"Sometimes you take a job for the money, sometimes you take it for the location, sometimes you take it for the script; there are just a number of reasons, and ultimately what you see is the whole landscape of it. But I can tell you from behind the scenes - that's what it is, as an actor"
About this Quote
Acting, in Viola Davis's telling, is less a holy calling than a portfolio of compromises. The line quietly punctures the fantasy that great performances are always born from pure artistic hunger. Instead, she offers the unglamorous math: money, location, script, and the miscellaneous category of "a number of reasons" that every working actor recognizes but rarely spells out. It's craft, yes, but also logistics, childcare, exhaustion, risk tolerance, and the simple fact that careers are built in an industry where choice is unevenly distributed.
The genius of "the whole landscape of it" is how it reframes judgment. Audiences love to narrate an actor's filmography as a moral record: the "sellout", the "serious turn", the "bad choice". Davis insists the real story is panoramic, not curated. One role isn't a confession; it's a coordinate. That framing matters coming from a performer who has spoken openly about pay gaps, typecasting, and the scarcity of meaty roles for Black women. When she says "behind the scenes", she's not offering trivia; she's pulling back the curtain on power.
The closing clause - "that's what it is, as an actor" - lands like a shrug and a boundary. It's a reminder that performance is the visible tip of an iceberg made of negotiations, obligations, and survival. The subtext is permission: to take the job, to be strategic, to be human, and to refuse the audience's demand for a single, purist narrative.
The genius of "the whole landscape of it" is how it reframes judgment. Audiences love to narrate an actor's filmography as a moral record: the "sellout", the "serious turn", the "bad choice". Davis insists the real story is panoramic, not curated. One role isn't a confession; it's a coordinate. That framing matters coming from a performer who has spoken openly about pay gaps, typecasting, and the scarcity of meaty roles for Black women. When she says "behind the scenes", she's not offering trivia; she's pulling back the curtain on power.
The closing clause - "that's what it is, as an actor" - lands like a shrug and a boundary. It's a reminder that performance is the visible tip of an iceberg made of negotiations, obligations, and survival. The subtext is permission: to take the job, to be strategic, to be human, and to refuse the audience's demand for a single, purist narrative.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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