Far from ‘The Help’: Viola Davis says director calls her work girl – ‘I

Another day, another story of people somehow disrespecting an award winning actress.

Viola Davis recently opened up about racist micro-aggression that she has faced in her career.

Earlier this week, the Oscar and Emmy-winning actress took part in the Kering Women in Motion conversation at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, presented by Diversity, And revealed that a few decades ago a male director would call her his work girl.

“I had a director who did this to me,” Davis said, adding that Hollywood’s perception of black actors and how they could act was limited, even in its A-list format, due to their skin color. Diversity.

“She said, ‘Lewis!’ I knew him for 10 years and he called me Lewis And I learned that her maiden name was Lewis, I was about 30 at the time, so it was a while ago, ”he continued. But you have to realize that these micro-aggressions always happen. “

Courage!

Davis, who starred in the 2011 film “The Help,” which he said he regretted, added that more space needed to be created for fellow black actresses and that he hoped to do so with his production company, Xavi Productions. With which he founded. Her husband, Julius Tennon, was by her side this week.

“I know that when I left ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ I didn’t see many dark skinned women in the lead roles on TV and even in streaming services,” Davis told Kane. DiversityIts chief correspondent is Elizabeth Wagmister.

“And it relates to ideals and principles and mentality, and it speaks abstractly,” he continued. “Why don’t you hire a dark-skinned woman when she walks into the room and you say she blew you away? Create a place for him and a place to tell stories so that when he improves, he does not improve in spite of his situation, but because of his situation. “

Later in the conversation, Aunty V talked about being rejected for the role in the past and admitted that she was overtaken because of her racial reasons or because Hollywood talent didn’t find her “beautiful enough.” The next reason “really gets my curse nerves,” Davis said. “It breaks my heart and it makes me angry.”

Her comments came after she shared earlier that some black actors thought she shouldn’t have been booked for “How to Get Away with Murder” because they apparently didn’t find her “quite enough” for that role.

“A lot of it is ethnic. It really is, “said Davis Diversity. “Let there be honesty. If I had the same features and I had five shade lighters, it would be a little different. And if I had blonde hair, blue eyes and even a wide nose, it would be a little different than what I have now. We can talk about racism, we can talk about race. It bothered me, and it broke my heart – on several projects, the names of which I will not name. “

One day, you will all stop playing with Viola Davis …

What do you think of the Viola Davis work girl name / “not pretty enough” revelation? Which director do you think has disrespected him in this way?