Kerry Washington Campaigned for Delroy Lindo to Join UnPrisoned Because He's 'One of My Heroes'

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Kerry Washington is working with one of her heroes on the new Hulu series UnPrisoned.

While walking the red carpet for the premiere of the new half-hour comedy-drama on Thursday evening, the actress, 46, tells PEOPLE that casting Delroy Lindo as her father on the show was an exciting moment.

"Delroy's just always been one of my heroes and I admire him so much," Washington says. "I've always wanted to work with him."

"I knew that whoever played this role was gonna have to be somebody who was incredibly talented and strong, that [viewers] could believe could be a career criminal, but also couldn't help him fall in love with them. And I just felt like Delroy had all those qualities," she continues. "He's so lovable, he's so strong, he's so vulnerable, he's so smart — he's everything."

The Scandal alum adds: "And so when he said yes, I was so excited. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, we have a show.' If Delroy is gonna do this, then we might actually have a show."

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In UnPrisoned, Lindo, 70, plays Washington's father, who has recently been released from prison, and the show hinges on their newly evolving relationship.

Washington, meanwhile, plays "a messy but perfectionist relationship therapist and single mom whose life is turned right-side-up when her dad gets out of prison and moves in with her and her teenage son," according to the log line for the new series.

For his part, Lindo — who is known for other roles in Malcolm X, Gone in 60 Seconds, Da 5 Bloods and The Good Fight — said that accepting the role was an acknowledgment that his previous acting work has had an impact.

"It's profoundly affirming, and I say that not from an ego point of view, from a human point of view, from a creative point of view, that my work as an actor could resonate out into the community, could resonate out into the world and touch and impact somebody like Kerry, who would then say, 'Come do this with me.' [It] means the world," he tells PEOPLE.

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The fact that the show draws on drama and comedy was another appealing aspect of the project, Washington says.

"You know, I really love that the show's a dramedy, 'cause I love being able to play all those keys on the piano. You know, I do love doing dramatic work. Obviously I'm trained to do that, but one of the most fun weeks of my life was hosting SNL," she tells PEOPLE. "So to be able to do it all in one character is really, really, such a privilege."