--- title: Viola Davis Speaks Out on Diversity at SAG Awards description: The 'How to Get Away With Murder' actress talks about diversity backstage at the SAG Awards. canonical: https://time.com/4201431/viola-davis-sag-awards-diversity/ author: Entertainment Weekly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-31T15:03:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T14:36:35.799Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Viola Davis: 'Diversity Is Not a Trending Topic' og:description: The 'How to Get Away With Murder' actress speaks out on diversity og:url: https://time.com/4201431/viola-davis-sag-awards-diversity/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt233d7a835dec5fa8/69887b75196cf4839d03a1d5/viola-davis-diversity-sag-awards-winner.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: viola-davis-diversity-sag-awards-winner og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Viola Davis: 'Diversity Is Not a Trending Topic' twitter:description: The 'How to Get Away With Murder' actress speaks out on diversity twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt233d7a835dec5fa8/69887b75196cf4839d03a1d5/viola-davis-diversity-sag-awards-winner.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Viola Davis: 'Diversity Is Not a Trending Topic' > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Christopher Rosen / EW](https://time.com/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Christopher Rosen / EW Jan 31, 2016 3:03 PM UTC  Viola Davis poses in the press room during the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Viola Davis poses in the press room during the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.Todd Williamson—Getty Images by [Christopher Rosen / EW](https://time.com/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Christopher Rosen / EW Jan 31, 2016 3:03 PM UTC “Welcome to diverse TV,” double winner Idris Elba joked toward the end of the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday night, as the British star introduced a clip from _Beasts of No Nation_. Following an awards season marked by controversy over the all-white slate of acting nominees at this year’s Academy Awards, the SAG Awards highlighted a number of actors of color during the ceremony, including Elba, Uzo Aduba, and Viola Davis. Backstage after winning best actress in a television drama for _How to Get Away with Murder_, Davis said she was “enjoying the moment,” but cautioned that a call for diverse voices in art should not be considered a fad. “We have become a society of trending topics. Diversity is not a trending topic. It’s just not,” Davis said. “I’ve always considered myself an actor since I got my equity card in 1988\. I’ve never put any limitations on myself. I felt like I could play Chekhov, any character in Chekhov and Shakespeare in Arthur Miller, in August Wilson. I see myself as an actor. No matter what is going on in the business, I will find a way to practice my art, and all of the actors of color who I know don’t place any limitations on themselves either. So regardless of what is going on with the Academy, regardless of what is going on in Hollywood, they will find a way to be excellent. We always have and we always will.” In the wake of the Oscar nominations, Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her husband, Will Smith, said they would not attend this year’s Academy Awards. Asked about any boycotts of the ceremony, David said, “People should do what they want to do with the Oscars. If they want to watch it, that’s fine. If they don’t, that’s fine.” But beyond the Oscars, Davis added, it is more important for viewers “to be open to the experience of the story.” “I think that sometimes people feel like stories about people of color are not inclusive,” she said. “They’re very much inclusive. I mean, the works of August Wilson, which really pretty much made my career, is everyone’s story. I mean, when you watch Annalise \[on _How to Get Away With Murder_\], she’s not just a black woman, she is a woman going through her life, you know? And I feel like people forget that in our business, we can’t act alone. You need the actor, you need the writer, you need the director, and finally you need the audience. So I’m just saying, plop your money down to see _Race_, to see _Dope_, to see _Straight Outta Compton_, to see _Selma_, do support directors like Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, Spike Lee, that their stories are just as valid and as important as anyone else. That’s more important than boycotting, is openness.” For a full list of [SAG Awards winners](http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/30/sag-awards-2016-winners), head here. _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/30/sag-awards-viola-davis-diversity) _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://www.ew.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4201431/viola-davis-sag-awards-diversity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4201431/viola-davis-sag-awards-diversity/"},"headline":"Viola Davis: 'Diversity Is Not a Trending Topic'","datePublished":"2016-01-31T15:03:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:36:35.799Z","description":"She spoke out at the SAG Awards","url":"https://time.com/4201431/viola-davis-sag-awards-diversity/","keywords":["Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt233d7a835dec5fa8/69887b75196cf4839d03a1d5/viola-davis-diversity-sag-awards-winner.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Christopher Rosen / EW"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt233d7a835dec5fa8/69887b75196cf4839d03a1d5/viola-davis-diversity-sag-awards-winner.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"viola-davis-diversity-sag-awards-winner","caption":"Viola Davis poses in the press room during the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.","creditText":"Todd Williamson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4201431/viola-davis-sag-awards-diversity/","name":"Viola Davis: 'Diversity Is Not a Trending Topic'"}}]}] ```