Viola Davis | The Definition of Taking Control
Viola Davis isn’t just a celebrated actress. She’s a force. A woman who’s been through hell and clawed her way out with grace, grit, and unmatched purpose. Her entire life is a masterclass in taking control—not just of a career, but of a narrative that once tried to bury her. When we talk about owning your story, about rising above circumstances, and about walking in your truth, there’s no better example than Viola.
This isn’t a surface-level praise piece. This is about a woman who took everything meant to break her—and turned it into fuel. A woman who decided that poverty, racism, and pain weren’t going to write her story for her. She was going to take control of the pen and write it herself.
Let’s get into it.
Taking Control Starts with Survival: Viola’s Early Life
Born in St. Matthews, South Carolina in 1965, Viola Davis came into this world under circumstances that would cripple most people. Her family later moved to Rhode Island, where they lived in deep poverty. She’s spoken openly about how rats would run across her bed at night, how food was never guaranteed, and how shame was a daily emotion. She didn’t just grow up poor, she grew up invisible.
Imagine being a young Black girl navigating a world that constantly tells you you’re not enough. Add hunger, abuse, and racial discrimination to that, and you start to understand the weight she carried. But here’s the thing: Viola didn’t just carry that weight, she transformed it. From a young age, she was already planting the seeds of taking control, even if she didn’t realize it yet.
“I chose to be an artist,” she once said, “because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.”
But before she could live a life worth celebrating, she had to survive it.
The Turning Point: Choosing to Take Control
Viola could’ve stayed silent. She could’ve accepted the roles that Hollywood handed her—the maid, the background character, the woman with no real story. But she didn’t. She knew her worth, and more importantly, she knew her voice. Her breakout moment in Doubt, where she went toe-to-toe with Meryl Streep in a scene that lasted only a few minutes, changed everything. Not because of the screen time—but because of the impact.
That scene carried power. It held pain. It was decades of oppression, rejection, and struggle poured into one unforgettable performance. And from that moment forward, Viola decided: I will not be overlooked.
That was her moment of taking control. Not just of her career, but of her narrative. She refused to be boxed in.
And Hollywood had no choice but to listen.
From Background to the Spotlight: Owning Her Power
Viola Davis became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in How to Get Away with Murder. Then came the Oscar. The Tony Awards. The Golden Globes. Not just awards—but acknowledgments. Every speech she gave was laced with truth, vulnerability, and ownership.
Photo: [ Mitch Haaseth/ABC ] / Source: [ The Cut ]
She never pretended it was easy. She never sugarcoated the trauma. Instead, she laid it out raw. Her memoir, Finding Me, is a brutally honest look into her life—from poverty and abuse to fame and fortune. But the theme is consistent: taking control.
She talks about how, for years, she lived her life trying to survive. Trying to please. Trying to hide the pain. Until she decided: Enough. That wasn’t living. That was performing. And when she truly began taking control of her emotions, her boundaries, her identity—that’s when everything started shifting.
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In 2021, Viola Davis made Oscars history by becoming the most-nominated Black actress ever, earning her fourth nomination for her powerful role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. This milestone solidified her legacy as a trailblazer in Hollywood and a symbol of taking control of your narrative—click here to read more.
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The Role of Purpose: Why Viola Never Settled
Viola Davis never chased fame. She chased purpose. She knew her platform wasn’t just for her. It was for every Black girl who didn’t feel seen. Every woman who felt like she had to shrink to fit in. Every soul who needed permission to stop performing and start being.
She could’ve kept taking roles that paid well but lacked depth. Instead, she fought for roles that mattered. She created her own production company, JuVee Productions, with her husband. Why? Because the stories Hollywood ignored—she was going to tell them herself.
That’s what taking control looks like. It’s not just about climbing the ladder. It’s about building your own damn structure when the ladder was never meant for you in the first place.
3 Things You Can Take from Viola’s Story to Start Taking Control of Your Own
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Own Your Past, But Don’t Let It Define You
Viola doesn’t hide from where she came from. She speaks on it. She honors it. But she doesn’t let it cage her. Your trauma isn’t your whole identity. It’s a chapter, not the whole book. -
Don’t Wait to Be Chosen—Choose Yourself
Viola didn’t wait for the right roles. She didn’t wait for permission. She took what she had, made it powerful, and created her own opportunities. If the door doesn’t open, kick it down, or build your own. -
Start Living with Intention.
There’s a difference between getting through life and taking control of it. Viola made a decision to stop living in reaction mode and start living on purpose. That shift? It changed everything.
Viola Davis is living proof that taking control doesn’t mean pretending everything’s fine. It means choosing to show up for yourself even when life is hell. It means turning your pain into purpose and your story into power.
So the next time you feel stuck, silenced, or small—remember Viola. Remember the rats. The hunger. The silence. And remember the woman who took it all and turned it into gold.
You can take control, too.
~ Take CTRL or Be CTRLD ~
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