Viola Davis at Kimmel

Viola Davis Talks Possibility Of Daughter Following The Family Acting Path

Home / Stars / Viola Davis Talks Possibility Of Daughter Following The Family Acting Path

By Afouda Bamidele on April 27, 2023 at 12:00 AM EDT

Viola Davis shares her thoughts on her daughter Genesis becoming an actress. 

Known for her performances in movies such as "Fences" and "The Help," she recently opened up about the possibility of her baby girl following in her footsteps. The proud mother, honored with numerous accolades throughout her illustrious career in the entertainment industry, adopted the tween as an infant in 2011 alongside her husband, Julius Tennon. 

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Viola Davis Opens Up About Daughter Genesis Pursuing An Acting Career

During the 48th Chaplin Award Gala in New York, the 57-year-old was asked if the 12-year-old had expressed any interest in pursuing acting as a career. The "Doubt" star shared exclusively with ET that she was not entirely sure whether the youngster had the "acting bug," as she seemed rather indifferent towards the idea and was "like, 'eh'" about it.

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Viola Davis at The 48th Chaplin Award Gala-NYC
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Despite Davis's success in the industry, she and her husband support Genesis's passions and interests, whether they involve acting or not. Tennon told the publication, "We are going to support whatever it is she wants to do, but we don't know what that's going to be yet."

The "Fences" actress had come full circle, especially after officially completing her "EGOT" status when she won a Grammy Award in the Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording category for her memoir, "Finding Me." 

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As reported by The Blast, she joined the exclusive group as the 18th person and third Black woman, following in the footsteps of Jennifer Hudson and Whoopi Goldberg. Davis also made history by becoming the first Black woman to achieve the rare feat of winning the Triple Crown of Acting: Emmy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, between 2001 and 2017.

Fans would recall that she won an Emmy for best lead actress in a drama series in 2015 for her portrayal of Annalise Keating in ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder." In 2017, she got the Oscar for the film adaptation of the period drama, "Fences," for which she also got a Tony in 2010.

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The mother-of-one had previously won a Tony in 2001 for her performance in the Broadway play, "King Hedley II." While accepting the Grammy award, the "Suicide Squad" star emotionally said, "I wrote this book to honor [the] six-year-old Viola. To honor her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything. It has just been such a journey. I just EGOT!"

Glamour reported that Davis expressed gratitude to her publisher, Harper's Collins, and "everybody who was a part of my story." She also gave her beau and their daughter a special shout-out, stating, "You are my life, my joy. You are the best chapter in this book. Thank you."

Showtime Cancels 'The First Lady' After One Season Despite Star-Studded Cast

Viola Davis at the 54th NAACP Image Awards
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The company's American anthology drama series "The First Lady" featured renowned actors such as Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson. The show told the stories of former First Ladies of the United States, including Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt, respectively.

However, The Blast reported that the series received mixed reviews, with the majority being negative, which led to mixed reactions from fans after learning about its cancellation.

According to Deadline, a representative for Showtime told the publication, "Showtime can confirm that the anthology series "The First Lady" will not be moving forward with another season." 

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The statement released by the network read as follows: "We would like to applaud the artistry and commitment of our showrunner Cathy Schulman, director Susanne Bier, their fellow executive producers, our amazing cast led by executive producer Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson." 

The delegate commended Lionsgate, their studio partner, for "their dedicated work in telling the unique stories of three remarkable leaders." The cancellation of the drama series sparked strong reactions on Twitter. One user blamed her by stating that her performance was "terrible AF," while another defended the series as a "wonderful step back & forward in time."

This user described her portrayal as a "borderline caricature" and "absolutely cringe" and applauded the cancellation of the remaining episodes. However, this fan praised her idol's performance, stating that she expressed Michelle Obama's mannerisms well.

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