By Lisa Durden
It’s your girl Lisa Durden, back again to keep that Women’s History Month energy alive with a spotlight on the queens who aren’t just making movies, but making money moves! Today, let’s talk about another Hollywood legend shaking things up – award-winning actress Viola Davis!
For those of you who have been under a rock, she’s achieved EGOT status, nabbing an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. But NEWS FLASH…did y’all know she’s been sounding the alarm about ‘The Big Pay Gap’ in Hollyweird? Let’s get into it!
Soon after graduating from the Juilliard School in 1993, Viola Davis made her Broadway debut in August Wilson’s ‘Seven Guitars’ earning a Drama Desk nomination, a Tony Award nomination, and a Theatre World Award. Viola embarked on an illustrious career from Broadway to the big screen.
You name it, she’s done it – from her Tony-winning performances as “Tonya” in the stage play ‘King Hedley II’ and “Rose” in the critically acclaimed play ‘Fences,’ to her Emmy-winning role as lawyer “Annalise Keating” in the ABC drama series ‘How to Get Away with Murder,’ making her the first Black actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Let’s not forget her portrayal of “Rose Maxson” in the 2016 film adaptation of ‘Fences,’ winning her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and her performance “ate” as blues legend “Ma Rainey” in the film adaptation of ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom!’
That award season Viola walked away with several accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress, becoming the first Black woman nominated twice for a Best Actress Oscar and she shows no signs of slowing down!
In 2023 she dropped her best-selling memoir titled; “Finding Me’ which clinched a Grammy award for Best Audiobook, Narration, and Storytelling Recording.
Despite her stellar resume and undeniable talent, proving herself to be the best in the game to ever do it, Hollywood is still playing in her face!
But Viola’s not one to stay silent, so she ripped a page out of MoNique’s book and sounds the alarm about Black women and The Big Pay Gap! Do y’all remember the viral moment when she called out Hollyweird’s unfair pay practices??
I do! It was during her 2018 Women In The World L.A. Salon interview that she said loud and proud:
“We won’t talk about gender inequality of pay. We get probably a tenth of what a Caucasian woman gets. I have to go in and I have to hustle for my worth. I got the Oscar! I got the Emmy! I got the two Tonys! I’ve done Broadway!
I’ve done off-Broadway! I’ve done TV! I’ve done film! I have to get on that phone and people say ‘You’re a black Meryl Streep and we love you.’ Okay, then if there’s no one like me YOU PAY ME WHAT I’M WORTH!”
Viola Davis was unapologetic! WHEW CHILE! Every delicious word GAVE ME LIFE! It was inspiring! SHE SAID WHAT THE CLUCK SHE SAID! YAAAASSS! However, learning that she was being paid less than her white female counterparts, despite her long list of accolades over her decades-long stellar acting career was disheartening.
Our “Black Girl Magic” shouldn’t be building white wealth – it’s time we start building Black bank accounts! OMG Is It Only Me??
Although no one has ever given Mo’Nique credit as the trailblazer who brilliantly used social media to put Tinseltown on blast about ‘The Big Pay Gap’ she absolutely helped to pave the way for ‘A List’ Black actresses like Viola to pick up the torch and run with it…she’s standing ten toes down in the fight for fair pay!
So let’s celebrate Viola – not just as a Hollywood legend, but as a fearless warrior fighting for what she’s worth. But she’s not alone in this battle. Viola is standing on the shoulders of giants like Hattie McDaniel and Eartha Kitt, paving the way for actresses like Taraji P. Henson, who’s also not backing down!
She’s STANDING ON BUSINESS! Stay tuned for her story in the last of this four-part series, because we’re not done yet! #ClapForThat!
Lisa Durden is a prominent National Media Contributor and TV Personality, renowned for her appearances on prestigious platforms such as ABC 20/20 as an ABC News Contributor, Revolt TV’s ‘Revolt Black News,’ and Fox Soul’s ‘Being Black With Tammi Mac.’ Her contributions extend to CBS News, The Dr. Oz Show, and as an #APlusPanel Contributor on #TheOpinionZone for the former ‘Chasing News Series’ on the My9 Network.
Her distinctive voice and activism echoes through her storytelling, establishing her as a vocal Social Justice Journalist and thought leader, recognized by media outlets like Newsweek, Ark Republic and Our Time Press.
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