When Viola Davis speaks, it’s with purpose. Whether she’s commanding the screen or sitting on the Cannes jury for L’Oréal Paris’ Lights on Women’s Worth Award, she brings the same clarity, conviction and care. From how her beauty ideals have changed to representation in film, the 59-year-old star doesn’t mince words. During her conversation with NewBeauty, she reminded us why her voice matters so deeply.
Here, the EGOT winner shares why we need more women in film, how her view of her own beauty has evolved and the product she uses religiously for smooth, radiant skin.
It’s the fifth anniversary of the Lights on Women’s Worth Award and you’re serving as a juror. Why is it important to you to shine a light on emerging female filmmakers?
“Well, because then if lights are not shined on them, they are in darkness—meaning they are invisible. They don’t exist. And not in my world and not on my watch. I think that there’s too much talent out there with female filmmakers, and I think that they have been relegated to the periphery. Unless we use our privilege and our status to become the change that we want to see and to free other people once we become free, then they stay on the periphery. So, we have to shine a light on their work. And I could tell you firsthand that they are extremely worthy, extremely.”
How do you think these awards help promote representation and visibility in the film industry?
“Visibility, you said the word. If you’re not visible, you don’t exist. People have got to see you. They’ve got to see your work. They’ve got to see what you are capable of. And if that does not happen, then once again, you are an auteur in your living room. I think that we’re in an industry where deprivation is very apropos. I know in acting, it’s a 95 percent unemployment rate at any given time. So, when you get a leg up and you get in, you just bask in it. You don’t feel like there’s any room for anyone else. But your job is to influence others. Your purpose is not what you do, it’s what happens to people when you do what you do. It’s what you leave behind. And what we have to leave behind as women is, we’ve got to shift the narrative, otherwise it stays the same.”
How has your relationship with beauty changed over the years?
“Well now I feel like I have a worthy canvas, and I never felt that before. I feel that I am worthy of my beauty being emphasized. And so, I’m not putting makeup on to become anyone else. You know, it used to be Diana Ross or Oprah. I never told Oprah this, but I always saw her as such a beauty. My palette is now me. So now I look at my lips, I look at my cheeks, I look at my smile and my eyes, and I think, How can I emphasize that and not hide it? So that’s changed. I love the bold lip. I love the highlighter on my cheeks and my eyes. I love my eyelashes, even. And yeah, that’s been the biggest change.”
Do you have any pre-red carpet rituals or must-have products that you use before every appearance?
“You know, I’m a product girl every day. I would say I’ve got to do some level of an acid peel wipe. L’Oréal has some of the best ones (L’Oreal Revitalift Bright Reveal Peel Pads, $20). But I do, only because I want my skin to look smooth. And I absolutely always do steam or jacuzzi. And then I do oil on my skin. I like oil moisturizer—that’s my biggest one—and lots of water.”
What’s your advice for the next generation of women in film?
“To tell your story how you want to tell your story. Do not try to be like anybody else. That, for me, is the biggest issue out there in acting. They say you have to be an observer and a thief. The thief part is, you do have to be inspired by other work, right? You take it, you soak it in. It inspires you. You steal it. But the first part is really important, which is being an observer of life. Because what’s happening now is so many images of women are in the male gaze and not in our gaze. We have to take back the definition of who we are—the different shapes and sizes, how sexy we are, but how we show our sexuality, not how it’s been determined by men. To not be ashamed of the aging part or the body part, right? Because, you know, when we as women are together, we celebrate all of that. And then it’s filtered on the screen to such an extent that you don’t recognize us anymore. So be bold enough to be honest and to share your story and to be brave about it. Because that’s what we want. That’s how art inspires us—by the level of truth. That would be my biggest advice.”
After a busy junket or event like Cannes, how do you unwind and recharge?
“Oh my God, take a hot bath. That’s number one. I take a hot bath. I take a steam shower. I take all my makeup off, every last bit of it. Take everything off. I’m totally free. Everything from my hair to my makeup to my clothing to my bra—everything off. And I sit quietly just for a few minutes before anyone comes at me, my daughter, my husband. And that’s the best for me, sort of, you know, get raw.”
What’s one beauty lesson you always come back to?
“The beauty lesson I come back to is, someone told me ages ago, all you have to do is look at the camera and smile. And that’s the first sort of indication that I had a cute smile. But I think the beauty—I mean, to go a little bit deeper than that—is every time I feel any level of anxiety, I’m curious enough to investigate what’s behind that. And what’s always behind that is, I don’t feel worthy. And I’ve somehow, even in a small way, betrayed myself. I feel beautiful when I’m me. I feel beautiful when I give my opinion, even if it shifts the air in the room. Even if it disappoints people. There is a buoyancy and a freedom that I have that reminds me of when I was six years old, before the world got at me. And I just was who I was without apology. That’s what makes me have a great day. And it changes my face, changes my aura, changes everything.”
