'Scandal' Actress Khandi Alexander Discusses Playing Olivia Pope's Mother

Khandi Alexander has shared her thoughts on playing the mother of Olivia Pope on Scandal, E! News reported Wednesday.

On last week's episode of Scandal, Alexander made her debut as Olivia's mother who is believed to be dead. It was revealed that she was being held captive. The veteran actress described how Scandal executive producer Mark Wilding offered her the part.

"He said, 'The only thing I can tell you is that you're Mama Pope and you can't tell anybody anything. Do you want it or don't you? Is it a yes or a no?' I said, 'I'm in and I won't say anything.' And I didn't tell anyone. I didn't tell my agent, my manager, my boyfriend. I didn't tell anybody and I didn't know anything....They knew I was doing the show but they didn't know anything about what I was playing," Alexander said.

Before joining the show, Alexander said she was a big fan of the show. She was also rooting for Olivia to be with Fitz. However, she changed her opinion after it was revealed through flashbacks that Fitz's father raped Mellie.

"That was more powerful to me than shooting down the plane, because now that I know her backstory and what she sacrificed... It's like, she can't be with him," she said.