Viola Davis points out black women ‘don’t always have to play slaves’ in movies and she’s not wrong there

Viola Davies has graced us with the reminder that black actors, especially women, should not be limited to playing roles as slaves or oppressed characters.

The Oscar-winning star was speaking to NET-A-PORTER’s digital magazine PorterEdit about the lack of diverse roles black women receive in comparison her peers Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman when she made the comment. ‘We don’t always have to be slaves or in the ’hood or fighting the KKK,’ she said. ‘I could be in Gone Girl. Or Wild. I could be seen the same way as Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore. I actually came from the same sort of background.’ The 52-year-old, who has been nominated for an Academy Award three times in her career, added that it’s not only down to the awards to diversify.

‘It’s not about the Oscars, it’s about how we’re included in every aspect of the movie-making business,’ she said. ‘When you look at a role as a director or producer that is not ethnically specific, can you consider an actor of colour, to invest in that talent?’ The star, who became the first black woman to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 for her role as Annalise Keating in US TV drama How to Get Away with Murder, is calling for filmmakers and viewers to broaden their perspective. She explained: ‘The problem is, if it’s not an urban or civil rights drama, they don’t see you in the story. People need to understand that they shouldn’t see people of colour one way.’

Davies added that she believes ‘imagination’ is missing. ‘I went to Julliard, I’ve done Broadway. I’ve worked with the Stephen Spielbergs. I should be seen the same way. That’s what I think is missing – imagination.’ Last night crossover episodes for How To Get Away With Murder and…

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