Viola Davis Finally Has The Role Shes Worked Decades For “I feel like Shonda gets me, all of me,” the How to Get Away With Murder actress said at BuzzFeed Brews with Facebook Live on Wednesday. “Not just maybe what I would represent in a generic form, which is mama, maid.” Macey J. Foronda/BuzzFeed Viola Davis made headlines during the Television Critics Association press tour in July when she said, I have gotten so many wonderful film roles, but Ive gotten even more film roles where I havent been the show. Its like Ive been invited to a really fabulous party, only to hold up the wall. I wanted to be the show. And thats what the actress, who stars in Shonda Rhimes upcoming ABC drama How to Get Away With Murder, finally is. When asked about that comment at BuzzFeed Brews with Facebook Live on Wednesday in Hollywood, she said, I said that statement and I want to take it back ... I was saying that for a very simple reason, and the reason is, after a while you get tired of being the third girl from the left. Davis, who has been nominated for two Academy Awards for her performances in 2008s Doubt and in 2011s The Help, has obviously found success in the film industry, but it hadnt always been in the most flattering roles: As she noted at BuzzFeed Brews with Facebook Live, shes played a lot of maids. BuzzFeed Brews with Facebook Live One of the biggest struggles of Davis career has been not being seen as more than the maid and not having the opportunity to truly exercise the skills shes worked so hard to hone. I think that when you go through your life, you expect to get the best of anything, she said. Whatever profession youre in, you expect the world to see you. Especially when you spend 10 years in acting school, which I did, you just feel like everybody is primed to be Meryl Streep, whoever you are, white, black, whatever. But then, you go out there, she continued. You see all these walls that are held up because youre a woman, youre a certain age, youre a certain hue of color. And its shocking that people dont see that. You know, Look at me. I am good, I do have talent. See me. So I think that it was a little bit of a shock after the Oscars that people were still saying, You know, youve got four scenes in a movie, but youre going to be playing opposite so-and-so. And Im like, I dont care if Im going to be playing opposite so-and-so. I want so-and-sos role! View Entire List ›
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 07:24:37 +0000
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