Viola Davis "fears" her daughter will grow up to be "entitled".

Viola Davis

Viola Davis

The 51-year-old actress - who experienced extreme poverty as a child - shares five-year-old daughter Genesis with her husband Julius Tennon, and has said she does what she can to make sure her daughter doesn't grow up expecting expensive things.

When asked how she balances wanting Genesis to have more than she did as a child, and wanting her to appreciate what she has, Viola said: "You just listed my number one fear, which is entitlement. I never had a house; I do shop at Target, I buy all her clothes at Target or H&M. And maybe, if I'm feeling really good, Nordstrom Rack."

And Viola - who recently took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'Fences' at the Oscars last month - said her husband and actor Julius, 63, helps her keep Genesis grounded as he always "holds her accountable" for the things she does.

Viola - who has been married to Julius since 2003 - said: "Julius is really tough. He has two beautiful children and seven grandkids. I came into a relationship where he already had children and grandchildren and raised his kids on his own, so he's tough -- he toes the line, but in a very loving way.

"He holds her accountable. Me, not so much -- I'm the softie. Really, entitlement. Listen, there are poor kids who are entitled. So I pray."

Meanwhile, Viola says she decided to have a child with her husband because she wanted her life to "mean something deeper".

She told People magazine: "I wanted my life to mean and be something deeper. That's when the urge came, and the urge was just very, very, very, strong. So I have a kid now and she is just the light of our lives."