Maybe if a black woman wants a leading role, she has to create it herself.
Viola Davis spent 27 years shining in mostly supporting parts before
her Oscar-nominated turn in “The Help” and her lead in ABC’s “How to Get
Away With Murder” proved she deserves to be front and center.
So Davis founded JuVee Productions with her husband, Julius Tennon, in
2012 to develop the diverse, female-driven projects that have been so
hard to find.
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DAVIES |
“I believe that my potential, my talent, is limitless -- as limitless as Julianne Moore or Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett -- if
I have the narrative, the direction, the other actors,” says Davis, 49,
who costars with Jennifer Lopez in her company’s first feature film
“Lila & Eve” opening Friday.
The movie follows two grieving mothers who become vigilantes after
losing their children to street violence. It showcases both women and
minorities, which is the exception to the rule.
Hollywood is still not diversifying as fast as its audience. Even
though 46% of moviegoers in 2013 were minorities, only 16.7% of movies
released that year starred people of color in lead roles, according to
the UCLA 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report. And women lagged 2-to-1 as
film leads.
So Davis took a cue from “How to Get Away With Murder” creator and
television writer/producer goddess Shonda Rhimes, and took charge of her
career.