On OPRAH + VIOLA

This 50-minute feature, billed as a Netflix special event, opens with gorgeous twilight shots of verdant, spacious locations. Then we hear Oprah Winfrey say "Here we are on my porch in Maui." Then she introduces her special guest, Oscar and Tony winner Viola Davis, and begins the Maui porch interview by delving in Davis' poverty-stricken youth. As you know, Oprah's hugely successful daytime talk show is now history, She started her also successful Oprah's Book Club on that show. The daytime talk show is gone but her book club lives on. She announces new selections on CBS MORNINGS, a news program co-anchored by Oprah's best friend, Gayle King. Recently on the program, Oprah  announced her current book club selection and it's a memoir. It's FINDING ME by Viola Davis. In that show, CBS MORNINGS also aired a 6-minute interview Oprah did with the actress/author. This Netflix presentation is an extension of that interview and one that makes you gasp and say "Wow."

With one win and four nominations to her credit, Viola Davis is now the most Oscar-nominated Black actress in Hollywood history. When she was 14, she realized that she wanted to be an actress. The journey to seek her goal was far from easy. In her youth, Davis' family lived in extreme poverty. Often, in their Rhode Island home, there was no heat, no water and rat infestation. Viola wrote "...the rats were so bad, they ate the faces off my dolls..."

In her Netflix interview, Viola reveals the poverty, violence and sexual abuse of her youth and the colorism and racism she faced in her acting career. She explains how her hit ABC series, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, liberated her emotionally. She also talks about deep love -- love for family members, teachers who helped her along the way, her husband and child. Here's a trailer.

Viola Davis said "...failure and hardship is an interesting learning tool." She is living, talented proof of that. If you are a Viola Davis, I recommend watching this interview. Her memoir, FINDING ME, is available this week.