Kerry Washington's White-Hot Swimsuit

The show has quickly built up a loyal band of followers who dominated Twitter on Thursday nights when the series airs. But the TV phenomenon is also breaking color barriers too: Washington is only the second black woman in almost 40 years to lead a network drama—something she is hyper aware of.

"One of the most profound things for me about the show is the number of white women of all ages who come up to me and say ‘I want to be Olivia Pope.'" She reveals. "It's especially profound in a place like South Africa. It's called The Fixer over there, and it just started its second season. The fact that white women can see this woman of color as an aspirational character is revolutionary...I don't think white women would feel that way about Olivia if her identity as a woman, period, wasn't first in their mind."

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