Over the course of her career,Viola Davishas been recognized as one of the best actors of our time. While her career trajectory hasn’t always reflected her immense talents, Davis has earned a placeon the very short and prestigious EGOT list. She won both an Academy Award and one of her two Tony Awards for her powerful performance inAugust Wilson’sFences, with the Oscar coming from theDenzel Washington-directed film adaptation. With all of her incredible accomplishments and captivating roles, it was her Emmy-winning role in theABCseriesHow To Get Away With Murderthat Viola Davis is most proud of.
Annalise Keating Was a Groundbreaking Character Thanks to Viola Davis
Recently, Davis was at the Red Sea Film Festival and spoke about her groundbreaking role as Annalise Keating. According to aninterview transcript inVariety, Davis said, “The reason why I think I’m proud of it is because I felt it was brave of me.” Ten years ago, whenHow To Get Away With Murderwas set to premiere, Davis had two Oscar nominations for hervery short, but impactful roleinDoubtand for her leading role inThe Help.Stepping into astarring role on broadcast TV wasn’t the natural next step for her, but the way she brought her gravitas and talents to the role is why Annalise Keating is so iconic. She was able to be intelligent, bold, deceptive, sexy and vulnerable all in one, making her one of the most complex characters on TV.
By the timeHow To Get Away With Murderpremiered, prolific writer and producerShonda Rhimeshad already struck gold withGrey’s AnatomyandScandal,starring two brilliant, yet flawed female leads. While those shows had their own ground-breaking elements, Davis stands out among the otherShondalandleads, bringing Annalise Keating to life as a character who is both unapologetically powerful and heartbreakingly vulnerable. There are countless momentsthroughout the show’s six-season runthat highlight Davis' commanding on-screen presence,but one stands out as, not only one of the series' most iconic, but one of the most memorable in television history.
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That Iconic ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ Scene Would Not Exist Without Viola Davis
In 2015,Viola Davis won an Emmyfor her role inHow To Get Away With Murder,making her the first Black woman to win in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. But, awardsjust scratch the surface of the impact Annalise Keating hadas a character. One of the most talked about scenes from the show’s first seasonoccurred in Episode 4 when Annalise removed her wig and make-up, shedding her armor and baring her vulnerability. It’s an image that audiences don’t see very often, especially from Black women.
It turns out that this scene came directly from the show’s star, Viola Davis. She has spoken about it quite a bit since the episode aired, but in a 2020interview withEssencemagazine, she took full ownership of the idea, saying, “I like to see real women on TV”. Davis brought a rare authenticity to an impactful moment that could have been glossed over in lesser hands, and frankly, would not have even existed without her creative input.
Whether she was commanding a courtroom or navigating the complexities of her personal life, Viola Davis infused the deeply complicated character of Annalise Keating with genuine humanity.She has every right to be proud of this iconic role, because it became iconic thanks to her dedication and commitment to bringing it to life. We’re fortunate to witnessthe extraordinary talents of Viola Davis, and she certainly deserves to keep receiving the recognition she’s earned so far.
All 6 seasons ofHow to Get Away With Murderare available to stream on Hulu.
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How to Get Away With Murder
