Viola Davis: "A Legendary Star in the Making!!"

I got inspired to write this post after reading the August issue of Essence Magazine on Viola Davis "Hollywood's Best-Kept Secret". Here is a woman who is the epitome of what it means to be a woman, more specifically a "Black Woman". Born on her grandmother's farm in St. Matthews, South Carolina Davis has truly made her mark on Hollywood and it has not been without hard work and dedication.

As a fellow Leo, Davis exemplifies what it means to be strong and in control. She has been climbing the Hollywood ladder leaving any "haters" behind her in the dust. Davis much like myself was involved in her local Upward Bound and Student Support Services which were key moments in her academic and social development. I would even go as far as saying she is the next Cicely Tyson...a blazing, contagious fire that does not seem to go out. Like Tyson, she is on her way to legendary stardom success you can't help but see it.

Davis is an actress that I would say can hang with the "best of them", matter fact she is part of the "best of them." I am still amazed by the fact that her first role was a nurse in the 1996 film The Substance of Fire (Tony Goldwyn, Benjamin Ungar, Timothy Hutton) and then years later she would grab our attention with her 8-minute performance as a single mother, which would garner her several film honors including an Academy Award nomination in the film Doubt. As a matter of fact, Davis is quoted saying "during the award season for Doubt she felt like a princess!" And well deserved I might add, that performance was stellar.

Hard exterior and soft shell core, I would say that would be one way to describe Davis' acting personality. She may seem quiet and reserve as a person, but that does not mean she is one dimensional. Davis has played so many different roles that she has become a very marketable actress in today's Hollywood scene. And the fact that she is a Black woman who can play various characters further lets us know that you cannot put her into a box. She manages, and quite well, to stand out in the midst of even a large crowd with each role she takes on, by infusing herself into each and every character that she plays 110%. If I were trying to be an actress she would be the type of actress that I would want to be like. Davis is truly a versatile actress who has many skills and is able to wear many hats. She can take on the role of hard-fighting mayor (Law Abiding Citizen), a no holds bar attorney (Law & Order SVU), a committed wife ("Fences"), and even a drugged out mother (Antwone Fisher)...Davis can do it all!!

Not only does she excel on the big screen, but in the theatre as well, which some might say is her original first love. Just recently she won a Tony Award for her performance as "Rose Maxson" in the Broadway play Fences alongside Academy & Tony Award actor Denzel Washington. Her love for stage acting, Davis credits to her involvement in the arts at Central Falls High School and later when she would attend Rhode Island College where she majored in theatre. Through the years, Davis has definitely grown as an actress and thespian. She is pretty much a household name, considering we can see her every where now. It is refreshing to know that there are still good quality actresses out there in Hollywood who are truly doing their "thing". And she has been able to do with "style and grace".

Keep doing your thing Viola! I just had to speak on this outstanding actress, because she deserves the recognition. She definitely got it going on!!

Definitely looking forward to catching her in the upcoming film The Help, which hits theaters August 12th. Check out the trailer below...