TOUCHING STORY WITH THE LATE
GREAT CHRIS FARLEY.
SHAWN MENDEZ WAS THE MUSICAL
GUEST.
>>> EVERY TIME AN ACTRESS STANDS
ON STAGE IN FRONT OF THE WORLD
HOLDING AN OSCAR, THERE'S A LONG
STORY THAT LED TO THE RAREFIED
SPOT.
FOR ACADEMY AWARD WINNER VIOLA
DAVIS IT BEGAN ON A FORMER
PLANTATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
SHE WAS BORN THERE IN A ONE ROOM
SHACK WHERE HER GRANDPARENTS
LIVED AS SHARE CROPPERS.
SHE WAS AN INFANT WHEN HER
FAMILY MOVED TO RHODE ISLAND.
SHE GREW UP VERY POOR BUT FOUND
HER WAY OUT THROUGH ACTING.
SHE WON A PAIR OF TONY A RDS WA,
A GOLDEN GLOBE AND HER EMMY FOR
THE HIT TELEVISION SHOW "HOW TO
GET AWAY WITH MURDER."
WE GOT TOGETHER FOR A SUNDAY
SITDOWN TO TALK ABOUT HER LONG
ROAD TO THE HOLLYWOOD A-LIST AND
HER LATEST PERSONAL PROJECT.
>> IT WAS MY CHOICE.
MY LIFE.
YOU THINK I'M --
>> I SHOULDN'T HAVE MARRIED YOU.
>> I GOT THIS.
>> VIOLA DAVIS KNOWS HOW TO
CARRY A SCENE.
>> SO WHO WANTS IN?
>> FROM HER BREAKOUT OSCAR
OSCAR-NOMINATED PERFORMANCE IN
"THE HELP."
>> YOU ARE A GODLESS WOMAN.
>> TO HER PERFECT TRAYAL OF ROSE
OPPOSITE OF DENZEL WASHINGTON OF
THE PLAY "FENCES."
>> I TOOK ALL MY FEELINGS, MY
WANTS, MY NEEDS, AND DREAMS AND
I BURIED THEM INSIDE YOU.
THANKFUL
THAT GOD CHOSE YOU TO BRING ME
INTO THIS WORLD.
>> THAT OSCAR STAGE MUST HAVE
SEEMED A WORLD AWAY FOR THE
53-YEAR-OLD ACTRESS WHO WAS BORN
INTO EXTREME POVERTY.
>> I ALWAYS SAY I GREW UP PO,
WHICH IS A RUNG LOWER THAN POOR.
>> WHAT WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD LIKE?
>> WELL, IT WAS LIKE EVERYONE'S
CHILDHOOD FILLED WITH HAPPY
MEMORIES AND PLAYING WITH MY
SISTERS AND BICYCLES AND ALL OF
THAT AND IT WAS ALSO FILLED WITH
THE DARKNESS OF WHEN YOU'RE POOR
YOU HAVE BAD HOUSING.
WE LIVED IN CONDEMNED BUILDINGS.
CERTAINLY APARTMENTS INFESTED
WITH RATS.
AND, YOU KNOW, JUST THE STIGMA
OF POVERTY, THE FEELING ON THE
OUTSIDE, THE FEELING INVISIBLE.
THE ALACK OF ACCESS, WHICH IS
WHY I TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE
TIME.
AND IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE FOR ME,
IT REALLY IS.
>> VIOLA AND HER SISTERS FOUND
THEIR JOY IN PUTTING ON
PERFORMANCES AROUND THE HOUSE IN
THE ROUGH ONE SQUARE MILE TOWN
IN CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND.
>> I STARTED ACTING WHEN I WAS 8
OR 9.
MY SISTERS, WE WOULD WRITE
SKITS.
WE WOULD HAVE REWRITES.
WE WOULD HAVE A WARDROBE BUDGET.
>> SHE EVENTUALLY EARNED A
SCHOLARSHIP TO YOUNG PEOPLE'S
SCHOOL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
AND WENT ON TO STUDY THEATER AT
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE AFTER WHICH
SHE WAS ACCEPTED TO NEW YORK'S
FAMED JULLIARD SCHOOL.
JUST THREE YEARS AFTER
GRADUATION DAVIS WAS NOMINATED
FOR HER FIRST TONY AWARD FOR HER
BROADWAY DEBUT IN AUGUST
WILSON'S "SEVEN GUITARS."
>> OPENING NIGHT OF "SEVEN
GUITARS," WHEN I THINK ABOUT
EVERYTHING THAT I BELIEVED THAT
BEING AN ACTOR WAS, THAT WAS IT.
MY MOM AND DAD BEING IN THE
AUDIENCE AND MY DAD CRYING.
I WAS LIKE, I'M IT.
THIS IS IT.
I'VE ARRIVED.
>> YOU KNOW, I WISH I WERE BACK
THEN BECAUSE NOW I KNOW MORE.
I'M 53.
I'M LIKE, REALLY, VIOLA, YOU
REALLY THOUGHT THAT WAS IT,
RIGHT?
>> DAVIS WENT ON TO WIN TWO
TONYS, ONE FOR KING HEDLEY II IN
2001 AND ANOTHER IN 2010 IN
"FENCES."
SHE BEGAN TO LAND SMALL ROLES IN
TELEVISION AND FILM.
>> TRUST ME, THAT'S LUCKY.
>> IN 2009 DAVIS EARNED AN
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION AND THE
ATTENTION OF A HOLLYWOOD ICON
FOR HER PERFORMANCE IN A SINGLE
SCENE.
>> IT WON'T END WITH YOUR SON.
>> THROW THE PRIEST OUT THEN.
>> I AM TRYING TO DO JUST THAT.
>> THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM
ME?
>> WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO JUMP INTO
MOVIES FROM THE STAGE?
>> I ALWAYS SAY, ALL YOU HAVE TO
DO IN THE MOVIE IS A STAND UP
PERFORMANCE FOR 30 SECONDS.
WHEN YOU'RE ON STAGE YOU CAN
HAVE A 12 PAGE SCENE AND THERE
ARE NO EDIT BUTTONS SO IT WAS
MUCH DIFFERENT AND YOU'RE ACTING
WITH MERYL STREEP.
YOU'RE SAYING, YOU'RE GOOD.
THEN YOU'RE ACTING OPPOSITE HER
AND YOU'RE THINKING, MY GOD,
MERYL STREEP.
OH, MY GOD, IT'S MERYL STREEP.
IT'S LIKE, CUT, CUT.
SO MUCH OF WHAT WE DO IS HOW
GOOD YOU ARE.
DO WE LIKE YOU?
I'M NOT SO GOOD AT THAT.
NOW THERE'S A CAP ON AWARDS.
THERE'S A CAP ON CUTENESS AND I
DON'T KNOW BEING ON PEOPLE'S
MOST BEAUTIFUL LIST.
>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY
THAT?
>> THERE'S A CAP TO GREATNESS.
THE ELIXIR IS LIVING A LIFE
THAT'S BIGGER THAN YOU.
THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
AND IF YOU'RE NOT DOING THAT,
THEN YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING.
NOTHING.
I ALWAYS SAY THE THREE MOST
IMPORTANT WORDS THAT HAPPENS
ESPECIALLY AFTER YOU HAVE A BIG
OLD TROPHY IN YOUR HANDS, THE
THREE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS ARE,
AND NOW WHAT?
DENZEL HAS THE BEST QUOTES BY
THE WAY.
I DON'T MEAN TO OUT HIM BUT,
DENZEL, I'M OUTING YOU.
HE SAID, THERE'S NO U-HAUL IN
THE BACK OF A HEARSE.
YOU SORT OF CAN'T TAKE IT WITH
YOU.
>> VIOLA TAKES THAT ADVICE TO
HEART, LENDING HER VOICE TO A
DOCUMENTARY "A TOUCH OF SUGAR."
>> NEARLY 13% OF ALL
AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE BEEN
DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES.
>> IT CONFRONTS THE DIABETES
CRISIS.
THE DISEASE HITS HOME CLOSE FOR
DAVIS WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH
PREDIABETES IN 2016.
>> IT'S ALL THERE IN THE TITLE.
A TOUCH OF SUGAR.
SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR
WITH THAT.
YOU TALK ABOUT IT AS AN ACCEPTED
PART OF LIFE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I WAS BORN IN SOUTH CAROLINA,
LITERALLY, SINGLETON PLANTATION.
EVERYBODY WHO GOT A DIAGNOSIS,
YOU GOT THE SUGAR.
AUNT BETSY GOT SUGAR.
>> THE 84 MILLION THAT HAVE
PRE-DIABETES.
MY AUNT WHO SUCCUMB TO THE
DISEASE AFTER TWO AMPUTATIONS.
MY GRANDMOTHER.
IT'S AN EPIDEMIC.
>> AND I GOT TO THINKING OUT OF
ALL THE PEOPLE I KNOW AND THINGS
I SEEN AND DONE --
>> DO YOU HAVE MOMENTS, DO YOU
EVER STOP IN YOUR LIFE AND LOOK
BACK AT THE LITTLE GIRL IN RHODE
ISLAND AND LOOK AT YOUR LIFE AND
GO, I DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT HERE?
THANK GOD I DID, BUT I DON'T
KNOW HOW I GOT HERE.
>> EVERY SINGLE DAY.
DO YOU KNOW WHEN I THINK OF IT?
WHEN I OPEN MY REFRIGERATOR.
WHEN I FLUSH MY TOILET.
WHEN I CAN PUT A ROBE ON.
WHEN I HAVE HOT RUNNING WATER.
SHE IS WITH ME EVERY DAY TO
UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY LITTLE
THING IN MY LIFE IS TO BE
CELEBRATED.
>> HOW GREAT IS SHE?
VIOLA'S FILM "A TOUCH OF SUGAR"
MADE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MERCK
IS AVAILABLE AT TOUCH OF SUGAR
FILM.COM.
>>> TO HEAR VIOLA GIVE A CLUE
ABOUT A POSSIBLE NEW SEASON OF
"HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER"
CHECK OUT OUR WEB EXTRAS AT
TODAY.COM/EXTRAS.
GO TO OUR PODCAST.
WE GROUND THE
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN TRAIL.