IssuesMatter Congratulate Viola Davis for being the first black woman to win best actress Emmy.

(HOLLYWOOD, CA) Exclusive: Celebrated actress Viola Davis portrays alluring, tough and morally compromised law professor Annalise Keating in the ABC legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder.

The two-time Tony winner and two-time Oscar nominee is widely recognized for her work in such notable films as The Help and Doubt. Davis may also be seen in such popular television series as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and United States of Tara.

Davis said that she loves the fact that Murder‘s Annalise is “mysterious” and that viewers will not easily discern exactly who she is early on in the series.

The first black actress to win the triple crown (earning a Tony Award, an Emmy Award, and an Academy Award in the acting categories) and is also currently the youngest to ever accomplish the feat. @violadavis we 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐄 you today and EVERYDAY #NationalWomensHistoryMonth2021

An emotional Davis expressed that writers have the power to create roles for actresses of color in Hollywood. She praised her How to Get Away With Murder showrunner Pete Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes for creating such opportunities in their shows. 

“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” added Davis. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there. Here’s to all the writers. The awesome people that are Ben Sherwood, Paul Lee, Pete Nowalk, Shonda Rhimes. People who have redefined what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, to be black.”