Viola Davis Says A Director She Knew For 10 Years Once Called Her By His Maid’s Name

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Racism is still very much alive in Hollywood. During a talk with Variety on Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, Viola Davis opened up about her experience as a Black woman in Hollywood. READ MORE: Viola Davis Wants Hollywood To Be More Authentic: ‘Your Job Is To Give People Humanity’ “If I wanted to play a mother whose family lives in a challenging, low-income neighbourhood and my son was a gang member who died in a drive-by shooting, I could get that made,” Davis said. “If I played a woman who was, I don’t know, looking to recreate herself by flying to Nice and sleeping with five men at the age of 56, looking like me, I’m going to have a hard time pushing that one — even as Viola Davis.

Because people can’t reconcile the Blackness with spiritual awakening and sexuality.” She continued, sharing one anecdote in which a director once called her by his maid’s name. “It’s too much — it’s too much when you look like ‘my maid Louise,'” the actress said. “And I say that because I actually had a director who did that to me — who said, ‘Louise!’ — and I’d known him for like 10 years and he called me Louise, and I found out it’s because his maid’s name was Louise.

So, that has not changed.” David added, “Any rejection that I’ve had where people said that I was not not pretty enough for a role really gets on my damn nerves… A lot of it is based in race.” She also explained that she firmly believes if her skin was a lighter complexion, she would have a different experience in the industry. “If I had my same features and I were five shades lighter, it would just be a little bit different,” Davis said. “And if I had blonde hair, blue eyes, and even a wide nose, it would be even a little bit different than what it is now.