This Clip of Viola Davis Talking About How She’s Called a ‘Black Meryl Streep’ Is Going Viral
Viola Davis is one of the most lauded and respected actors in Hollywood—but that doesn't mean she's getting the same opportunities as her white counterparts.
A clip from a two-year-old interview with Davis is currently going viral, with more than 4 million views and counting. In it, she quite succinctly and powerfully explains what Hollywood looks like from her point of view as a Black actor.
“I got the Oscar, I got the Emmy, I got the two Tonys, I've done Broadway, I've done off-Broadway, I've done TV, I've done film, I've done all of it,” she says. “I have a career that's probably comparable to Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Sigourney Weaver. They all came out of Yale, they came out of Julliard, they came out of NYU. They had the same path as me, and yet I am nowhere near them, not as far as money, not as far as job opportunities, nowhere close to it.”
She continues, “But I have to get on that phone and people say, 'You're a Black Meryl Streep...There is no one like you.' Okay, then if there's no one like me, you think I'm that, you pay me what I'm worth. You give me what I'm worth."
Well, we certainly don't see anything to argue with there.
Much is often discussed about the gender pay gap, but it's incredibly important to remember there is also a racial pay gap in Hollywood, and Davis is living proof. She is an A-lister with an impeccable résumé and countless awards (as she notes), and yet she is still not being fairly compensated. That's a serious problem.
She's being rightfully praised on social media for calling out the issue.
“This!!!!!! All day THIS!!!!,” Gabrielle Union tweeted.
Tiffany Cross wrote, “On behalf of ALLLLLL the Black women who appear on TV. Or, I suppose, exist anywhere. This this this this."
“Cast Viola Davis in everything (and pay her for what she’s worth!) challenge,” another Twitter user suggested.
Do better, Hollywood—it's more than past time.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
