Kerry Washington's mother 'begged' her to practice law

Kerry Washington's mother 'begged' her to pursue a career in law because she feared her daughter becoming a 'starving artist'.

The former Scandal actress was a theatre kid while growing up in the Bronx, New York but the 43-year-old revealed her mother, Valorie, urged her to pursue a more practical profession.

"She really, really wanted me to go to law school," Washington told People magazine.

"Oh my God, it's what she begged me to do. She used to say to me, 'Closing arguments are just like monologues'," recalled the star, "She was terrified to have a starving artist of a child."

Washington, who is currently promoting the legal documentary she co-produced, The Fight, went on to study at George Washington University and earn a dual degree in anthropology and sociology, noted that while acting has been her main focus, she has always had a passion for advocacy.

"I started my life as a social justice activist," she adds. "I was 12 or 13, doing HIV/AIDS education and advocacy work in New York through an arts and education theater company."

Her knowledge of social justice paid off when it came to working on The Fight, which focuses on the lawyers behind the American Civil Liberties Union.

"They're Avengers in real life," she marvels, "out there fighting for all of our rights."