to high school with seeing my face on the screen.

Did it ever happen?
Everything came to fruition. I run into people from school all the time who say, “I was sitting in the theatre and your face came on there!”

What would you have done if acting didn’t work out?
I’m writing an essay right now called ‘I Never Had A Plan B.’ I’m not good with options. So when I came out to California, I didn’t have a job that paid me too much. I didn’t want to get comfortable. I knew I had to stay on the program, or I would be working at the gift shop for the rest of my life.

Your wife, Sophia Adella Hernandez, is also an actress. Does that make it easier for her to handle you filming love scenes?
She understands. But that doesn’t mean she’s okay with gratuitous love scenes that don’t advance the story. And I’m not cool with that either. I would just turn down a role before I would do anything that would offend my wife.

You’d completely turn it down?
Yes! I’ve done it before and I would do it again; it’s not worth it. Why do you sound surprised?

Because I would imagine it might be hard to say no to a role because of a love scene. What if it was a really good opportunity?
I met my wife when I came out to Los Angeles, before my acting career started. And she always made me feel like a star. Always. Anything that seems like it would hurt her, I’m just not interested.

Antwone Fisher and Catch a Fire had some really emotional scenes. How do you prepare for such intensely dramatic roles?
I like to spend time researching my character for at least a month before. It may mean shadowing someone similar. It may mean reading everything I can about the character or similar people. It allows you to tailor the character to your own liking.

Are you concerned about being relegated to dramatic roles?
It’s a compliment that I am becoming known for heavy drama. I’ve had some great material. But I love all genres. I love action and comedy as well.

Tell me something most people don’t know about you.
I surf. People think black folks don’t surf but I love it. I just started this year when I was out in Maui on vacation. I wanted to try something new and I fell in love with it. I also race motorcycles. On tracks, not in the streets.

Is it a good time to be black in Hollywood?
I was having lunch recently with another actor. He’s white, and I was surprised to hear that he’s having challenges getting auditions—a lot of the same challenges we all face. So is it good time for black men? I have to say, some of the biggest stars in Hollywood—from Denzel to Jamie to Sam Jackson—are African-American. It’s a moment to embrace and a wave to ride. I want to explore it to the fullest.

For the rest of this feature, please order the Spring Edition of Uptown Magazine.