Viola Davis Recalls Her Journey to Acting in Powerful Cecil B. DeMille Globes Speech: 'I Just Wanted to Be Somebody'

Mar. 15, 2025

Viola Davis at the Golden Gala: A Celebration of Excellence at The Beverly Hilton on January 3, 2025.Photo:Gilbert Flores//GG2025/Penske Media via Getty

Gilbert Flores//GG2025/Penske Media via Getty

EGOTwinnerViola Davishas another trophy to add to her collection, and this one is dedicated to her younger self.

The actress, 59, made an emotional speech at the Golden Gala on Jan. 3 as she accepted theCecil B. DeMille Awardahead of the2025 Golden Globeswhere she explored the origins of her desire to be an artist and to use the only thing she had within herself as a child: “magic.”

“I think I decided to be an actor because acting was just a cosmic carrot for a much higher journey. A journey in finding me, finding a sense of belonging, finding my worth,” she said. “I was born into a life that just simply did not make sense. I didn’t fit in. I was born into abject poverty. I was mischievous. I was imaginative. I was rambunctious. I was poor going up in a house with alcoholism and infested with rats everywhere. Toilets never worked.”

“My life just didn’t make sense. And on top of all that, all anyone ever said was that I wasn’t pretty. By the way, what the hell is pretty? I wasn’t pretty. I just wanted be somebody.”

After reflecting on what she didn’t have growing up, theHow to Get Away with Murderalum said it was the “magic” inside her that propelled her forward.

“And you know what my magic was? That I could teleport. That I can take myself out of this worthless world and relieve myself of it at times,” she said.

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon attend the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton.Amy Sussman/Getty

Amy Sussman/Getty

“I was curious and that’s how I started my journey. And I had enough curiosity to know not only could I perform magic and have these people, but what could they give me? What could I find? And all of these lives that could somehow rain down those gold nuggets and give to me to make my life make sense.”

At first, the actress, who shares daughter Genesis, 14, with her husband, actor Julius Tennon, 71, “took a lot of jobs because of the money… Because sometimes for a dark-skinned Black woman with a wide nose and big lips, that’s all there is out there. Alright? If I waited for a role that was written for me, well-crafted, I wouldn’t be standing up here. So I took it for the money.”

She asserted that she does not “believe that poverty is really the answer to craft,” nor is there “any nobility in poverty,” but instead, she said, “I think every job I got, even if it was because it was an opportunity to get in there and take, right? And then sometimes those bold nuggets would rain down on me, and I got the Mrs. Millers and the Annalise Keatings and the Aibileen Clarks and the Amanda Wallers. And I would go, ‘Oh my God, I am cooking it. I’m going to be the nextMeryl Streep.’ And then nothing.”

Each of the characters she played — even if it was someone “nobody cares about” — “gave me some level of an answer,” she continued, on her journey to find the “elixir” she was searching for.

“And here’s the thing, she’s powerful,” Davis concluded her speech. “So little Viola is squealing. She’s standing behind me now and she’s pulling on my dress, and she’s wearing the same red rubber boots as she wore rain or shine because they made her feel pretty. She’s squealing and she’s saying one thing. She says, ‘Make them hear this.’ And what she’s whispering is, ‘I told you I was a magician.'”

Viola Davis attends the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California.Amy Sussman/Gett

Amy Sussman/Gett

Davis has earned sevenGolden Globe nominationsacross both film and television. She earned her firstGolden Globe in 2017 for best supporting actressin a motion picture, for her portrayal of Rose Lee Maxson inFences. She was nominated for her work in the moviesThe Woman Kingin 2023,Ma Rainey’s Black Bottomin 2021,The Helpin 2012,Doubtin 2009; and for her work in the ABC dramaHow to Get Away with Murderin 2015 and 2016.

“Viola Davis is a luminary whose profound talent has continuously shifted the lens through which we see and understand film,” Helen Hoehne, President of the Golden Globes, said in an October statement announcing Davis as the recipient.

“Presenting her with the 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award is not only an honor but a reflection of our admiration for her relentless dedication to her craft and her monumental impact on the industry. Viola’s courage in portraying complex, powerful characters has broken barriers and paved new paths, making her an emblem of excellence and an ideal recipient of this prestigious award.”

Davis earnedEGOT statusthrough her Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and multiple Tony Award wins. She scored aTonyand anOscarfor her work inFenceson stage and on screen. She also earned a Tony for best featured actress in a play forKing Hedley II.

The actress won an Emmy for her work inHow to Get Away with Murder. In 2023, she earned aGrammy for best audiobook narrationfor her memoirFinding Me.

According to the Golden Globes, the award — named for famed director Cecil B. DeMille — was first created in 1952. Since then, the honor has been bestowed 69 times. Past recipients include Walt Disney, Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand andOprah Winfrey.

Prior to Davis, the most recent recipient wasEddie Murphy, who took home the award in 2023. The Golden Globes did not give out a Cecil B. DeMille Award at last year’s show.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

SeePEOPLE’s full coverageof the 82nd annual Golden Globes ceremony, which was broadcast live from The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on CBS and Paramount+.

source: people.com