Viola Davis 'Would Dream Of Food' During Her Bittersweet Childhood

May 23, 2022 by apost team

Viola Davis is one of Hollywood's most confident women of the 21st century. The star, who is a household name, credits her success to her humble upbringing and childhood. Davis was born in August 1965 and grew up in Rhode Island. Born into a large family, Davis's parents worked extremely hard to provide for their children. With her family's work ethic combined with her own drive and determination— Davis was able to get into Julliard School. She graduated in 1993 and would break into the theatre soon shortly after. 

Dabbling with television appearances and small film appearances, Davis finally got her praise in 2010 when she was nominated for and won her first Tony Award. Taking a step away from Broadway and crossing into film, Davis became a household name. She starred in "The Help" in 2011, where she won a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was also nominated for Best Actress by the Academy. In 2012 she was named one of Time's "Most Influential People in the World." To say the woman was rising to the top of her industry would be an understatement. 

With fame, success, and many projects under her belt— Davis has continued to wow audiences on and off the screen. The award-winning actress believes that her success comes from her sweet and humble upbringing. At times the star and her family would struggle to have everything they needed. Years later, Davis said those times had made her more than thankful. In an exclusive interview with CBS in January of 2017, Davis opened up about her life. 

"I literally would dream about having food in the refrigerator and in the cupboards," Viola Davis said. She often only ate a meal during school hours. "For most of my life it was the only meal. And knowing that when I went home there was nothing there in terms of food," she added. 

The woman admitted that when she was growing up, all she wanted was to be seen. "When you're poor, you are invisible. Every poor person will tell you, nobody sees you. So being famous was me just wanting to be seen," the award-winning actress said.

Her humble beginnings still play a huge role in her life today. 

"I just want different narratives for people of color, especially women of color," she said. "I just want something that's different. I don't want us to be put in a box. I want it to be kind of a redefinition of who were are. If I can even achieve that in a tiny way, I'll be good. I'll be good."

Even now, Davis still has the same work ethic today as she did back when she was growing up in Rhode Island. The Academy Award Winner tries to instill her passion in younger generations. 

"There's got to be a voice deep within you that is untouched by definitions. And it is there that you become divinely who you are. And that is the one gift I plant in every young person in Central Falls, is that your dreams are absolutely much bigger and untouched by your circumstances."

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Viola Davis's upbringing now makes her story so bittersweet. We applaud the actress and her family for working hard to achieve so much success for themselves and others. If you are a huge fan of Viola Davis and you know of other fans— pass this article on to them too!