Viola Davis, the acclaimed actress and recent EGOT inductee, delivered a deeply moving acceptance speech upon receiving the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award at the inaugural Golden Gala: An Evening of Excellence on Jan. 3.
The honor was presented by Davis’s “Doubt” co-star Meryl Streep, who lauded the EGOT winner as a “pure artist” who “delivers the truth every time,” the honor recognized Davis’s outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry.
In her 16-minute address, Davis, 59, reflected on her journey from an impoverished childhood to Hollywood stardom. She recounted her early life marked by poverty, alcoholism, and a yearning to “be somebody.”
“This is my testimony,” she said. “I think I decided to be an actor because acting was just a cosmic carrot for a much higher journey. A journey into finding me, finding a sense of belonging, finding my worth.”
RELATED: Met Gala Names All Black Men Co-Chairs & Historic Theme
The 59-year-old continued, “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,” she said. “I was rambunctious. I was poor going up in a house with alcoholism and infested with rats everywhere.”
Davis emphasized the importance of embracing every role, often out of financial necessity, to develop her craft. “If I waited for a role that was written for me, well crafted, then I wouldn’t be standing up here,” she noted. “I don’t believe that poverty is really the answer to craft. I don’t think there’s any nobility in…”
She also spoke about the “magic” within her that propelled her forward, describing how she would “teleport” herself into the minds and souls of people that nobody seemed to care about. “What you’ve got to figure out is you, your story, you as is, you are worthy,” Davis asserted.
She concluded by invoking her younger self: “Six-year-old Viola, sometimes I have to rely on her to give me perspective of this moment… And little Viola is squealing.”
To watch Davis’s full acceptance speech, see the video below:
