Viola Davis plays Professor Annalise Keating in "How To Get Away With Murder." (Photo : Reuters)
"How To Get Away With Murder" actress Viola Davis recently opened up about the struggles she had in the past, one of which was trying to change who she was.
"I went to Julliard in New York and I always tried to be the 90-pound White girl only because we did a lot of classical training and all of the ingénues in Shakespeare were very small women," Davis said in an interview with Essence.
In 2014, Davis was recognized by Variety Power of Women along with "American Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez, "Wild" actress Reese Witherspoon and Jane Fonda for their humanitarian efforts.
While busy with her efforts to end childhood hunger, Davis stars in "How To Get Away With Murder," which debuted to 14.3 million viewers, Essence has learned.
For Lopez, it was her children who inspired her to launch the Lopez Family Foundation, which she launched with her sister, Lynda, when they were pregnant together. The foundation aims to help poor families acquire high-quality health care.
Witherspoon was also inspired by her daughter, Ava. She was recognized for her involvement with the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai's educational advocacy organization, the Malala Fund.
Variety Power of Women recognized Fonda specifically for the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential, which she created for teen pregnancy prevention and healthy lifestyles campaign. She said she grew up believing that "service is the rent you pay for life."
Universal Pictures chair Donna Langley and Jessica Matthews were also recognized for their works with Vital Voices and Soccket respectively.
