“The Woman King” with Viola Davis opens this week. Let’s not sleep on the many ways this is significant: A 57-year-old black woman is the lead in a historical action epic (which was not coincidentally directed by another black woman and written by two other women).
Let’s celebrate this fierce actress – who plays a general training role of a unit of all-female African warriors in real life in the 19th century – with a quiz about her screen career.
1. Davis won an Oscar for his performance in 2016’s ‘Fences’, but also received nominations for ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’, ‘The Help’ and what a 2008 adaptation of a Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play. ?
2. Speaking of awards, Davis is only a shy of EGOT status; she only needs a Grammy. But true or false: she is the only black performer to have won the acting triple crown – an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony in the acting categories.
3. Which of the following actors has Viola Davis appeared in the most movies with: Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Octavia Spencer, Chadwick Boseman or Allison Janney?
4. Nearly a decade before her role as a servant in “The Help,” Davis co-starred as a maid in a 2002 melodrama set in the 1950s, a time when it was often the only kind of character available for black actresses. Name the movie.
5. Which film directed by Steven Soderbergh does NOT feature Davis in its cast: “Erin Brockovich”, “Out of Sight”, “Solaris” or “Traffic”?
6. In 2018’s “Widows,” who plays Davis’ murdered husband (not so SPOILER, given the title)?
seven. “Widows” was based on a British TV series, as was this 2009 drama starring Davis, alongside Oscar winners Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck and Oscar nominee Rachel McAdams, all directed by the actor Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald?
8. Viola Davis played the mother of which music superstar in the biopic about them: 50 Cent in “Get Rich or Die Tryin'”, Ray Charles in “Ray”, Dr. Dre in “Straight Outta Compton” or James Brown in “Get on Up”?
9. In 2013’s “Prisoners,” Davis co-starred with an actress who later came up with the idea for “The Woman King” and wrote the original story on which the screenplay is based. Who is she? (PS They also both appeared in “World Trade Center” in 2006.)
ten. In 2009, Davis appeared in her only Tyler Perry film, which became the writer-director-actor’s biggest box office success to date. what was that?
ANSWERS
1. “Doubt”
2. True. EGOT Winners Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, And Jennifer Hudson Picked Up Some Of Their Awards For Production, Hosting, Best Song, And More
3. Tied: George Clooney and Allison Janney with three each. (Two-time co-star Denzel Washington also directed “Fences” and produced “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”) And fun fact: his most frequent real co-star might be Jessica Chastain. In addition to “The Help”, they appeared together in “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby” in 2014, which was split into three different films, subtitled “Him”, “Her” and “Them”.
4. “Far from Heaven”
5. “Erin Brockovich”
6. Liam Neeson
seven. “state of affairs”
8. James Brown (played by “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” co-star Chadwick Boseman) in “Get on Up”. She did, however, play the grandmother of the fictional version of 50 Cent in “Get Rich of Die Tryin’.”
9. Maria Bello
ten. “Madea goes to jail”
