“I always say that, like a scientist or anyone, you always want to be the problem-solver. You feel like, if you solve the greatest mystery or the greatest problem, then that makes you brilliant. It's the same thing with an actress. You want to be able to really tackle a character and make it a fully-dimensional human being who is complicated, funny and all the things that a person could be.” IfsWantFeelsHumansPersonsCharacterProblemAbleHuman BeingsMysteryScientistComplicatedSolveActressesBrilliantProblem Solvers Author:Viola Davis
“Ultimately, it's not your job, as an actress, to satisfy people's expectations or image of who you should be. Even in your life, you are just who you are.” PeopleShouldJobsExpectationsWho You AreActresses Author:Viola Davis
“You absolutely feel, as a black actress, that you've got to ride the wave because there's just so few roles. I hate to play that card, but it's the truth. There's not a lot of roles.” FeelsPlayHateBlackRolesI HateWaveActressesCards Author:Viola Davis
“The only thing that separates women of color from everyone else is opportunity.” OpportunityColorActressesBadassAfrican American WomenEmmysBadass Women Author:Viola Davis
“You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” WinningRolesActressesAfrican American WomenEmmys Author:Viola Davis
“I did want to mark the fact that it was the first African-American to win the Lead Actress category.I thought it was so progressive.” WantFirstsFactsWinningMarkActressesAfrican AmericanProgressiveCategories Author:Viola Davis
“I would like to say something deeper, but for me, I saw a production of "Fences" in Rhode Island and a fabulous actress played Rose, but when she first came on the stage she was mad. You could just see it. She was all, "Troy stop!" So by the time you get to the revelation scene, I didn't think she loved him, so there was no loss. I think that the real tragedy and the real drama or the thing that makes you lean in is to see the love, to see the commitment. To see the fact that Rose is invested in this marriage no matter what.” ThinkingFirstsRealMatterFactsLossSawsStageDramaSceneCommitmentTragedyNo Matter WhatMadRoseProductionsDeeperActressesIslandsRevelationsFenceFabulousRhode Island Author:Viola Davis
“You have to understand being an actress, and being an African American actress of a certain hue, I think that you have to be bold with your choices. Even when you're not bold with your choices, have people see it as bold.” PeopleThinkingCertainChoicesActressesAfrican AmericanHue Author:Viola Davis
“We're in crisis mode as black actresses. It's not only in the sheer number of roles that are offered and that are out there, but the quality of the roles. The quality - and therein lies the problem. We're in deprivation mode because me, Alfre and Phylicia, we're in the same category. Whereas if you take a Caucasian actress, you have the one who are the teens, in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s - they're all different. There are roles for each of them. But you only have two or three categories for black actresses.” IfsTwoDifferentProblemLyingThreeBlackNumbersQualityRolesCrisisActressesCategoriesTeensSheerDeprivationCaucasian Author:Viola Davis
