Kerry Washington Says Lynn Shelton’s Posthumous Emmy Nom ‘Burst My Heart,’ Plus: She Talks New Doc

Emmy nomination morning was a big deal for Kerry Washington, who made awards history with her four nods. Now, she's opening up to “Extra's” Rachel Lindsay about the accolades and how happy she was for her late friend Lynn Shelton's nomination. She's also sharing details on her first feature documentary, “The Fight.”

Rachel told Kerry, “You have an impressive four Emmy nominations across four categories, and I think you're the first person to do that, right?” Kerry answered humbly, “I think so. I'm not sure.” She added, smiling, “That's the gossip I'm hearing.”

Kerry received one nomination as executive producer of “American Son,” another for Outstanding Variety Special for “Live in Front of a Studio Audience,” and two more nods for her Hulu hit “Little Fires Everywhere.”

She told Rachel, “I was actually putting my groceries away with my kids, wiping them down in times of COVID, and I was on the phone with my team and the news that really just destroyed me, just like, ya know, burst my heart open, was Lynn Shelton's nomination.”

Lynn was one of the three directors of “Little Fires Everywhere,” who passed away in May after suffering from a blood disorder. Kerry told Rachel, “I am so grateful that the academy is acknowledging her in this way. She put her whole soul into our show, so that nomination feels really, really special.”

Washington added, “I think she's feeling really proud that people received this gift from all of her heart, from all of our hearts.”

Kerry also put her heart and soul into “The Fight,” her first feature documentary, which follows ACLU lawyers on the front lines of the nation's current legal battles.

“These are really challenging times, right?” she said. “Like, you wake up in the morning, 'Where should I be putting my focus on today? Should it be the police attacks on Black lives? Should it be on immigrants and families being separated?'… And what I love is that ACLU is fighting all of those fights.”

Kerry told Rachel she is encouraged by the current state of protest in our country in support of the Black Lives Matter movement: “We know, because we are the embodiment of Black girl magic. We know how much Black lives matter, and it is moving and thrilling to see that reality and truth reverberate out into communities.”