“I feel like it is my job as a leader to make bold choices,” Davis says.
“Win or fail it is my duty to do that.”
Viola Daviscalled criticism of her portrayal ofMichelle Obamain Showtime’sThe First Lady"incredibly hurtful."
Viola Davis as Michelle Obama in ‘The First Lady’; Michelle Obama.Ramona Rosales/SHOWTIME; Joyce N. Boghosian/The White House via Getty Images
“How do you move on from the hurt, from failure?”
“But you have to.
Not everything is going to be an awards-worthy performance.”
Viola Davis as Michelle Obama in ‘The First Lady’.Jackson Lee Davis/SHOWTIME.
She continued, “Critics absolutely serve no purpose.
And I’m not saying that to be nasty either.
They always feel like they’re telling you something that you don’t know.
Davis added, “So it gives them an opportunity to be cruel to you.
But ultimately I feel like it is my job as a leader to make bold choices.
Win or fail it is my duty to do that.”
I didn’t feel like I could approach it like any other character.”
Davis said she found joy in her scenes with costarO-T Fagbenle, who portrays Barack Obama.
“I love playing the levity of their relationship and the fun,” she said.
“I love that they have a good marriage.
I’ve played a lot of tortured souls, and tortured marriages, and tortured relationships.
So it was great to be in the midst of this monumental position.
