Viola Davis gave a moving speech about Trump of her own at the Globes
Viola Davis is about as presidential a celebrity as they come. On Sunday, the actress won a best-supporting-actress Golden Globe for her role in Fences. She dedicated her acceptance speech to her father, Dan, who was "born in 1936, groomed horses, had a fifth-grade education, didn't know how to read until he was 15 . . . [but] he had a story and it deserved to be told, and August Wilson told it."
It was backstage in the press room, though, that the actress delivered some potent political words. There, she was asked about progress in America, a question clearly alluding to President-Elect Donald Trump (who was a heavy presence at this year's awards show).
"I will, believe it or not, remove Trump from the equation. Because I feel that it's bigger than him," Davis began. "I believe that it is our responsibility to uphold what it is to be an American. And what America is about, and the true meaning of what it means to pursue the American dream. I think that America in and of itself has been an affirmation, but I think that we've fallen short a lot, because there is no way that we can have anyone in office that is not an extension of our own belief system. So then what does that say about us? And I think that, if you answer that question, I think that that says it all." Watch it, here.
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Later in the night, Davis introduced Meryl Streep, who was being honored with the annual Cecil B. DeMille Award. Davis, a former co-star and longtime friend of Streep's, delivered a sweet tribute to the actress: "She makes the most heroic characters vulnerable, the most known familiar, the most despised relatable. Dame Streep. Her artistry reminds us of the impact of what it means to be an artist, which is to make us feel less alone."
Like Davis earlier in the night, Streep was in a political mood. She delivered a damning speech about Trump (without saying his name), calling out the time he mocked a disabled reporter. "It kind of broke my heart when I saw it, and I still can't get it out of my head because it wasn't in a movie; it was real life."
"Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence," she continued. "When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose."
Trump, rather predictably, has already tweeted about Streep's remarks, calling her an "over-rated actress" and a "Hillary flunky." The world's smallest violin prepares a sonata in the background. (Don't tell him what Davis said.)
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