Viola Davis wanted to be somebody

27 February 2017

Viola Davis always wanted to "be somebody".

Viola Davis

The 51-year-old actress scooped the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar at Sunday's (26.02.17) Academy Awards for her part in 'Fences' and broke down backstage as she discussed her humble beginnings and how much the accolade meant to her.

She said: "I'm going to try not to cry now (and) be cheesy. I can't believe my life.

"I grew up in poverty. You know, I grew up in apartments that were condemned and rat infested, and I just always sort of wanted to be somebody.

"I just wanted to be good at something. And so this is sort of like the miracle of God, of dreaming big and just hoping that it sticks and it lands, and it did. Who knew? So I'm overwhelmed."

The actress - who has five-year-old daughter Genesis with husband Julius Tennon - also praised her supportive parents for allowing her the space to pursue her dreams.

She said: "You know, someone told me years ago, they said, 'You have the best parents.' And I said, 'I do?' And they said, 'Yeah, because they're okay with just letting you fly. They're not stage parents.' And I think that's the biggest gift my parents gave to me is to kind of allow me to live my own life.

"They weren't living their dreams through me."

While Viola was proud of her accomplishment - which saw her become the first African-American woman to win an Oscar, Tony and Emmy for acting - she insisted she wouldn't be having any lavish celebrations.

She added to reporters at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre: "I feel good. You know, it's not my style to just kind of wake up and go, 'Oh, I'm an Oscar winner. Oh, my gosh, let me go for a run.'

"You know. I'm good with it. I'll have some mac and cheese, and I'll go back to washing my daughter's hair tomorrow night."

But away from the big screen, Viola is best known for playing feisty lawyer Annalise Keating in 'How To Get Away With Murder' and thinks she and her character are similar in their response to success.

Asked what Annalise would say about the award, she laughed: "Oh, she would most definitely say, 'I deserve this.' And then she would have some vodka. And in that we are very similar."