In an interview with TODAY.com, Washington, whose last major action packed adventure was in 2005’s "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," says she credits her role of bold crisis manager Olivia Pope in "Scandal" for helping her prepare for the intensity of “Shadow Force.”

In the new American action-thriller directed by Joe Carnahan and co-written with Leon Chills, Kerry Washington and Omar Sy portray the former leaders of an elite global special ops unit