Kerry Washington

You know those moments when life seems perfect, almost too good to be true? Kerry Washington had one on Feb. 24, when she headed to the Oscars to support Django Unchained, which was up for five awards, including Best Picture. During a commercial break, the millions watching at home saw an insanely steamy promo for her hit ABC show, Scandal, on which she plays professional fixer Olivia Pope. That’s when her phone ”exploded.” ”Having the promo play around the time when Jamie [Foxx] and I presented, that was like, ‘This is crazy,”’ says Washington, 36. ”I’m the luckiest woman in showbiz.” Indeed, the actress — who has turned in memorable performances for years, including in 2004’s Ray — cemented her spot atop the A list in the past year, starring on a must-watch (and must-live-tweet) TV show and in an Oscar-bait Tarantino smash. She also managed to pull off the unthinkable: a paparazzi-free wedding to NFL star Nnamdi Asomugha. Now that she’s nabbed an Emmy nom, what’s next on her to-do list? Maybe a movie musical. ”The women I look up to had careers in lots of different mediums, across decades — people like Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand and Rita Moreno and Diahann Carroll,” she says. ”They’re women who committed to rediscovering themselves as artists throughout this journey of life.” When Washington’s involved, we’ll happily go along for the ride.