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​Kerry Washington to play Anita Hill in new HBO film

Kerry Washington is handling a new situation.

The "Scandal" star has signed on to play Anita Hill in a new HBO film about Clarence Thomas' 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

Called "Confirmation," the movie also finds Washington serving as an executive producer.

Hill's sexual harassment allegations against Thomas put the issue at the center of a fierce national debate. Hill became a hero and a target, while Thomas was confirmed as an associate justice.

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Law professor Anita Hill takes oath, Oct. 12, 1991, before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington D.C. JENNIFER LAW/AFP/Getty Images

Last year saw the release of "Anita," a documentary by the Oscar-winning filmmaker Freida Mock about the Brandeis University law professor.

HBO didn't give other casting details or an airdate for "Confirmation" in its announcement Thursday.

In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Washington spoke about privacy and her personal life: "Earlier in my career, I was much more super-sharey. There were moments when I wanted to process things that were happening to me more privately, and I didn't have the space to do it, because once you let people in, they're in and you don't get to say, "Oh, I want this for myself.""

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