Oscar nominee Viola Davis has come a long way from her humble beginnings in Central Falls, R.I., where she admits she never had shoes without holes in them or even a phone to call friends.
Related: Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer Win SAG Awards + Red Carpet Arrivals [PHOTOS]
But fast forward a few decades and a famed role in 2011′s “The Help,” and we find Davis flawlessly sporting the high-end fashions of Jason Wu, Thierry Mugler, Giuseppe Zanotti and more for L.A Times Magazine.
In a recent interview, she discusses the struggle of getting into the business as a Black woman and becoming a producer to provide more opportunities for Black actors.
On the “not so” big break…
That really is our plight, especially as women of color. You can have all the training in the world, come from a respectable background and yet never get that big opportunity that breaks you out—never. You can be in the business for 23 years, which I have been, and suddenly something happens that wakes people up. For me, that was being in a movie with Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It makes people realize you’re there. Otherwise you’re that black girl who had a guest or costar role in a TV show here or there.”
On producing…
“I am doing this out of necessity. If I am not the instrument of change, I can meander through this business and be the black woman who always has two or three scenes but with fabulous actors around me.”
Check out Viola’s full interview here and her stunning pictures after the jump!