Viola Davis photographed by Jan Welters || “When it comes to women of color, especially women of darker hue, there’s a limit to the pathology that people are willing to explore. That’s why we play caretakers, judges. You don’t see their personal lives. Their vaginas are cut out, so you don’t know if they’re sleeping with anyone. And if they are, they’re hookers. It’s very specific. But I didn’t want to limit Annalise’s humanity. I like that she’s a mess. [Tell me about the “paper bag test.” Were you aware of that at Juilliard?] Absolutely, it’s historical. Hold up a paper bag to your face. If your skin is lighter than that, you’re all the good things: smarter, prettier, more successful. If you’re darker, you’re ugly. That’s been working its way through our race for hundreds of years. I’m dark-skinned. You can’t compare me to Taraji [P. Henson], Kerry Washington or Halle Berry, the other black women on TV. I wanted to play a fully realized, dark-skinned woman, and just doing that alone could be revolutionary.” x
