At the 2017 Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 26 (February 27 in Manila), Viola Davis took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Fences
Fences is directed by Denzel Washington, who also stars, and is based on the play by the late writer August Wilson.
In the film, Denzel plays Troy Maxson, who juggles tense relationships with his wife Rose (Viola Davis), his brother, and his son. Struggling with coming to terms with failures in his past, he battles his demons in the present, and the impact of his actions ripples onto the lives of those nearest and dearest to him.
“You know there’s one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered – one place, and that’s the graveyard,” Viola Davis said during her acceptance speech
“There’s one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered — one place — and that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, what kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say, exhume those bodies,” Viola Davis
“Exhume those stories. The stories of the people who dreamed, big, and never saw those dreams to fruition.
“People who fell in love and lost. I became an artist and thank god I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life,” she added.