Yahoo News Kerry Washington says she was asked to shoplift for a role: 'I cased the joint 2 days in a row'
Kerry Washington is sharing a caper from her past.
In her new memoir, Thicker Than Water, Washington opens up about some hard truths and tales from her career, including the time she planned a heist to help get into character. To prepare for her role as ambitious shoplifter Niecy in 2001's Lift, the actress writes that she was tasked by the writer-directors Khari Streeter and DeMane Davis to steal something so she could "feel the adrenaline and excitement that was written into Niecy's relationship with theft." While Washington could relate to Niecy's fashion sense and ambition, she had never stolen a thing.
Lift, which Washington describes as an "intimate family drama disguised as an urban heist thriller," follows Niecy, a shoplifter who works at an upscale mall in Boston. When she makes the jump from boosting clothes and credit cards to getting in on a diamond heist, her belief in whether a life of crime is worth it gets tested.
Everett Collection Kerry Washington in 'Lift'
Even early in her career, the actress was committed to immersing herself in the characters she played, so Washington found a deli around Times Square and got to work. It was an establishment in the heart of Manhattan, so there were cameras and other security features. "I cased the joint two days in a row, studying the position of the security cameras, noting shift changes or various employees. I bought small items each day so that they would remember me as a customer in good standing," she writes.
The goal was to understand the physical responses to the rush, so she went for something small. With the prep done, Washington was ready to nab her loot: a Granny Smith apple. She went in, slipped the apple into her bag and got out of there.
"Having rehearsed my getaway, I knew exactly where on Broadway I was no longer in sight of anyone working in the store, and when I reached that spot on the sidewalk, I started to run," she shares.
Little, Brown Spark 'Thicker Than Water' by Kerry Washington
Afterward, she called the directors to share the news and offered to bring the apple in as proof. "They told me they believed me and to enjoy my bounty. So, I ate it." she writes. When filming wrapped on Lift, Washington went back to the store for snacks and told them to keep the change to make up for her heist.
Thicker Than Water chronicles the personal and professional life of Washington after she discovers that her mother used a sperm donor and the man who raised her is not her biological father. It's full of touching tales from her biggest roles and the often difficult truths about her personal life that she has never shared before.
Thicker Than Water is out now.
Related content:
