Photo Credit:Associated Press
At the 2025 Golden Gala on Jan. 3, Viola Davis delivered a heartfelt speech while accepting the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award. The EGOT winner dedicated her honor to her younger self and reflected on her extraordinary journey from a difficult childhood to becoming a trailblazing actress.
"I think I decided to be an actor because it was part of a much higher journey—a journey to find myself, my worth, and a sense of belonging," the 59-year-old shared. Born into poverty, Davis recalled growing up in a home plagued by alcoholism and neglect, where toilets didn’t work and rats were everywhere. She was imaginative and mischievous, using "magic" to escape her harsh reality.
"My magic was that I could teleport—I could take myself out of this world that didn’t make sense," she said, noting that her curiosity fueled her desire to perform and seek answers in the stories of others.
Davis admitted that early in her career, she took roles for survival, often facing the harsh realities of limited opportunities for dark-skinned Black women. "Sometimes, for someone like me, that’s all there was. If I waited for perfectly written roles, I wouldn’t be standing here today." Despite the challenges, every role taught her something and brought her closer to the powerful characters she later portrayed, including Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder and Rose Lee Maxson in Fences.
Davis emphasized that her journey wasn’t about poverty or nobility in struggle but about discovering her worth. She credited her younger self, saying, "You owe it to your 6-year-old self and your 80-year-old self. Little Viola is squealing now, pulling on my dress and saying, ‘I told you I was a magician.’"
Golden Globes President Helen Hoehne celebrated Davis as a luminary whose work has redefined storytelling. "Viola’s courage in portraying complex characters has broken barriers and paved new paths, making her an emblem of excellence," Hoehne said.
With an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and multiple Tony Awards, Davis has cemented her legacy in Hollywood. She joins a distinguished list of Cecil B. DeMille honorees, her triumphs inspiring generations to come.
