3 Things Emerging Black Actresses Can Learn From Viola Davis

As the first black actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting [having won an Emmy, Academy Award, and two Tonys], this 54-year-old icon has helped shape a new era of black female roles in film and TV by excelling in roles that tell the authentic black experience. At the start of her career, Davis flourished in narrow roles as a nurse, housewife, and maid, but in 2011, her name shot into headlines for her portrayal of Aibileen Clark in The Help.

In this film, Davis played the role of a maid working for a white family. Although she has primarily been praised for her role as Aibileen by notably “channeling her mother and grandmother and paying homage to how they’ve contributed to her life and the lives of so many people,” in her 2018 New York Times interview, she stated her regret in taking on the role at all, as she felt that “it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard.”

Today, Davis rocks the set of Shonda Rhimes’s How To Get Away With Murder as Annalise Keating, a criminal defense attorney who selects a group of bright law students that become entangled in a series of murders and crimes. Her role as Annalise Keating has allowed Viola to closely follow the footsteps of Diahann Carroll, the first black actress to star in her own TV series and also play one of the first non-domestic roles as a black actress.

Her role as Annalise Keating has also brought on even more success to Viola’s legacy, and while accepting the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in A Drama Series at the 2015 Emmy Awards, Viola famously stated that “the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”

This call-to-action for film/TV directors, writers, and leaders and the emergence of new black filmmakers and production companies, such as Ava Duvernay, Ryan Coogler, and Viola’s own Juvee Productions has brought on a groundbreaking evolution of black roles and talent. Some examples being Letitia Wright’s role of Shuri in Black Panther (2018) and Lupita Nyong’o’s performance as Adelaide Wilson/Red in Us (2019).

As the final season of How To Get Away With Murder airs this spring, Viola’s acting career is projected to flourish as she continues to take on roles that challenge stereotypical perceptions of black females and tell the stories of both historical and everyday strong black women. Here are a few things to learn from Viola’s emergence as a black film icon:

Own Your Story

Always show up as you are. No one can be you as well as you can. Hollywood is constantly searching for new talent and stories to tell. Your story is the one thing that this world doesn’t have. Viola found acclaim and success in portraying authentic black stories, but one of the biggest dragons she had to slay was the story that the media tried to place her in.

Even though she wasn’t perfect, she found the value in her worth and realized that an individual’s story is the one thing that sets you apart from everyone else in this world, so share it as much as you can. Viola has stated that “it takes the sharing of stories with people who have empathy to kill shame.”

Know Your Purpose

You can be anything that you want to be. Reject the imaginary ceiling on your ambitions, and set your eyes for the stars. Viola came from humble beginnings to put it lightly. She was never meant to attain the amount of success that she achieved, but she believed in her dream.

Your belief in who you are and what you’re meant to be will drive your success and open countless doors of opportunities. Explore the things you love and follow your heart rather than your head when making important decisions. Her strong will to follow her purpose amassed her over eighty awards and one-hundred award nominations as one of the most successful black actresses of today’s times.

Persevere

What you remember most when you make it is the journey. Focus on your goals and work towards them daily. Viola didn’t rise to true fame until her mid-forties meaning she worked as an actress for over ten years before receiving great recognition for her roles and talent.

After twenty-four years, she now has a career that has helped shape the perception of black female characters. Others’ lives depend on your success, so don’t let them down. Viola’s success continues to pave the way for young black actresses, and she’s just getting started.

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