Here’s a look back at the stunning transformation of Viola Davis.
Davis wasborn on a former plantationin St. Matthews, South Carolina in a home that had no running water.
I’ve stolen for food, I’ve jumped in huge garbage bins with maggots for food.
And I sacrificed a childhood for food and grew up in immense shame."
After that, Davis' work on stage began to dominate.
At the same time, her screen career was just beginning to lift off, as well.
I did my first take and thought, ‘Oh my God that was so easy!'"
“I started taking off my wardrobe and they said, ‘You’re not done.’
I said, ‘This is going to be hard work for $518 you got more money?
But it was fabulous.
I thought I had made it.”
“He was like ‘Hey,’ because we had just [done] a scene.
The only thing I thought was, ‘He’s good looking.
He’sreallygood looking.'”
Who knew a bagel bar would be such a matchmaking hotspot?
She is possessed to the blazing, incandescent power.
She is arguably the most immediate, responsive artist I have ever worked with.
She’s so alive, she glistens.
She plants herself in a scene where she has no words and she writes paragraphs with her eyes.
She’s a force of nature and she’s the most generous, present person I know.
She has earned every step on the ladder to the leadership position she now enjoys in this business."
Considering they had only worked together in a single film, Davis reallymusthave made an impact on her co-star.
And that her sister had perhaps as a consequence suffered a life of addiction and prostitution.
The organization provides medical, counseling, and legal services to victims of sexual crimes.
Living out loud is living a life that’s bigger than yourself.
And that’s a big message in this town."
The decision to skip the wig, she toldInStyle, came at the suggestion of her husband.
“My husband wanted me to take the wig off,” she explained to the magazine.
Step into who you are!’
It’s a powerful statement."
“I wanted to see a real woman on TV.
They were originally married in 2003, at which time she wore a simple Express skirt to her ceremony.
According toInStyle, they then renewed their vows not once, but twice.
Thesecond vow renewal ceremonyin 2016 was a much more high-profile event than the former one.
“I wanted an experience of feeling alive.
It’s a reminder.
It’s dramatic, timeless, and romantic.
Little Genesis wore her own white designer gown to match her parents, too.
Davis’ aesthetic, while meaningful, is also not fussy, according to Stewart.
Sounds like Davis doesn’t have to be a diva to be fabulous.
But 2017 was her first time receiving an Oscar.
She also praised her co-star, the legendary Denzel Washington.
Davis closed the speech by celebrating her family who were in the audience that night.
“You teach me every day how to live, how to love,” she continued.
“I’m so glad that you are the foundation of my life.”
“After six years, sometimes you’re so exhausted and ready to go.”
“I have met Michelle Obama twice and we’re certainly representing her beautifully,” she toldRefinery29.
“There is something about her… she’s perfect.”
But at this stage in life, what exactly would Davis say to her younger self?
“I would tell her that she was enough,” she stated.
“Because actually, she did pretty good.”
“She was a survivor.
She got out of it,” she continued.
“And it makes me look at my past completely differently when I see that.”
