American actress, Viola Davis recently took part in a Women In Motion conversation at the Cannes Film Festival.
Davis says that the top film industry still has trouble with representation because there aren’t many Black people with dark skin in lead roles.
The Emmy Award-winning actress told about her experience and said that a director once called her by the name of his maid.
“That happened to me with a director. He said, ‘Louise!’ Davis said, “I’ve known him for ten years, and he’s called me Louise. I found out that’s because his maid’s name is Louise.” “At the time, I was probably around 30 years old, so it was a long time ago. But you need to know that these small slights happen all the time.”
Davis also said that since she left Shonda Rhimes’s “How to Get Away With Murder,” Black women-led TV shows haven’t had more chances.
“Since I left ‘How to Get Away With Murder,’ I haven’t seen many dark-skinned women in lead roles on TV or streaming services.
“And that has to do with ideology, ethos, and mentality, and I’m talking about this in a general way. Why don’t you hire a dark-skinned woman when you say she blows you away when she walks in the room? “Give her space and stories so that when she does well, it’s not despite her circumstances but because of them,” Davis told Variety.
Davis says that Hollywood hasn’t found a way to combine being black with spiritual awakening or sexuality. This is why she may never get some roles, no matter how many awards she wins.
- Tags: Cannes Film Festival, Viola Davis
