How to Get Away With…Being A Television Powerhouse

by Nicole Tavares, PR Staff Writer

Fierce, intelligent, and merciless: three words that perfectly describe one of the most powerful women on television today. Since premiering this fall on ABC, Viola Davis as Annalise Keating on How to Get Away With Murder, has thrown the actress more into the spotlight than ever before. Having outstanding success in film including two Academy Award nominations for her roles in Doubt andThe Help, Davis has finally earned a foothold in a lead role that she’s deserved for so long.

Annalise Keating is a demanding law professor and relentless defense attorney who takes a group of five students under her wing and shows them exactly what it takes to get the job done…and, boy, does Davis deliver. In an interview regarding the show, Davis explained how good it feels to finally be the star of her own show. She no longer has to play the same supporting role of maid or “mama” in which she frequently was cast. Annalise Keating is a new, refreshing side of Davis that inspires strength, passion, and confidence in women everywhere.

In the fourth episode of How to Get Away With Murder, there is a scene in which Annalise has just learned of her husband’s ties to a female student who has been recently murdered. As she gets ready for bed, Annalise sits at her vanity, looks at herself in the mirror, and begins to take off her wig and all of her makeup. This was one of the most powerful scenes in the show thus far and it was all Davis’ idea. According to the show’s writer-producer, Peter Nowalk, Davis pitched him the idea about stripping Annalise down completely to her natural side. The scene sparked immense buzz from viewers who flooded the Internet with hashtags describing it as inspiring, breathtaking, and gifted.

Annalise Keating shows a raw, vulnerable side of herself rarely portrayed on television and, if we thought Davis was gorgeous before, this powerful moment only magnified her beauty even more. Through her role as Annalise Keating, Davis has become an important role model to women everywhere. Not unlike her character, Davis is fearless in going after what she wants and has more than succeeded at breaking the barriers that have been placed in her way. Faced with countless obstacles that go along with being a woman in the entertainment industry, let alone an African American woman in the industry, Davis demolished walls in both film and television. She fought hard to get the respect she’s deserved for so long just like her counterpart, Annalise Keating. Viola Davis is a strong, confident, fearless fighter who is paving the way for women everywhere. Viola Davis truly is a force to be reckoned with.