- Viola Davis Pumps Brakes on ‘G20’ in Solidarity With SAG-AFTRA Strike, Despite Guild Approving Production Waiver Variety
- Viola Davis Steps Back From ‘G20’ Despite Pic’s SAG-AFTRA Waiver: Not “Appropriate For This Production To Move Forward During Strike” Deadline
- Viola Davis Opts to Pause On ‘G20’ Movie Despite Getting SAG Waiver TMZ
- Viola Davis Steps Back From ‘G20’ After Film Receives SAG-AFTRA Waiver to Start Production: “I Stand in Solidarity With Actors” Hollywood Reporter
- The fight over movies getting permission to film during the strike is getting messy The A.V. Club
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Viola
Viola Davis Steps Back From ‘G20’ After Film Receives SAG-AFTRA Waiver to Start Production: “I Stand in Solidarity With Actors” – Hollywood Reporter
- Viola Davis Steps Back From ‘G20’ After Film Receives SAG-AFTRA Waiver to Start Production: “I Stand in Solidarity With Actors” Hollywood Reporter
- Viola Davis Opts to Pause On ‘G20’ Movie Despite Getting SAG Waiver TMZ
- Viola Davis Steps Back From ‘G20’ Despite Pic’s SAG-AFTRA Waiver: Not “Appropriate For This Production To Move Forward During Strike” Deadline
- The fight over movies getting permission to film during the strike is getting messy The A.V. Club
- Viola Davis stops work on SAG-cleared movie ‘G20’ amid strikes | EW.com Entertainment Weekly News
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Viola Davis Steps Back From ‘G20’ Despite Pic’s SAG-AFTRA Waiver: Not “Appropriate For This Production To Move Forward During Strike” – Deadline
- Viola Davis Steps Back From ‘G20’ Despite Pic’s SAG-AFTRA Waiver: Not “Appropriate For This Production To Move Forward During Strike” Deadline
- Viola Davis Delays Shooting New Movie ‘G20’ Despite Receiving SAG-AFTRA Waiver: ‘Not Appropriate’ to Film During Strike IndieWire
- Viola Davis-Led Action Thriller ‘G20’ Receives SAG-AFTRA Waiver TheWrap
- Viola Davis-Led ‘G20’ From MRC Gets SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement; No Current Plans To Start Production On Film Set For Amazon Distribution Deadline
- Viola Davis Steps Back From ‘G20’ Despite Pic’s SAG-AFTRA Waiver: Not “Appropriate For This Production To Move Forward During Strike” Yahoo Entertainment
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Ben Affleck reveals Michael Jordan’s big ask for ‘Air’: ‘Has to be Viola Davis’ – Fox News
- Ben Affleck reveals Michael Jordan’s big ask for ‘Air’: ‘Has to be Viola Davis’ Fox News
- Ben Affleck on the Demands Michael Jordan Made Before He Directed ‘Air’ Yahoo Entertainment
- Ben Affleck reveals the one request Michael Jordan made for ‘Air’ Far Out Magazine
- “They’ve taken away some of the value”: Batman Star Ben Affleck Unhappy with Streaming Giants for Muddling Real Viewership Data to Underpay Actors and Directors FandomWire
- ‘Air’ Review: Ben Affleck Turns Nike’s Quest to Sign Michael Jordan Into This Generation’s ‘Jerry Maguire’ Yahoo Life
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Viola Davis responds to “Boycott Woman King” controversy
Over the weekend, despite having no recognizable I.P., franchise connections, or a big fighter jet, The Woman King climbed to the top of the box office with a $19 million opening. It was an unlikely success that may not be as flashy as Avengers: Endgame’s $300 million opening, but it is exciting to have an original action epic at the top of the box office for a change. One doesn’t even need to see another movie before seeing The Woman King.
However, those who read up on the Dahomey Kingdom before the film had some concerns. The Dahomey Kingdom, which The Woman King tells a mostly fictionalized account of, was involved in the slave trade, and critics of the film online accused its depiction of whitewashing and glorifying slavers. Speaking with Variety, Davis and her co-star, producing partner, and husband Julius Tennon defended the film, first by expressing the futility of arguing with people on social media.
“I agree with [director] Gina Prince-Bythewood’s saying is you’re not going to win an argument on Twitter,” Davis said. “We entered the story where the kingdom was in flux, at a crossroads. They were looking to find some way to keep their civilization and kingdom alive. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that they were decimated. Most of the story is fictionalized. It has to be.”
Tennon continued by describing the movie as “edu-tainment,” insisting that the production has “to entertain people” because otherwise, “that would be a documentary.” If the movie didn’t entertain, then “people wouldn’t be in the theaters doing the same thing we saw this weekend. We didn’t want to shy away from the truth. The history is massive, and there are truths on that that are there. If people want to learn more, they can investigate more.”
Ultimately, Davis insists that the movie examines women who were forced into battle or faced death. “They were recruited between the ages of eight and 14,” said Davis. “They were recruited by the King to fight for the kingdom of Dahomey. They were not allowed to marry or have children. The ones who refused the call were beheaded.”
G/O Media may get a commission
Pre-order
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)
Releases September 23
Featuring 2x stronger active noise cancellation., longer battery life granting up to 6 hours of listening time with ANC enabled and 30 hours of total listening time thanks to the MagSafe charging case, a new smaller silicone ear tip for tinier ears, a new chip, enhanced Bluetooth, and more
Davis doesn’t seem too concerned with the criticism. Earlier this year, she responded to calls for boycotts: “Don’t come see it, then, you’re sending a message that Black woman can’t lead a box office globally, and that you are supporting that narrative.” But speaking with Variety, she focused on the positivity she experienced in the audience’s enjoyment. “I saw a TikTok video today of women in a bathroom of an AMC theater, and I don’t think they knew each other. They were all chanting and ruminating. That cannot be quantified by words.”
Viola Davis in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Epic – The Hollywood Reporter
At a time when Hollywood seems torn between its promises to rectify historical exclusion and its comfort with existing conservatism, there is, unfairly, a lot riding on The Woman King, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s action film inspired by the women warriors of the Dahomey Kingdom in precolonial Benin. It doesn’t help that the movie also has had a well-documented, arduous journey from concept to screen, facing rejection and skepticism at every turn. Before its premiere at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, one could feel the nervous buzz among audience members dutifully shuffling to their assigned seats.
But by the end of the opening sequence, a kinetic stretch during which blades slice flesh and fists collide with faces, it was clear that The Woman King would be greeted by a generous reception. Energetic performances and technical precision come together to glorious effect in Prince-Bythewood’s rousing action film. It’s a lush, prime piece of entertainment in many respects.
The Woman King
The Bottom Line
Narratively muddled, but entertaining and technically brilliant.
But as a product of Hollywood, working in the American cinematic lexicon, The Woman King, with all its good intentions, nonetheless falls into the expected traps of melodrama and obfuscated history. Perhaps those flaws will be the subject of later conversations, when The Woman King stimulates impassioned critical discourse — the type that leads to an enthusiastic push to explore the African continent’s rich precolonial history or copious present-day narratives.
Among the key strengths of the film is a cadre of stellar, high-octane turns, especially from Viola Davis. The Oscar-winning actress, known for digging into her characters’ psyches, accesses an impressive level of emotional depth and nuance as Nanisca, the leader of the Agojie.
Her character is familiar in her complexity: a ruthless, protective leader plagued by a reflexive defensiveness. Nanisca loves the women in her regimen, whom she refers to as sisters, but struggles to embrace different ideas. That posture makes her relationship with the Agojie’s newest recruit, Nawi (a sharp Thuso Mbedu), initially difficult. The two frequently butt heads as the young fighter repeatedly questions why certain rules — lifelong celibacy, for example — still exist. Mbedu, the jewel of Barry Jenkins’ Underground Railroad, shines as Nawi, a teenager sent to join the Agojie after her father abandons the project of marrying her off.
The training of the newest cohort of fighters frames the first half of The Woman King, which takes great care to build a detailed portrait of Agojie life in the Dahomey Kingdom. These scenes, in addition to the action sequences, showcase Akin McKenzie and Gersha Phillips’ crisp production and costume designs. We see the youngest women doing drills within the palace’s terra cotta walls, running laps through the tall grasslands of the surrounding area and wrestling each other to improve their tactical skills. There’s also a palpable sororal energy between these women, young and old. In Amenza (Sheila Atim), Nanisca has a devoted friend; in Izogie (a wonderful Lashana Lynch), Nawi finds comfort and necessary reality checks. These montages are backed by Terence Blanchard’s exuberant score.
The meticulous set design and triumphant soundscape come together to create an enchanting, apocryphal narrative about protecting and ethically expanding an empire — if such a notion exists. But Dana Stevens’ screenplay, based on Maria Bello’s story, tries to balance several competing and not always steady plotlines over the course of two hours. The Woman King begins as portraiture and then surrenders to melodrama when faced with the challenges of translating history for the screen and constructing a coherent geopolitical thread.
The origin of the Agojie is not reliably documented, but scholars suspect their unit was born out of necessity: The Dahomey, known for their strategic warfare and slave raids, countered the attrition of young men by recruiting women into military ranks; every unmarried woman could be enlisted. The Woman King doesn’t flesh out the origin story, but it does acknowledge and attempt to tackle the kingdom’s participation in enslaving other Africans.
Taking a pseudo-Pan-Africanist turn, the film puts Nanisca in the role of dissenter. With the nation initiating a war with the neighboring Oyo kingdom, to whom they have paid tribute for decades, the Agojie general urges King Ghezo (John Boyega) to think about the Dahomey’s future. She argues with him about the immorality of selling their own people to the Portuguese and suggests the kingdom turn to palm oil production for trade instead. Ghezo is unconvinced, fearing that change would lead to the kingdom’s demise. Nanisca implores him not to trust the colonizers.
The Woman King flits between the war with the Oyo, the broader battle against the encroaching slave trade and the internal drama of the Agojie. Nanisca’s intuition proves to be correct, but a recurring nightmare forces her to wrestle with her own demons, too. The general must consider the weight of her ambitions to become Woman King, a title conferred by Ghezo in the Dahomey tradition, and her past.
As the war with the Oyo deepens, and the fight scenes grow ever more intense, The Woman King digs its heels into familiar dramatic beats, leaning into universal themes of love, community and unambiguous moralism. For a crowd-pleasing epic — think Braveheart with Black women — that combination is more than enough.
Viola Davis’ Michelle Obama Look is Being Mocked Online After New Showtime Series Premieres
What would Michelle do?
Viola Davis is SENDING me. I just know she is going to piss Michelle Obama off with this. 😭 https://t.co/i7sLqkwgCX
— 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚌𝚊. (@MJFINESSELOVER) April 16, 2022
Michelle gave Davis her seal of approval on the project. Many are waiting to see what her final thoughts are since the series began airing.
prevnext
Davis or Stevie J?
I’m concerned about Viola Davis’ portrayal of Michelle Obama due to the excessive mimicking of her lip movement/placement. Emma Corrin was able to get the right amount of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales’ mannerisms without them looking exaggerated or foolish. https://t.co/moy1GMj498
— Lelethu (@Lezarellar) April 17, 2022
One user compared Viola’s impersonation to that of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star Stevie J. Stevie is infamous for doing his famous “rat face.”
prevnext
Spread it out
I’m concerned about Viola Davis’ portrayal of Michelle Obama due to the excessive mimicking of her lip movement/placement. Emma Corrin was able to get the right amount of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales’ mannerisms without them looking exaggerated or foolish. https://t.co/moy1GMj498
— Lelethu (@Lezarellar) April 17, 2022
With as many complaints as David has been getting, you’d think she was doing the pursed lips in every scene. But this user says she did it too often.
prevnext
Hoping it’s just in one episode
The movie where Viola Davis is playing Michelle Obama gone piss me off if she do this the whole movie pic.twitter.com/v4xc2MuU8g
— F🗣CKYALIFE‼️ (@IamDKai) April 12, 2022
One Twitter user just doesn’t want to see the pursed lips every episode. Davis is clearly one of the best method actors out there.
prevnext
She nailed it
The fact that no one ever noticed this about Michelle Obama BUT Ms.Viola Davis dedicated her life to it 😭😭😭 https://t.co/EA7jYBxf4n
— 𝙴𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚊💜 (@_theeunicorn_) April 17, 2022
While others are complaining, this Twitter user is congratulating Davis on picking up on Michelle’s characteristics. They gave Dvis kudos.
prevnext
Doing it too much
Michelle Obama did not purse her lips THAT much. What possessed Viola to think she should do that in every scene. I never thought I would see the day where Viola Davis gave a bad performance. pic.twitter.com/RNijmu0heU
— j (@augustsrain) April 17, 2022
One Twitter user doesn’t deny that Michelle didn’t purse her lips. Instead, they feel Davis is doing it too much.
prev
Viola Davis’ Michelle Obama Look is Being Mocked Online After New Hulu Series Premieres
What would Michelle do?
Viola Davis is SENDING me. I just know she is going to piss Michelle Obama off with this. 😭 https://t.co/i7sLqkwgCX
— 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚌𝚊. (@MJFINESSELOVER) April 16, 2022
Michelle gave Davis her seal of approval on the project. Many are waiting to see what her final thoughts are since the series began airing.
prevnext
Davis or Stevie J?
I’m concerned about Viola Davis’ portrayal of Michelle Obama due to the excessive mimicking of her lip movement/placement. Emma Corrin was able to get the right amount of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales’ mannerisms without them looking exaggerated or foolish. https://t.co/moy1GMj498
— Lelethu (@Lezarellar) April 17, 2022
One user compared Viola’s impersonation to that of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star Stevie J. Stevie is infamous for doing his famous “rat face.”
prevnext
Spread it out
I’m concerned about Viola Davis’ portrayal of Michelle Obama due to the excessive mimicking of her lip movement/placement. Emma Corrin was able to get the right amount of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales’ mannerisms without them looking exaggerated or foolish. https://t.co/moy1GMj498
— Lelethu (@Lezarellar) April 17, 2022
With as many complaints as David has been getting, you’d think she was doing the pursed lips in every scene. But this user says she did it too often.
prevnext
Hoping it’s just in one episode
The movie where Viola Davis is playing Michelle Obama gone piss me off if she do this the whole movie pic.twitter.com/v4xc2MuU8g
— F🗣CKYALIFE‼️ (@IamDKai) April 12, 2022
One Twitter user just doesn’t want to see the pursed lips every episode. Davis is clearly one of the best method actors out there.
prevnext
She nailed it
The fact that no one ever noticed this about Michelle Obama BUT Ms.Viola Davis dedicated her life to it 😭😭😭 https://t.co/EA7jYBxf4n
— 𝙴𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚊💜 (@_theeunicorn_) April 17, 2022
While others are complaining, this Twitter user is congratulating Davis on picking up on Michelle’s characteristics. They gave Dvis kudos.
prevnext
Doing it too much
Michelle Obama did not purse her lips THAT much. What possessed Viola to think she should do that in every scene. I never thought I would see the day where Viola Davis gave a bad performance. pic.twitter.com/RNijmu0heU
— j (@augustsrain) April 17, 2022
One Twitter user doesn’t deny that Michelle didn’t purse her lips. Instead, they feel Davis is doing it too much.
prev