*Jennifer Hudson gets her Olivia Pope on in a a new “Funny or Die” video aimed at touting the virtues of Obamacare.
The actress plays an Olivia Pope-like fixer in a spoof of Kerry Washington’s lead character in “Scandal.”
“I prefer ‘covert scandal manager,’ ” Hudson says when asked if she’s a “fixer.”
Titled “Scandalous,” the video has her running around the nation’s capital, meeting potential clients on park benches and in dark alleyways, hoping to solve some salacious publicity puzzles. Instead, she finds herself explaining the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Looking like Olivia Pope in a chic white trench coat, Hudson’s character, Lydia Cole, asks one distraught woman, “What’s your issue?”
“My company’s healthcare,” the woman replies, “it doesn’t cover mammograms.”
“The ACA covers preventative care for women’s health,” Hudson says. “That’s it? Girl, go find you a scandal.” [Scroll down to watch.]
The parody is the start of an effort by a small group of Hollywood entertainers who hope to persuade young Americans to sign up for the new government medical coverage this fall.
Hudson, Amy Poehler and representatives for Oprah Winfrey and Alicia Keys met with senior White House officials in July to discuss ways to use pop culture to inform younger citizens about the program, Reuters reported at the time.
The result is a collaboration with Funny or Die, which produces viral comedy videos popular with Americans under 30. Mike Farrah, president of production for Funny or Die, told Reuters that the video was privately funded and not paid for by the government.
“If there was ever any money for Funny or Die – which there never was – I’m sure it would have been cut by the sequester long ago,” he joked.
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