(Beverly Hills) Viola Davis’ journey to becoming one of Hollywood’s most revered actresses was guided by a simple mantra: embrace every role, use each as a paycheck and a chance to explore new characters while honing their skills.
Posted at 2:19 p.m.
Jonathan Landrum Jr.
Associated Press
Friday evening, Davis delivered a moving 16-minute speech while receiving the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Gala: an evening of excellence. She discussed how her turbulent upbringing fueled her passion for acting as an escape and how financial necessity often influenced her choice of roles.
“If I had waited for a role that was written for me, well-crafted, then I wouldn’t be here,” said Davis, who, along with Carol Burnett Award winner Ted Danson, has been celebrated for her career achievements in film and television. television at a star-filled gala dinner in Beverly Hills, California, just two nights before the 82e annual Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday.
Popular personalities in attendance included Carol Burnett, Jane Fonda, Anthony Anderson, Steve Guttenberg and singer-songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. This marked the first time the Globes held a separate event dedicated to the two awards.
Davis said she couldn’t afford to wait for the perfect role, as a “dark-skinned black woman with a wide nose and big lips.”
“So I took it for the money,” said Davis, who has won praise for a series of compelling characters in films such as Fences, The Woman King, The Help et Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom while captivating viewers with the crime drama How to Get Away with Murder.
“I don’t think poverty is really the answer to art,” she said. I don’t think there is no nobility in poverty. »
Meryl Streep presented the award to Davis, whom she called a pure artist who “delivers the truth every time.” The two actresses worked together in the film Doubt of 2008, where Meryl Streep began to marvel at Davis, whom she called “her favorite actress in the world.”
The DeMille Award was given to Hollywood’s top talents. Previous winners include Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand and Sidney Poitier.
Ted Danson recipient of the Carol Burnett Award
When Danson received his award, he praised Davis, calling her “an incredible actress.”
“It’s such a pleasure to be in the same room with you,” said Danson, a three-time Globe winner who has been a TV staple since his breakthrough role as Boston bartender Sam Malone. in comedy Cheers from NBC. He also starred in The Good Place, Mr. Mayor, Fargo, CSI : Crime Scene Investigation et CSI: Cyber, Damages et Becker.
Danson currently plays in A Man on the Inside from Netflix, which earned him his first nomination since 2008 and the 13the in the general classification.
“Bia Iftikhar, who does his hair on set, said it best: ‘Ted sets the tone,’” said his wife, actress Mary Steenburgen, who presented Danson with the inaugural Carol Burnett Award. in 2019. Previous winners include Norman Lear, Ryan Murphy and Ellen DeGeneres. The first was Burnett herself.
Danson and Steenburgen have appeared in a few projects together, including Pontiac Moon, Gulliver’s Travels et It Must Be Love.
“He is so loving and enjoys performing so much that all of us who work hard away from our families for long hours find ourselves working on a set dictated by his kindness,” Steenburgen said. As his wife, seeing the respect and love…for Ted, it made me very proud. »
PHOTO DANIEL COLE, ARCHIVES REUTERS
Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen at the inauguration of the Golden Gala: an evening of excellence before the 82e edition of the Golden Globes, in Los Angeles, California, on January 3, 2025.
Danson thanked a number of writers, producers and actors as well as the co-creators of CheersGlen and Les Charles, who surprised him by showing up at the event.
“I feel so grateful,” he said. I am truly the luckiest person… on Earth. »
Davis joked, “Little Viola is screaming,” referring to the joy she would have felt when she was younger seeing an actress’s journey from poor childhood to Hollywood stardom.
“She’s standing behind me and she’s pulling on my dress,” said Davis, who has achieved EGOT status, which means being on the list of people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony, after winning a Grammy last year for best audiobook, best narration and best narration for the recording of his memoir Finding Me.
“She wears the same red rubber boots that she wore in rain or shine because they made her feel ‘pure,’” she continued. What she whispers is: “I told you I was a magician.” »
