Viola Davis tried to "redefine strength" for her role in 'Widows'.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis

The 53-year-old actress stars as Veronica Rawlins, the widow of an armed robber, in the new Steve McQueen-directed heist movie, and Viola has revealed how she approached her role in the film.

Speaking at the movie's world premiere in London's Leicester Square on Wednesday (10.10.18), the American star - whose on-screen character tries to complete her husband's failed heist - told BANG Showbiz: "I try to find out who the person is. We have to redefine strength."

In the movie - which is based on a TV series of the same name - Viola's character is supported in her heist attempt by three other widows.

And the iconic actress has admitted that Veronica is a particularly contradictory character to portray.

Viola - who stars in 'Widows' alongside the likes of Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson - explained: "Is she strong? Yes, but she's still vulnerable, she's still grieving, she's still very much a woman. And that's what makes us strong."

Meanwhile, Viola admitted last month that she regrets the way the characters in 'The Help' were portrayed.

The actress - who played maid Aibileen Clark in the 2011 period drama - revealed that while she enjoyed the experience on set, she wasn't pleased with the final film.

Responding to a fan's question, Viola said: "The friendships that I formed are ones that I'm going to have for the rest of my life. I had a great experience with these other actresses, who are extraordinary human beings. And I could not ask for a better collaborator than Tate Taylor.

"I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn't the voices of the maids that were heard ... I know that if you do a movie where the whole premise is, I want to know what it feels like to work for white people and to bring up children in 1963, I want to hear how you really feel about it. I never heard that in the course of the movie."

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