Viola Davis on Harriet Tubman, Denzel Washington, ‘Fences’ & More at the Maui Film Festival

“At a certain stage in life… you begin to not think of success as much as you think of significance.”

Emmy Award® winner (and two-time Academy Award® nominee) Viola Davis received the Navigator Award this week at the Maui Film Festival, which “honors a film artist for carving a path of distinction through the turbulent waters of the entertainment industry without sacrificing her fundamental commitment to excellence.”

Following the award presentation at the Celestial Cinema at Wailea Golf Club on June 17, 2016, you could have heard a pin drop as Ms. Davis talked with Maui journalist Rick Chatenever about her incredible career in prestige films, on must-see television, and on the stage. Their conversation ranged from playing Harriet Tubman to motherhood to working with Denzel Washington on Fences to being a “citizen of the world.”

The audience was drawn in by her magnetic presence, and she really is a class act. Prepare to be wowed.

Getty Video for the Maui Film Festival


Note: A version of this post first appeared on The Huffington Post.