Kerry Washington Says Netflix’s ‘American Son’ Couldn’t Have

(Warning: This publish incorporates spoilers for Netflix’s “American Son.”)

Netflix’s adaptation of the Broadway play “American Son” launched final Friday, so by now you’ve had loads of time to view the heart-wrenching movie and attain its tragic ending. And when you haven’t, flip again now as a result of we’re about to disclose star Kerry Washington’s opinion on the story’s conclusion: Kendra Ellis-Connor (Washington) and her husband Scott Connor (Steven Pasquale) study that their half-Black, half-white, 18-year-old son, Jamal, was not truly arrested, however shot and killed by a Black police officer who had pulled over the teenager and his mates after the cop witnessed the driving force — not Jamal — shopping for medication. The boys exited the automobile with out the officer’s instruction to take action and he fired.

“I was shocked and at first– I mean just really shocked. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt like, ‘Oh, this is how it has to be,’” Washington instructed TheWrap. “Because to end it any other way, I think, would be almost disrespectful to all the people who have been in this situation where it has ended in a similar way. We don’t want to romanticize the issue. But I love that until the very end you are hoping against hope that it’s not gonna be that.”

Washington says she’s realized that the ending resonated with some playgoers who noticed her carry out throughout “American Son’s” run on Broadway attributable to their very own experiences with racial profiling and the Black Lives Matter motion.

Also Read: Kerry Washington on Why Netflix’s ‘American Son’ Never Shows Jamal to the Audience

“There’s a lot of mothers of the movement who’ve come to see the show, moms who have been in this situation, they are so grateful that we don’t let people off the hook, that you have to walk out of the theater being willing to deal with the reality and that you don’t get to walk out of the theater pretending that everything is OK, ’cause it’s not,” she stated.

But the “Scandal” alum understands your need for the story to have ended with Jamal protected and sound in his dad and mom’ arms, and that “you’re hoping against hope” that’s the way it performs out.

“That’s a great want and we should all be working for that.”

“American Son” is streaming now on Netflix.