Viola Davis names her favourite role of her career: “It was sort of awesome”
“The truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness,” Timothee Chalamet made a speech that showcased his intent when he won his SAG Award for A Complete Unknown. “I know people don’t usually talk like that. But I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats. I’m inspired by the greats here tonight […] I’m as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Viola Davis as I am by Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps.”
The three actors he named in his ode to the greats should hardly come as a surprise, as they are all experts when it comes to commanding a screen, playing into versatility, and absolutely owning any role that they take on. Viola Davis is an excellent example of this, as, throughout her career, she has taken on a number of ambitious roles and has managed to deliver in every single one of them.
Davis had her own inspirations, of course. “Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Helen Mirren, they’re all my idols, and I love them to death,” she said, “But at some point, you know, it’s still Cicely Tyson that made me want to be an actress because she looked like me. She looked like my mother. You want to see yourself.”
Thanks to Davis’s performance in films such as The Help, Doubt, and Widows, she has made a name for herself as one of the idols that aspiring actors now look up to. Her unwavering approach to every role is truly inspiring, and whenever she stars in something new, it is always exciting to see what she might bring to the table.
It begs the question, what is her favourite role of all time? Actors will always have varying opinions on their roles, as they will appreciate what opportunities came their way because of a role, how well a movie was received and also the all-around experience of shooting it. For Davis, when considering the latter, she said that her favourite movie to shoot was the James Brown biopic Get On Up. Not only did this role see her travel to places she loved, but she also got to act alongside Chadwick Boseman.
“I enjoyed being in Mississippi,” she said when discussing shooting Get On Up, “I loved Chadwick, loved Chadwick. It was sort of awesome.”
The film was an incredibly moving biopic that saw Boseman inhabit the role of the funk and soul frontman. Despite his incredibly honest portrayal of Brown, Boseman initially wasn’t sure whether or not he would accept the role, as it felt like too much of an undertaking. When he initially received the script, he didn’t even read it, as he felt as though he wouldn’t be able to do a good portrayal of Brown. Luckily, he eventually changed his mind.
“I just didn’t think there was any point in trying,” he admitted. “I was like, ‘What’s next? Gimme something else.’ He’s too big an icon, and I’d just played one [in 42]. And in my mind, I didn’t know how you would even approach those dance moves.”
