Viola Davis On ‘Me Too’ Movement and Inequality for Black Women in Hollywood: “I Cannot Tell You, at Any Time in My Life, That I Was Not Sexually Assaulted in Some Way”

blogged by: @ashleytearra

Originally started by Tarana Burke, the #MeToo movement has since become a popular social media-driven campaign for sexual misconduct victims all over the globe.

However, as of late, many have wondered about the future of the movement and the real changes that it could possibly bring, the difference that it could make, or even the impact that it could leave.

According to Variety, this past Tuesday—during the Women in the World salon, #ViolaDavis frankly spoke about that and more.

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“Nothing can be great unless it costs you something. For me, everything has cost me something,” Davis told WITW host Tina Brown, adding that in order to make progress, you must sacrifice. “I think that people sometimes want to take the safe route. The way life works, it’s gotta cost you something. That’s when you know you’ve really made the sacrifices.”

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Additionally, the ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ actress also briefly touched on her own #MeToo encounters and later stated her hope that the movement would soon begin “fully embracing” more women of color.

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“Sexual assault is everywhere,” Davis said. “Let’s be honest, we’ve just been waiting for the #MeToo movement, okay? I cannot tell you, at any time in my life, that I was not sexually assaulted in some way. It is so steeped into our culture, and the silence is about the trauma. You leave your body and you compartmentalize that pain.”

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But, as a powerful black woman in Hollywood, Davis makes it clear that sexual violation isn’t the only thing that she has experienced. Racial favoritism is still very prevalent within the industry, and she blames film executives for that.

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“Inclusivity has to start with [the] studio heads who greenlight [these] movies,” she explained. “They won’t consider you for a role that they wrote for Sandra Bullock or Reese Witherspoon.”

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What are your thoughts?