She’s battled her way from poverty to the Hollywood a-list. Fences star Viola Davis explains why quitting was never an option.
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.
Denne historien er fra February 2017-utgaven av Empire.
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Denne historien er fra February 2017-utgaven av Empire.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Jungle Boogie
They Could Have Shot Their Monster Movie in a Green Screen Chamber. Instead,the Makers of Kong:skull Island Journeyed Into Some of Earth’s Most Far-flung Corners. And Empire Tagged Along, Every Glorious, Snake-infested Step of the Way.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The Franchise’s First Stand-alone Instalment, Sends a Squad on an Impossible Mission, and Is Star Wars’ Biggest Change-up Yet.
To The Max
The Future of Hollywood? Or a Brat Who’s Lucked Out? Prolific, Hyperactive Wunderkind Screenwriter Max Landis Welcomes Us Into His World.
Adapt Or Die
Michael Fassbender and Justin Kurzel, the Duo Behind Assassin's Creed, Think They've Finally Found the Secret to a Great Video-game Adaptation: Treat It Like Shakespeare.
Choosing Life
The years drifted by. The players drifted apart. But despite all the odds, Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie are finally back in T2 Trainspotting, a sequel with a surprising link to The Likely Lads.
The Seven Year Switch
After a long break, comic actor Adam Sandler gets serious again in The Meyerowitz Stories
The Rite Stuff
The makers of The Ritual’s five steps to creating a British Blair Witch Project
Alpha Female
Her race to the big screen has lasted an astonishing 75 years. But the indomitable WONDER WOMAN's journey is almost at an end.
The Vault
The Vault
The Jedi Returns
Once the Golden Boy of the Rebellion, Luke Skywalker Is Now a Hermit on a Far-far-away Planet. Can Plucky Padawan Rey Persuade Him to Return to the Fray? Director Rian Johnson and Star Mark Hamill Set the Scene for Star Wars: The Last Jedi
