I find Viola Davis to be one of the most inspirational of all the Hollywood actresses. Viola does not tolerate fools, but mostly my admiration for her comes from her complete and utter honesty about her experiences as an African-American woman in this country, and in her industry. Her Emmy speech this year will probably be included on many of the “best of the year” lists, I’m assuming. Viola covers the new issue of InStyle Magazine, and she talks about aging (she’s 50 years old), her spa addiction, racialized casting and how she feels about being an adoptive mother to her daughter Genesis.

She’s didn’t always have high fashion: “Back in the day, my style was whatever was different and cheap. I was an artist, and I wanted my clothes to reflect that. I now understand fashion in a way that I don’t even have a language for. I know designers. Before, you could’ve put a gun to my head and asked me to name just one designer and I would’ve been dead.”

She’s a spa addict: “I am addicted to spas. If we go to a hotel, we’ll be the only people in that spa for hours. We’ll start at 5 in the morning sometimes.”

On aging and her value: “What’s released me most from the fear of aging is self-awareness. I’ve never determined my value based on my looks or anything physical. I’ve been through a lot in life, and what has gotten me through is strength of character and faith.”

Adopting her daughter Genesis Tennon: “I always tell Genesis she was born from my heart, not my belly. There are so many ways to mother rather than to carry a child in your body. So many children need parents, and so many of us want to mother. Know that you will experience motherhood to the full extent.”

Renewing her vows to her husband: “I’ve learned that it’s not always about you. Marriage is a dying to yourself, but [also this] renewing and being born into a state of commitment, of understanding the value of partnership in life.”

Racialized casting: “Unwritten racial casting rules absolutely still exist. I’ve played many best friends, crack-addicted mothers, next-door neighbors, or professionals with no personal lives. It goes back to perception. There is a limitation to how we are seen.”

[From InStyle & People]

There’s so much truth to everything she says. I believe this: “There are so many ways to mother rather than to carry a child in your body.” Like many women, she came to motherhood through adoption and her daughter is her everything.

I also love that Viola still challenged Hollywood – in her quiet, determined way – about the inequities she still sees around her. And she’s right, she’s played the second-fiddle characters for so long, which is why she loves playing a fully-fledged hot mess in How to Get Away with Murder.

Photos courtesy of WENN, cover courtesy of InStyle.