On the cover of this week�s Page Six Magazine, actress Kerry Washington opens up about her new job as a director, leaving a three-year engagement and the first time she met Barack Obama.Kerry spent her 31st birthday in January watching a Clinton-Obama debate at LA�s Kodak Theater. She gets giddy recalling their backstage introduction, saying when the Illinois Senator said he recognized her, she remembered, �It was a great moment.�
Back in Tinseltown, Kerry is awaiting the September 19th release of her latest flick, Lakeview Terrace, where she stars opposite Patrick Wilson as a couple terrorized by police officer-neighbor Samuel L. Jackson. Having already helped former co-stars Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Forrest Whittaker (Last Kind of Scotland) land their own Academy Awards, Kerry jokes about her lucky charm status: �It�s just been my ploy to get more work in this town. I tell men, �If you hire me, you might get an Oscar!��
The 31-year-old Bronx-bred actress is all about taking on a new craft. �When Spike Lee found out I was directing Common�s latest music video, he called me and said, �So, you�re transitioning?� And I said, �No. I�m not leaving acting for directing. I�m just expanding!��
Kerry doesn�t stop there. She is the current spokesmodel for L�Oreal and Movado watches and has testified before Congress on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts. But being lauded for her looks still surprises her. �I have not always thought of myself as beautiful. Growing up, I never felt like the pretty one, which is good because I felt it was important to become the smart one. I wouldn�t say I was an ugly duckling but I never felt like I had an exceptional physical appearance that was going to make life any easier.�
Engaged for three years to actor David Moscow (most famous for playing Josh, the kid portrayed by an adult Tom Hanks in Big), Kerry walked away. �Weddings are like red carpets for normal people. I do so many gowns and events in my work. I have that. Coming out of an engagement, I don�t even try to guess what my life is going to look like in the future anymore. No one has to feel sorry for me. I'm not lonely. I have my dog.�
For more on Kerry Washington, check out this week�s issue of Page Six Magazine, free inside the Sunday edition of the New York Post and online on Monday at www.pagesixmag.com. For a preview of this week�s magazine, click on www.nypost.com/pagesixmag/upcoming.