Viola Davis Responds to Those Criticizing Her Take on Michelle Obama
The actress has portrayed Michelle Obama in Showtime's series 'The First Lady' alongside Michelle Pfeiffer who played Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt.
Viola Davis has hit back at critics who mercilessly panned her performance in 'The First Lady', revealing that it is "incredibly hurtful when people say negative things about your work".
"How do you move on from the hurt, from failure?" Davis questioned in her interview to BBC News. "But you have to. Not everything is going to be an awards-worthy performance."
She went on to take a dig at critics, saying that they "absolutely serve no purpose".
"They always feel like they're telling you something that you don't know," the actress continued. "Somehow that you're living a life that you're surrounded by people who lie to you and 'I'm going to be the person that leans in and tells you the truth,' so it gives them an opportunity to be cruel to you. But ultimately I feel like it is my job as a leader to make bold choices. Win or fail it is my duty to do that."
Not everyone on Twitter appeared to share her sentiment, though.
Praised as one of the best actresses of her generation, Viola Davis appeared to not give it her best shot with Michelle Obama, who she portrays in Showtime 's 'The First Lady'. Critics and social media users grilled her performance, arguing that she failed to accurately portray Obama's facial expressions. According to many, Davis' portrayal of the former first lady ended up being borderline insulting.