Viola Davis says a director she knew for a decade once called her by his maid's name: 'Those micro-aggressions happen all the time'

Viola Davis in a red pants suit
Viola Davis.Mike Marsland/WireImage/Getty
  • Viola Davis revealed a director once called her by his maid's name.

  • "He said, 'Louise!' I knew him for 10 years and I find out that it's because his maid's name is Louise," she said.

  • "What you have to realize is that those micro-aggressions happen all the time," Davis said.

While speaking at a Cannes Film Festival event held by Variety and Kering on Thursday, Viola Davis revealed a director once called her by his maid's name.

"I had a director who did that to me," said Davis, according to Variety. "He said, 'Louise!' I knew him for 10 years and he called me Louise and I find out that it's because his maid's name is Louise."

"I was maybe around 30 at the time, so it was a while ago," Davis continued. "But what you have to realize is that those micro-aggressions happen all the time."

During her conversation with Variety's chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, called "Women in Motion," Davis said that opportunities for Black women in Hollywood are still limited.

"I know that when I left 'How to Get Away With Murder' that I don't see a lot of dark skin women in lead roles on TV and not even in streaming services," said Davis, who won an Emmy in 2015 for her work on the ABC series. "And that ties into ideology and ethos and mentality, and that's speaking in the abstract."

"Why aren't you hiring a dark skin woman when she walks in the room and you say she blows you away? Create space and storytelling for her so when she thrives she's not thriving despite of her circumstance but thriving because of her circumstance," she continued.

how to get away with murder
Viola Davis in "How to Get Away with Murder."ABC/How to Get Away with Murder trailer

During the conversation, Davis broke down the kind of project she can get greenlit versus the one she can't.

"If I wanted to play a mother whose family lives in a low-income neighborhood and my son was a gang member who died in a drive by shooting, I could get that made," Davis said. "If I played a woman who was looking to recreate herself by flying to Nice and sleeping with five men at the age of 56 — looking like me, I'm going to have a hard time pushing that one, even as Viola Davis."

When she addressed the roles she hasn't landed, Davis said it often came down to the color of her skin.

"A lot of it is based in race. It really is," Davis said. "Let's be honest. If I had my same features and I were five shades lighter, it would just be a little bit different. And if I had blonde hair, blue eyes, and even a wide nose, it would be even a little bit different than what it is now."

"We could talk about colorism, we could talk about race. It pisses me off, and it has broken my heart — on a number of projects, which I won't name," she said.

Viola Davis standing with a sword by her side
Viola Davis in "The Woman King."Sony

Davis is now setting out on her own path with her production company JuVee Productions, which she founded with her husband Julius Tennon.

Their next project is the true story "The Woman King," in which Davis plays the general of the Dahomey Amazons, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 19th century. She and her army set out to fight against those who are enslaving their people.

Insider saw footage of the movie at CinemaCon last month. It was indeed a standout at the convention.

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