Academy Award-Winning Actress Viola Davis: ‘That’s My Legacy: Forgiving My Dad’
By Movieguide® Staff
Actress Viola Davis, best known for her role in THE HELP, recently opened up about her difficult childhood and decision to forgive her abusive father in her new memoir, Finding Me.
Davis, who grew up in Central Falls, R.I., experienced near-starvation and intense bullying alongside her five siblings. For the Academy Award-winning actress, dumpster diving for food and constant mistreatment was a part of her upbringing.
“How you react is based on survival,” the 56-year-old told PEOPLE. “The key is to survive. I did what was at my hand to do at 8 years old. I fought. And that fighting served me because I’m still on my feet.”
Davis said that her father, Dan, abused her mother at home physically and emotionally. Despite the abuse, Davis’ mother, Mae Alice, stayed married to Dan for 48 years.
“My dad changed,” Davis explained. “My mom said he apologized to her every single day. Every single day, he rubbed her feet. Forgiveness is not pretty. Sometimes people don’t understand that life is not a Thursday-night lineup on ABC. It is messy. He did hurt me then, but love and forgiveness can operate on the same plane as anger.”
Davis said she made peace with Dan before her his death due to pancreatic cancer in 2006, displaying Christ-like forgiveness to her father.
“I wanted to love my dad,” she said. “And here’s the thing: My dad loved me. I saw it. I felt it. I received it, and I took it. For me, that’s a much better gift and less of a burden than going through my entire life carrying that big, heavy weight of who he used to be and what he used to do. That’s my choice. That’s my legacy: forgiving my dad.”
Now, Davis is happily married to her husband, actor Julius Tennon, 68, and mother to their daughter Genesis, 11.
“I count it all as joy. I do. All of those things happened to me, but I own it. And it’s a part of who I am,” she said, grateful for her decision to forgive. “It’s given me an extraordinary sense of compassion. It’s reconciling that young girl in me and healing from the past—and finding home.”
Colossians 3:13 (ESV): “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
