Viola Davis may soon be joining the prestigious EGOT club after earning a nomination at the upcoming Grammy Awards ceremony for her self-narrated audiobook, “Finding Me: A Memoir.”
The 57-year-old Hollywood veteran already has won an Academy Award for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” for her critically acclaimed film “Fences,” co-starring Denzel Washington, a Primetime Emmy for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series” for the Shonda Rhimes-produced drama, “How to Get Away With Murder” and two Tonys for King Hedley II and the Broadway production of the former project.
While talking to “Entertainment Tonight” at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 13th Governors Awards in Los Angeles, California over the weekend, Davis described what it would feel like to finally achieve EGOT status, telling the outlet, “It is a surreal title to have, and I thought about it, and I thought to myself, ‘If I achieve that, I may take myself out to dinner.’ The humble star added, “And you know, I don’t celebrate my wins, but I’d celebrate that win.”
Davis’ journey to gaining one of the highest rankings in the industry did not come without its fair share of hurdles, many of which the South Carolina native has opened up about in past interviews, including not feeling “pretty enough to pull off” the role of defense attorney and law professor Annalise Keating. This role earned her several award recognitions. She’s also discussed being celebrated for her contributions to the art form outside of just Black Hollywood’s ceremonies like the NAACP Awards and how there’s still much work left to be done even with her success.
“What I will say about Hollywood is the same thing I say about Black history, that actors and artists of color, we are artists, we belong in the same conversations as everyone else,” she told reporters at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. “And it’s because a lot of times we are forgotten, or not held in as much esteem as sometimes our white counterparts is why we need NAACP Image Awards, is why we need Essence Luncheon.”
Davis’ trailblazing news comes nearly six months after the entertainment industry witnessed the naming of its second Black female EGOT winner with the inclusion of the multitalented Jennifer Hudson. She solidified her placement at the 75th-annual Tony Awards when she took home the trophy for Best Musical for her role as co-producer on the hit Broadway show “A Strange Loop.”
Actress and daytime television talk show host Whoopi Goldberg was the first Black woman, the third Black person, and the fifth woman overall to obtain the industry’s esteemed distinction in 2002.
