Kerry Washington has recalled how she used to sneak into a dance class to watch Jennifer Lopez rehearse.
During an interview for the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast on Tuesday, the Scandal actress recounted how she took lessons from the Hollywood icon and dance teacher Larry Maldonado at her local Boys & Girls Club in New York in the ’90s.
“(Jennifer) taught me how to dance!” she exclaimed. “We had this dance teacher named Larry Maldonado. And Larry was a dream. Larry taught me so much. He was like this very eccentric, gay man dance teacher. He ran the dance programme at the Boys & Girls Club, and he got really sick in the ’80s, like a lot of people did.”
Kerry went on to note that she would have been eight years old when she took the dance lessons, where her fellow Bronx native sometimes served as a substitute teacher for Larry.
“I remember, right before she left to go off to L.A. to pursue her dream of being famous,” the 49-year-old continued. “(And) she did this duet dance with Larry, who had fallen ill. So, he must have gotten better and was back. And it was very risqué. We weren’t supposed to watch it. The girls were like, ‘No, this is not for you.’ It was like later on in the dance programme, but we all hid in the wings ’cause we couldn’t not watch it. It was beautiful. She was beautiful… She’s always been a real inspiration for me.”
However, Kerry went on to joke that she was surprised the On the Floor hitmaker had never reached out about a collaboration.
“She’s never hired me to dance in any of her videos,” she smiled, adding, “I don’t know what that says.”
Kerry is currently promoting her new TV show, Imperfect Women.
Co-starring Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara, the series is now streaming via Apple TV.
