EXCLUSIVE! Viola Davis Opens Up About the Health Battle That Changed Her Life and the Surprising Side Fans Rarely See
Viola Davis has never been one to shy away from a powerful role—or a difficult conversation. From her Oscar-winning performance in Fences to her riveting turn as Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder, the EGOT-winning actress has spent decades bringing unforgettable characters to life. But behind all those larger-than-life characters is a woman whose own story of overcoming adversity is just as compelling.
In an exclusive interview with Reader’s Digest, Davis revealed the experiences that have shaped her, including how a battle with shingles changed the way she thinks about health and vulnerability. She also got personal about the role family plays in keeping her grounded and why there’s more to being strong than simply pushing through. Of course, we couldn’t talk to Davis without asking a few Hollywood questions too. Which character changed her life forever? And what’s one surprising thing fans would never guess about her from watching her on screen?
Read on for our candid conversation with Viola Davis, including the life lessons she’s picked up along the way and a few surprises you might not see coming.
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This interview took place on Oct. 8, 2026, and has been edited for length and clarity.
Reader’s Digest: You’ve played a lot of strong women—even people who are perceived as strong—but strength can mean something very different in real life. What does being a strong woman mean to you?
Viola Davis: Being a strong woman to me means being vulnerable, keeping my heart open to people and being honest about what I’m feeling at any given time. Being strong means knowing my worth, knowing when things bother me and when things don’t. “Hear me roar” doesn’t work for me anymore. I feel like it numbs too much of me, and I can’t numb anymore. I have a daughter, I have a life and I have friendships. I have love in my life. I have a husband. I want to have all my receptors open. Having shingles more than once was a wake-up call for me to redefine what strong is.
Reader’s Digest: You partnered with GSK Shingles to educate adults about their risk. What’s one thing you now understand about your health that you wish you’d understood before you experienced it?
Viola Davis: I had an unusual experience because I had shingles more than once. I had a blistering rash that wrapped around from my stomach to my back, then went away, then came back on my upper back. Nine out of 10 pain, easy. I couldn’t put my workout clothes on. I couldn’t put my regular clothes on. I had no energy whatsoever.
I felt like it was stopping me. It took me a minute to go to the doctor before they diagnosed me and told me that I was at risk and what I needed to do to prevent it. I was over 50 at the time. Once again, you’re in that area where you’re at an increased risk because your immune system is not the same. That’s why one out of three people get it in their lifetime. All of a sudden, I realize I’m not the woman king, even though I did The Woman King later in life.
I came to the realization that “You’re not 25 anymore, Viola,” so you have to take care of this beautiful aging body, and it’s OK when you know something is going on with it. It’s OK to go to the doctor, and it’s OK to bother them. You’re worth it. That was a hard one for me. I come from a long line of people who were just strong people. My mom worked in the field in Singleton Plantation from the time she was 4. So that was my wake-up call.
Reader’s Digest: Did having shingles change anything else about the way that you work—whether that’s now listening to your body, setting boundaries or allowing yourself some rest?
Viola Davis: I did not come from privilege, but I am privileged now. I started setting my hours, because you can do that once you reach a certain level in the profession. Being away from home for long, extended periods of time doesn’t work for me anymore. As soon as I finished a TV show, I would go home for two days and start a movie.
Imperfection is the key to connection. That includes admitting to yourself that you don’t feel so strong right now. Sometimes I think we feel alone with all of our thoughts and how we feel. We keep it locked up, and there’s something about vulnerability that lets it out. It seeks connection. I feel like that’s the best thing I’ve given to myself as I age. It’s the curiosity that life is more about the inside than the outside.
Reader’s Digest: I also imagine that these are pieces of advice that you want your daughter, Genesis, to understand as she gets older, too.
Viola Davis: I think the worst thing we can do is to betray ourselves, and I see women do that a lot. I can’t speak for men. They probably do too. We wear the mask that grins and lies. I tell Genesis all the time: “Do not betray yourself, no matter what. Disappoint everybody else in your life, but don’t disappoint yourself. If you need help, ask for it.” There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Reader’s Digest: While I’m sure that you’re teaching Genesis all these important life lessons, I know that she must have taught you some things herself. What is something that she’s introduced you to? It could be a phrase, a trend, a show, a song—anything that makes you feel like you’re truly a mom.
Viola Davis: The thing about young people today is that they are their own people, way more than my generation. I was taught to be the good girl—smile, say the good stuff and always be polite. I‘ve given my daughter permission not to do that. One day I said, “Genesis, you always have to have a language for how you feel. You have to be curious enough to name it.” She looked at me for the longest time, and she said, “I disagree with you. I think it’s OK when you don’t know how you feel.”
I think that it’s extremely liberating to be able to speak your truth, and speak your truth in in front of your mama. Mama and Daddy are the leadership positions in your life. She spoke her truth to me. So I learned something from that.
Reader’s Digest: You’ve spent years becoming other people, from Ma Rainey and Michelle Obama to Amanda Waller and more. Is there a character you played who you feel is surprisingly similar to who you are today, or maybe even the complete opposite?
Viola Davis: Annalise Keating [in How to Get Away with Murder]. She is everything that I’m not. She’s just unapologetic about her strength—unapologetic even about her vulnerabilities and flaws. I remember one line that Annalise Keating had when someone said, “No, you’re mistaken.” I say, “Oh, no, never. I’m never mistaken.”
There’s something about embodying all those character traits that I didn’t have that I always wished for. It sort of activated it in me, and it gave me permission to be all of those things. And I always say that instead of being a good girl, I wanted to be the girl that spoke her truth, even if it pissed people off, like Annalise Keating did. I wanted to stretch my boundaries and be unapologetic about all of my character traits—the good and the bad. She liberated Viola.
Reader’s Digest: What is something about you that would surprise someone who only knows you from the screen?
Viola Davis: Everything. First of all, I’m fun and funny. People have a blast at our parties. Number two, and once again, this is a contradiction, but I’m extremely introverted, probably to a fault. I’m extremely happy to just be a so-called “regular person.” I love throwing my slippers on and not wearing makeup—just getting in my car and doing my own shopping, cooking and everything on my own.
I am surprisingly simple. I don’t need a lot of things to make me happy. I don’t really need designer clothes. I hate shopping, except for perfume. I’m addicted to perfume.
Reader’s Digest: If you could preserve one completely ordinary moment from your life and experience it again 20 years from now, what moment would you choose?
Viola Davis: My husband will forgive me for this. I love him so much. But number one is kissing my daughter. Oh, my goodness! As a baby, kissing her on the lips. I would put her in that car seat every day. We’d go to the mall and the play area. Oh, man, I miss it.
*Editor’s note: Reader’s Digest does not endorse any specific products or services.
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