The actor Steve McQueen called incomparable: “She hasn’t been given her due”
Despite only having five feature films under his belt, director Steve McQueen has worked with an extremely talented and diverse roster of actors. From Lupita Nyong’o to Brad Pitt to Carey Mulligan and Liam Neeson, the list goes on. But of all the stars he’s worked with, there’s one in particular he thought was entirely incomparable—the one and only Viola Davis.
With both an Egot and a ‘Triple Crown in Acting’, Davis is one of the most influential actors of the past 20 years, without question. No matter the breadth of the role, she brings an emotional intensity and powerful nuance to every character she plays. Working with her on his 2018 heist film, Widows, McQueen has nothing but praises for Davis. “She goes where others dare not tread,” he told Vanity Fair. “She’s not afraid to be human”.
Whether she’s powerfully putting her students in their place or defending herself against her cheating husband, sobbing and snot-crying and all, Davis brings a whole new level of reality to every role she plays. Yet, despite Davis’ unmatched acting chops and many awards, McQueen also claimed that “she hasn’t been given her due—that’s a fact.” And, really, it is true.
Even with all her accomplishments and being a noted influential figure for years, Davis has only had a handful of leading parts, and even fewer that do her full range of talent justice. As Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder, she was the first black woman to win the Primetime Emmy for ‘Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series’. And yet, notwithstanding the gravitas she brings to every role, she’s struggled to be a regular lead presence on the big screen. Her turn as Aibileene in The Help or Rose in Fences might have put her on Hollywood’s radar, but it hasn’t massively opened up deserving opportunities for her.
Many of her fans and colleagues think the big screen is her place to be. But, when questioned on her choice to stay in TV for so long when she’s had a career in cinema, her response is, “What movies? What were those movies?” It’s undeniable that her talent has been majorly overlooked. However, McQueen was one filmmaker who nabbed the chance to have her front and centre.
An adaptation of the British TV series of the same name, Widows follows Davis as one of four women who attempt a heist to pay off the crime bosses their husbands stole money from before their untimely deaths in the botched getaway. Along with McQueen’s directing, Davis is the heart and soul of the movie—as she is with any feature she appears in.
For an action-packed heist film, it was critically acclaimed and garnered her a second Bafta nomination. Since then, she has also been the lead in The Woman King, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the upcoming action thriller G20. In many ways, it seems she’s taking the route of the action star. Those emotionally deep and impactful roles still seem to be lacking for one of the most talented actresses of the 21st century, which is all the more jarring considering the sheer incomparability of her talent.
