Viola Davis opens up about teenage daughter's emotional response to her latest performance

Bang Showbiz on Apr 7, 2025

Published in Women

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Viola Davis has revealed how her teenage daughter's emotional response to her latest performance left a lasting impact on her.

The 59-year-old actor made the remarks during an appearance on 'Good Morning America' on Monday (07.04.25), during which she was promoting her upcoming action film, which is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday 10 April.

Speaking to presenter Michael Strahan, 53, Viola described how her 14-year-old daughter, Genesis, reacted to watching her in the film, telling them: "She kept saying, 'Oh my goodness. Mom, Mom, you're golden, mama. You're golden!'

"She cried. She laughed.

"I loved being the hero to my teenage daughter. Because usually in these teenage years, you just disappear.

"They become zombies, and you become anything other than a hero."

She added: "Her sitting there watching me like that... it just, yeah. It was everything."

Viola has Genesis with her husband Julius Tennon, 70.

The couple adopted their daughter in 2011, a year after her birth.

Viola, who has earned acclaim across stage and screen, is known for her award-winning performances in 'Fences', 'The Woman King' and 'How to Get Away with Murder'.

She is one of a select group of performers to achieve EGOT status -- having won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.

Despite the accolades, Viola has said parenthood gave her a deeper sense of purpose.

Speaking to People in 2017, she said: "It was great, but it was not fulfilling. I wanted my life to mean and be something deeper.

"That's when the urge came, and the urge was just very, very, very strong. So I have a kid now, and she is just the light of our lives."

Viola added while she is not "the brownie-making mother," she prioritises emotional support and creativity in parenting.

"I encourage her to use any source of expression, whether it's TikTok, painting, taking pictures," she told People in 2020.

She added: "I said, 'Anything about yourself, even the things that you don't think people will love about you, all of it makes up your beauty.' I don't want her to grow up with any shame."