10 Movies We Forgot Viola Davis Was In

10 Movies We Forgot Viola Davis Was In

Viola Davis is one of the most accomplished actors in the world. However, you might have forgotten that she had small roles in these films.

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With a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, a Tony, an Academy Award as well as several other accolades under her belt, actress Viola Davis is widely, and rightfully, known as a master of her craft.

Davis made history by becoming the first black actress to have received all three major awards bestowed on any actor in theatre, television, and films. She first received significant recognition for her work in 2011’s The Help as Aibileen Clark, and since then has gone on to garner critical acclaim in almost everything she has tried her hand at, whether in the big or small screen. Before she became such a towering figure, however, Davis had a number of film appearances to her credit, many of them bit roles, which went unnoticed at the time.

10 Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

The first film in the star-studded franchise began with Daniel Ocean, played by George Clooney, being interrogated by the parole board officers.

Few would know that that uncredited voice role, worth a few seconds at the most, belonged to Viola Davis. Those few moments, however, are testimony to how far the actress has come since her Ocean’s Eleven days.

9 Kate & Leopold (2001)

The romantic fantasy drama stars Hugh Jackman as the handsome young duke– literally– who falls through a crack in time to arrive in modern-day New York. Meg Ryan plays the ambitious Kate and Liev Schrieber, the eccentric physicist who sets the wheels in motion by discovering a time portal on Brooklyn Bridge.

Viola Davis has a blink and miss role in the film as a cop who accosts Leopold as he goes dog-walking through New York. Davis’s character informs Leopold that it is his duty to pick up and dispose of any of his dog’s poop.

8 Antwone Fisher (2002)

Directed by Denzel Washington, this is a gritty, moving film based on the real-life story of a young African American boy who got lost in the system after being placed in one foster home after another, faced abuse and trauma, and was finally able to confront his reality.

The film makes a powerful social commentary as it brings forth the story of a man who many in similar situations could relate to. Viola Davis has a very brief role as Eva May, Antwone’s biological mother who had been arrested and had given birth to him while in prison. The reunion between mother and son is wrought with powerhouse performances, especially from Davis. She does not utter a single line of dialogue the entire time, yet her eyes brim with defiance and guilt until she finally allows herself to tear up after Antwone leaves.

7 Solaris (2002)

The 2002 Steven Soderbergh film is a cross between science fiction and a psychological drama. The film takes the audience through an almost mystic, albeit melancholic experience, where a planet is able to harvest human memories and bring them alive in a peculiar state of consciousness.

Viola Davis plays Dr. Gordon, one of the only two surviving members on the Solaris station. She is edgy and evasive and refuses to explain the happenings that had led to almost the entire crew being killed. She, however, warns George Clooney’s Chris Kelvin, that the woman who appeared as his wife wasn’t real. While the film was critically acclaimed at the time, Davis’ performance remained overshadowed by that of the lead actor.

6 Disturbia (2007)

A sort of modern-day reboot of Hitchcock’s classic, Rear Window, the crime thriller stars Shia LeBeouf as a young boy stuck at home following an incident in school, which leads him to spy on his neighbors.

Davis does a bit role as the detective investigating the case when LeBeouf’s neighbor is revealed to be a serial killer. In a film that is a tad tedious, despite the plot, certain characters could naturally go unnoticed.

5 Nights In Rodanthe (2008)

A Nicholas Sparks classic, this tender romantic drama features Richard Gere and Diane Lane in lead roles.

The middle-aged couple falls in love when they meet in the lonely beach inn in Rodanthe. As is the author’s style, hearts break and life goes into a tailspin until it steadies itself once again. Davis, in a role that does little justice to her talents, plays Diane Lane’s friend, Jean, the owner of the bed and breakfast where the love story unfolds.

4 Doubt (2008)

Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams, is a fascinating study of the human mind, based in 1964. The film masterfully narrates the tale of a strict parish school principal who starts suspecting the church priest of inappropriate behavior with a black student, the only one in the school at the time.

Viola Davis has a brief role as the mother of Donald Miller, the boy who Streep’s character believes has been abused by the Father. In the few moments that she shares screen space with Meryl Streep, the actress holds her own in one of the most understated yet powerful scenes in modern cinema. Mrs. Miller’s denial that her son might have been abused, and her fears that his homosexuality would further instigate his abusive father, are conveyed subtly but beautifully. While the actress did get an Oscar nomination for her role, the public had yet to give her her due.

3 Eat, Pray, Love (2010)

Julia Roberts’ biographical drama based on the life of Elizabeth Gilbert, won hearts when it released and instantly became a happy place for many women.

But while the audience was busy watching Roberts go gallivanting around the world, they might have forgotten about a smaller role essayed by Viola Davis as Gilbert’s friend, Delia. Delia is Gilbert’s antithesis of sorts, married with a kid, and presumably settled in her life choices.

2 Knight And Day (2010)

The actress had another nigh insignificant role in this Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz led film that was adapted in the Hindi-language film, Bang Bang, starring Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif.

Davis plays the director of the C.I.A., in hot pursuit of the secret agent, Roy Miller, who is believed to be making off with a much-coveted energy battery. In all the razzle-dazzle of the Tom Cruise-led action drama, it is natural to miss a comparatively smaller role, albeit one played by a remarkable actress.

1 Prisoners (2013)

A tight-knit thriller revolving around a father’s search for his little girl, Anna, who has been abducted from her own neighborhood, Prisoners is basically a face-off between two male stars, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.

However, despite being overshadowed by the lead actors, the film also stars Terrence Howard and Viola Davis, who play the parents of the other kidnapped child, Joy. It is Jackman’s character who is shown obsessing over the kidnappings and going to any extent to find his daughter, so the fact that the same tragedy has also struck the other family takes a bit of a backseat.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/viola-davis-overlooked-forgotten-small-roles/

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