--- title: Viola Davis on Diversity in Hollywood and the Oscars description: The award-winning actress on what we all need to do to help increase diversity in the entertainment industry canonical: https://time.com/4239239/viola-davis-diversity-in-hollywood-oscars/ author: Robin Hilmantel article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-28T12:00:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:49:29.873Z og:title: Viola Davis: 'People of Color Are Part of the Human Experience, Too' og:description: 'As long as you’re a part of the human family, then there’s not one role that cannot be imagined with someone of color.' og:url: https://time.com/4239239/viola-davis-diversity-in-hollywood-oscars/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f943d4cb895e8d4/69887f600a4a22756f9c891e/viola-davis-diversity-oscar.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: viola-davis-diversity-oscar og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Viola Davis: 'People of Color Are Part of the Human Experience, Too' twitter:description: 'As long as you’re a part of the human family, then there’s not one role that cannot be imagined with someone of color.' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f943d4cb895e8d4/69887f600a4a22756f9c891e/viola-davis-diversity-oscar.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Viola Davis: 'People of Color Are Part of the Human Experience, Too' > 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. ## Video: Viola Davis: Diversity is Not Just A Hashtag [Watch (HLS stream): Viola Davis: Diversity is Not Just A Hashtag](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qd66gCit.m3u8) (2:13)  _Published 2016-02-26. Viola Davis: Diversity is Not Just A Hashtag_ by [Robin Hilmantel](https://time.com/author/robin-hilmantel/) ## Robin Hilmantel Feb 28, 2016 12:00 PM UTC Viola Davis: Diversity is Not Just A Hashtag by [Robin Hilmantel](https://time.com/author/robin-hilmantel/) ## Robin Hilmantel Feb 28, 2016 12:00 PM UTC As [Viola Davis](http://time.com/4177942/viola-davis-elle-2016-women-in-tv/) will tell you, anyone who finds herself in a position of power has only a “window” of time during which she can influence others—and Davis is certainly taking advantage of her window. “It’s not so much about the Oscars; that’s aiming small,” she told Motto earlier this week while promoting her work with [The Vaseline Healing Project](http://www.vaseline.us/thehealingproject). “\[Diversity isn’t\] a hashtag in my life. It is my life. And it’s something that I know people of color talk about all the time. It’s not just a hot topic.” Davis talked about why [diversity in the entertainment industry](http://motto.time.com/4199143/catherine-hardwicke-media/) is such an important cause—and what everyone can do to further it. **On the lack of opportunities for people of color in the industry** “I’m not going to get the same kind of roles as Meryl Streep. I’m not going to get the same kind of roles as Julianne Moore. I’m not going to get those same roles. I’m just not. Now, I’ve been out there for 30 years. I’ve gotten two Tony Awards. I’ve done Broadway, Off-Broadway. I’ve come out of Julliard. I’ve done television, film, all of it. But there is not the same opportunity for me. Even though I would say that, if given the chance, I could show people that I could do just as well as any one of my Caucasian counterparts.” **On the importance of diversity**“You’ve probably had this experience watching _Room_ or watching _Carol_ or watching _The Revenant—_you have a human experience…And people of color are part of the human experience, too. Art has got to reflect life, or else it’s not art. It’s commerce. It’s filtered, watered-down kind of art. And I think that [what I want to see is truth](http://motto.time.com/4180847/geena-davis-pop-culture-sexism/). ” **On casting creatively**“Any role can be reimagined. There’s not one thing that you are that I cannot be. I’m just as much of a woman, I’m just as vast. I’m probably just as humorous. I’ve probably had some of the same experiences you’ve had with dating. Who knows?… As long as you’re a part of the human family, then there’s not one role that cannot be imagined with someone of color.” **On what audiences need to do to effect change**“I can’t be an actor in my room. You could paint in your room. You can’t act in your room. What you need is a director, you need a script, you need lighting, you need makeup. And finally, you need an audience. And so what does that mean? That means that when you plop your money down for a movie, then you’ve got to plop the same amount of money down for a movie with people who look like me. You have to have an expansive enough imagination to accept me in the same way you accept Julianne Moore. “And what I think has happened in the past is that people talk, talk, talk, and then I’m presented as a leading lady, I’m presented as someone sexual, and that’s where the prejudice comes in. That’s when the walls come in. That’s when you put your money back in your pocket and say, ‘I’d rather see Leonardo DiCaprio in _The Revenant_.’ And I’m encouraging people not to do that. Because that sends a message to people in power that, ‘You don’t belong in those narratives. You belong in the kitchen as the help. You belong in the ‘hood as the ghetto mother who’s on crack, you know. That’s where you belong.’ “And so I’m encouraging you to be a part of the collaboration, the artistic collaboration.” ## Transcript [00:00] Any role can be reimagined. There's not one thing that [00:04] you are that I cannot be. I'm just as much of a [00:08] woman, I'm just as vast, I'm probably just as [00:12] humerus. As long as we are part of the human family, [00:15] then there is not one role that can Cannot be imagined [00:18] with someone of color. [ MUSIC ] [00:24] It's not so much with the Oscars, that's aiming small. [00:28] The biggest issue, the biggest obstacle in diversity In [00:31] Hollywood, are the movies that are being made in [00:34] Greenland. It doesn't matter if you have 3, 000 [00:37] Academy members who are people of color. If there [00:39] are no movies out there with people of color to vote [00:42] on, I've been out there for 30 years. I've gotten two [00:45] Tony awards. I've done Broadway, Off Broadway. I've [00:47] come out of Julliard. I've done television, film, all of it. [00:51] But There is not te same opportunity for me. [00:56] Even though I would say that if given a chance, I could [01:00] show people that I can do just as well as anyone of my [01:04] Caucasian counterparts. But there's a glass ceiling for [01:09] me. And so now I'm at the top of the food chain [01:13] for an actress of color. I'm not at the [01:17] top of the food chain for an actress. I'm a bad person, [01:23] heartless, a sociopath. Is that about right? You [01:28] said you'd protect us. Are they? I don't know if people [01:32] would be so interested in diversity if it wasn't a [01:35] hashtag. It's not a hashtag in my life, it is my [01:39] life. It's something that I know people of color talk [01:42] about all the time. It's not just a hot topic. People of [01:46] color are part of the human experience too. Your [01:51] art has got to reflect life or else it's not art. It's [01:55] commerce. It's filtered, watered- down kind of art. [02:00] What I wanna see is truth. 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