Discussing the impact of playwright August Wilson, the How To Get Away With Murder lead discussed what makes a performance great.
Viola Davis On What It Takes To Get Into Character
Davis has earned raving reviews for her portrayal of the “Mother of the Blues,” real-life 1920s singer Gertrude “Ma” Rainey. The movie directed by George C. Wolfe is an adaptation of Wilson’s play of the same name.
Davis stuns as Ma, a woman who knows her worth and fights to have things her way. The actress has been praised for her transformative turn as Ma Rainey. For the role, she sported some full, heavy makeup with eyelids covered in black eyeshadow and teeth encased in gold.
“Actors walk through life so different, because we have to be observers,” Davis said in the documentary.
“I always say, you are an observer and a thief, that you’re constantly seeing the minutiae of everything,” she continued.
She added: “The way someone puts their head down if you say a certain word and you think, ‘Ah, why did they do that? Is it something in their past? Were they traumatized? Do they not like me?’”
Will Viola Davis And Chadwick Boseman Get Oscars Nods?
The actress stars opposite Chadwick Boseman in his final film role prior to his death. The Black Panther protagonist plays Levee Green, a confident trumpeter with a traumatic past.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom takes place during a recording session at a Chicago studio. As Ma Rainey refuses to show up until her white producers meet her needs, her musicians wait around for her, telling stories and making confessions. The increasingly uncomfortable clashes between Levee and Ma Rainey will upend the fragile balance of the band.
Both actors delivered such great performances that won’t go unnoticed. Fans think Davis and Boseman will get Oscars nominations this year.
“Chadwick Boseman is unbelievable in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. You can't take your eyes off of him. The reviews don't do his performance justice and all of them are glowing,” comedian Travon Free wrote on Twitter after the movie dropped on Netflix last December.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is streaming on Netflix