Shooting `Scandal` during pregnancy was tough: Kerry Washington

Los Angeles: Actress Kerry Washington has revealed that her pregnancy made working on the hit TV series `Scandal` challenging. The 37-year-old star, who gave birth to her first child with husband Nnamdi Asomugha in April, said she struggled to cope with the physical challenges of her role of Olivia Pope during the third season of the drama.

All of last season was a challenge for me, on a few levels. For one thing, I was going through this amazing physical transition, this physical journey of having a baby, that my character was not going through. And I work very physically. What I do is often grounded in the body. "That meant I had to figure out how to be this woman while my instrument was changing and evolving every day. It was like seeing the keys on a piano jump around on a daily basis. It was tough for me to even maintain Olivia`s walk because of the changes," Washington said. The actress, however, credits her pregnancy for making her a better actress. "The season really broke me. I`m a Type A actor who likes to have it all figured out going in, but suddenly I had no idea where this woman was going to go next. I had to jump in without everything being perfect. "I felt like I had been in control playing the character, but it all got taken away from me last season. That meant my acting toolbox had to be upgraded. I had to trade in my screwdriver and hammer for a Black and Decker power tool," she said.