Viola Davis
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Golden Globes 2021: Regina King, Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Andra Day, Daniel Kaluuya and Leslie Odom Jr. Among Noms
Y’all, it is time for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) to present its 2021 nominees! This year’s Golden Globes ceremony is coming much sooner (in a panny!) than the other big one (the Oscars won’t air until April), so we actually don’t have much wait time from now until we learn who gets to…
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Ma Rainey Director George C. Wolfe on the Legacy of Race and Black Artists in the Entertainment Industry
“We’re all caught up trying to figure out how to have our stories told, how to protect those stories, how to be paid [what we feel is that we deserve], how to fight and protect those stories so they don’t get diluted or transformed. —George C. Wolfe, Director text Know your worth. Period. This idea…
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How to Get Away With Making Viola Davis 'Disappear': Ma Rainey's Hair and Makeup Leads Talk Transformation
If you’ve yet to watch the Netflix-produced adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, you are missing out on a moment in Black history—both long past and very recent. While the title evokes one of the great blues singers of nearly a century ago, what is already being considered one of the play’s seminal…
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Know Your Worth: Viola Davis Is Every Black Woman in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
“Society’s most definitely failed Black women. Without question…I don’t think that we were thought of. We were seen as chattel. We were seen as just, you know, something that was bought on the auction block…And now we’re living in a culture that just reduces us to strong; to almost masculine in nature. There’s no sense…
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A Tribute Fit for a King: Chadwick Boseman to Receive Posthumous Honor at 2020 Gotham Awards
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today that Marshall and Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman will receive the annual Actor Tribute at this year’s Gotham Awards. The late actor will also be recognized alongside his Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-star Viola Davis, who will receive the Actress Tribute. This marks the first time the Gotham…
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Giving Voice Trailer First-Look: August Wilson Lives On Through the Students Who Recite His Monologues
I recently attended the advanced virtual screening for Netflix’s film adaptation of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (whew, still processing the amazing performances in that one, but I’ll share more on that later), and following the film, Samuel L. Jackson moderated a Q&A with the cast and crew. At multiple points in the panel, Jackson alluded…
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Danai Gurira to Star as The Fighting Shirley Chisholm, Film Will Follow Trailblazer's 1972 Presidential Run
As we watch history being made with Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, we can’t help but uphold Rep. Shirley Chisholm’s name. Hell, when we talk about any woman (of any color) we have to honor Chisholm’s name. We’ve been “with her.” Chisholm not only made history as the first Black woman elected to the United States…
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Viola Thee Davis Talks Black Lives Matter, Coping Through the Pandemic and More for InStyle Magazine
It’s not often I get my wig snatched midday on a Monday, but when I do—it’s because of Viola Davis. The How To Get Away With Murder star shines in a fire-ass houndstooth suit for InStyle and all I want to know is—does it come in my size and is express shipping available? (Really, I…
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![Lifestyles of the Rich, Famous and Political: What Are Black Celebrities Doing on Election Day 2020? [Updating]](https://www.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/gnkpfnmoxea61gsijj9u-300x169.jpg)
Lifestyles of the Rich, Famous and Political: What Are Black Celebrities Doing on Election Day 2020? [Updating]
This is the day the overlord has made, let us cringe and be anxious in it. The most politicized Tuesday of the year—also known as Election Day—has finally arrived, which means today will be a very vote-heavy day. Yes, that even includes my beat in entertainment, as celebrities definitely have a lot to say about…
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Tune-In: The AAFCA TV Honors Are Going Virtual in 2020 and Janet Mock Has Been Named Creative of the Year
It’s time to celebrate the best in Black entertainment, hosted by the African American Film Critics Association! Due to the global pandemic, I’m sure y’all know things will be a bit different this year. The inaugural AAFCA TV Honors were held in Marina Del Rey, California, but of course, 2020 is the year of the…