Viola Davis on being referred to as 'black Meryl Streep': If you think that, then pay me what I'm worth
London: Actress Viola Davis says she is compared to icons like Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Sigourney Weaver but she is nowhere close to them when it comes to remunerations and job opportunities.
The award-winning actress opened up about feeling underpaid and overlooked throughout her 30-year career, reports People magazine.
Actresses Meryl Streep (L) and Viola Davis pose at the Women In Film Los Angeles 2012 Crystal and Lucy Awards themed "Power In Numbers" in Beverly Hills, California June 12, 2012. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) - GM2E86D1ALT01
"I have a career that's probably comparable to Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Sigourney Weaver," Davis said.
"They all came out of Yale, they came out of Juilliard, they came out of New York University. They had the same path as me, and yet I am nowhere near them. Not as far as money, not as far as job opportunities, nowhere close to it."
Davis, who is black, said her compensation has not been comparable to her white contemporaries.
"People say, ‘You're a black Meryl Streep … We love you. There is no one like you'. Okay, then if there's no one like me, you think I'm that, you pay me what I'm worth."
Davis also said she was disappointed with the roles available to her.
"As an artiste, I want to build the most complicated human being but what I get is the third girl from the left," added the star of How to Get Away With Murder — which is aired in India on Star World and Star World HD.
Published Date: Feb 15, 2018 20:08 PM | Updated Date: Feb 15, 2018 20:08 PM
