It’s an Emmy! A Grammy! Oh my, an Oscar! What’s that, a Tony?!It’sViola Davis, 57, the 18th person in the world to receive the honor of becoming an EGOT awardee. As someone who embodies confidence, understanding, humility, strength, and the essence of a true Queen, Viola Davis has gained an EGOT status upon winning a Grammy at the 65th Award Ceremony for Best Audiobook Narration and Storytelling Recording for her personal memoir,Finding Me.
Davis Faced Adversity From a Young Age
InFinding Me,Davis explains her growth as a Black child into womanhood. She explains the sadistic madness that evoked trauma within her. What was supposed to be a safe space for intellect and friendship, Davis remembers school (and what seems to be the narrative of her life), as a treacherous mountain top that only she could climb. Saying, “Cause when the bell rangI had to start running. I had to escape.” She continues, “Thank God I was fast.”
Continuing with herFinding Medialogue,Davis says, “I was the ride or die friend, competitive, but shy. When I won spelling contests, I would flaunt my gold star to everyone I saw. It was my way of reminding you who the hell I was.” Fast-forward to 2017, and her gold star translated into a real-life star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If only that fearless girl knew how strong she was… or maybe she did, as Davis faithfully thrived through adversity despite the tribulation of facing most fights alone.
“They mess with you, you ‘jug’‘em!”
Strict with purpose, Viola’s Mother, Mae Alice Davis demanded she stand her ground against the boys at the schoolyard saying, “Don’t you run from those bastards anymore. As that bell rings, you WALK home. They mess with you, you ‘jug’[stab] ‘em!” Davis explains how the next day she walked so slowly that she looked as if she was barely moving. She says, “The voices got louder and closer.” Suddenly one of the taunting boys grabbed her, and she tells him, “If you don’t get your hand off me, I’ll ‘jug’you.” Finally, it was over. The fight for her right as a human being, as Davis had begun to step into the lasting role of who she emulates most on screen, a fierce woman unafraid of anything in front of her, beside her, or behind her.
Though a stronghold on herself and where she was going, Davis reflects, saying, “My journey was like a war movie where at that at the end, a hero has been bruised and bloodied, traumatized from witnessing untold amounts of death and destruction, and so damaged that she cannot go back to being the same woman who went to war.” In continuing, “She may have even seen her death, but was somehowresurrected.” Davis continued to explain how she would rather go 10 rounds in the ring with Mike Tyson than face the daunting battle of the rooted truths withholding the courage she needed to truly move forward in life and away from the layering depths of trauma that she knew was still there.
Davis’ Movie Roles Represent Her Real-Life Triumphs and Tribulations
To earn an EGOT, one must attain four awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Davis, who has numerous wins and nominations, was finally able to receive this new accolade due to her vulnerable self-loyalty inFinding Me.Davis, who has acted in countless moviesfull of emotional and mental fortification likeThe Woman King, The Help, Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,and her role in ABC drama,How To Get Away With Murder,not only reflects the fire within but the resilience that we all need to have.
It is no wonder why she has been able to break through the barriers she faced as a growing human; these roles truly exemplify the hardships that Davis has gone through.
Winning an Emmy for her role in the seriesHow To Get Away With Murder,Davis shows the trust it takes to get yourself through any situation, just as she did as a child. For her Grammy, Davis won for the monumental influence of her memoir,Finding Me.As for her Oscar,Davis’ role inFencestook home the honor as the intensely supporting actress of Denzel Washington. Davis was also awarded her Tony as Rose Maxson inFencesfor emulating the dedication of a woman-to-man to sheer perfection.
Related:The Woman King Review: A Magnificent Viola Davis Commands Riveting African Epic
Davis Finds Self-Love and Acceptance Deep Within
Though Davis spent the majority of her life on screen fulfilling and exceeding the pressure of her signature roles, she truly brought herself back home with her memoir,Finding Me.The stories told of surviving through life’s hardest obstacles and how she held onto the hope of a better outcome, truly showing just how profound having a positive outlook on life is. Davis came from a home of hard love and manifested it into so much more, and we could not be more proud of her. What’s more, Viola Davis is the first Black woman in history to be named to The Triple Crown of Acting, also known as the Guild of EGOT winners.
Davis Celebrates Her EGOT Status at 2023 Grammy’s
Upon receiving her Grammy forFinding Me, Davis stood to the crowd and opened with,“Oh my God!” Adding, “I wrote this bookto honor the 6-year-old Viola. To honor her: her life, her joy, her trauma. Everything. I just EGOT!”
And a big congratulation to you, Viola, as you have epitomized the true focus of the act of life: to keep going no matter what.
