Rising Above

She’s battled her way from poverty to the Hollywood a-list. Fences star Viola Davis explains why quitting was never an option.

- Olly Richards

VIOLA DAVIS IS, no doubt about it, a big deal. Since her breakthrough in 2008, she has quickly established herself as one of the most consistently excellent actors currently working. In any film she turns up in, be it an awards heavyweight like The Help or silly summer movie like Suicide Squad, you know that, regardless of what’s around her or what kind of script she’s given, she will be great. Her characters tend to be tough, commanding and memorable. She has been nominated for an Oscar twice. She has won an Emmy.

But what she’s experienced is the opposite of overnight success. As a child growing up in Central Falls, Rhode Island, she never knew where her next meal was coming from, sometimes jumping into maggot-infested trash cans to find something to eat. She began acting at the age of eight, using performance as a way to take her mind off her family’s troubles. Slowly perfecting her craft, she spent decades doing stage work, garnering a reputation as an in-demand actress with vast range. Finally, at the age of 43, her acclaimed screen performance in Doubt put her on the path to fame and fortune.