Viola Davis is opening up about her early days as an aspiring actress and the challenges she faced at one of the country’s most prestigious drama schools.
Davis revealed that during her time at Juilliard, the prestigious school tried to turn her into “a perfect white actress.”
Davis, who has won awards for her roles in several major Hollywood movies, including Fences, The Woman King, and How to Get Away with Murder, recalled her feelings about feeling pressured to fit in.
“I feel that as a Black actress, I’m always being tasked to show that I have range by doing white work. All those white actors have to do is play all white characters. That’s not me,” she explained in her interview with the Talk Easy podcast.
The 59-year-old actress added that while Juilliard gave her technical skills, it also tried to erase her cultural identity..
Davis says she eventually found power in her truth despite the pressure to conform.“I feel that as a Black actress, I’m always being tasked to show that I have range by doing white work,” she shared. “All those white actors have to do is play all white characters. That’s not me,” she said.