She’s played a lot of lawyers, detectives and CIA directors. In her latest role, Viola Davis is playing POTUS. Tackling the role of the President of the United States and portraying a Black female president was one she was excited to play.
“I had never done an action film, but I had always wanted to. I liked to envision myself as Sigourney Weaver in ‘Alien’ or Angelina Jolie in ‘Salt,’ so it was all very exciting”, shares Davis. In the film “G20,” she plays U.S. President Danielle Sutton who is forced to defend her country when terrorists take the world leaders hostage at the G20 summit in South Africa.
It’s a familiar tale of a presidential takedown, but one we haven’t seen a Black actress portray and at the Los Angeles premiere, Davis talked about it.
“It’s great to be in the mindset of a leader who has to make the decision to really be the first person to step up,” said Davis, who also produced the film. “That was the most interesting part, and it was great to humanize her. Humanizing her in these extraordinary circumstances when she has to take down a terrorist.”
A movie she developed before her powerful role in “The Woman King” about a group of African female warriors, Davis has won rave reviews and numerous accolades over the years with memorable and significant acting roles in film and television. There was the Oscar-nominated performance for “The Help” in 2011, which launched her career. She earned another Oscar nomination for the movie “Doubt” in 2008.
She received an Oscar for her performance in “Fences” in 2016 and a nomination in the best actress category for her portrayal of Blues singer Ma Rainey in the Netflix drama” Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” in 2021. An Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her work in ABC’s “How To Get Away With Murder,” made her the first black woman in history to take home the award.
“Sometimes it’s good to do a fun movie to remind yourself of why you wanted to be an actor to begin with and it’s not always about making movies to win accolades,” adds the actress who along with husband Julius Tennon produced the film under their production company JuVee Productions.
Tackling topics from deep-fake technology to cryptocurrency, “G20” walks a line between a great popcorn movie and an international political thriller. Directed by Patricia Riggen and filmed in Cape Town, it’s an action adventure that stars Anthony Anderson as her husband and Marsai Martin as her daughter. In the film, Davis also performs several stunts.
“She is a woman with lofty goals and dreams,” she adds about the character. “She came back from Iraq a hero and was awarded the Medal of Freedom. But I think every person who achieves greatness suffers from a bit of imposter syndrome. She’s no exception. It’s good to give this gift of a film to the masses.”
“G20” will stream globally on Prime Video April 1.
By Samantha Ofole-Prince
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