Viola Davis is making her younger self proud — and she knows it. In her latest role as the President of the United States in the action-thriller G20, the Oscar-winning actress says she’s channeling the kind of powerful image she wished she’d seen growing up.
“When I was a kid, seeing a badass Black woman on TV was everything,” Davis told Reuters. She vividly remembers the impact of Get Christie Love!, a 1970s crime drama starring Teresa Graves as a fearless undercover detective. “She’d arrest guys and say, ‘You’re under arrest, baby!’ and toss men off balconies,” Davis recalled with a laugh. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, I want to be her!’”
Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, G20 follows U.S. President Danielle Sutton (played by Davis) as she takes charge during a terrorist attack at a G20 summit in Cape Town, South Africa — fighting to protect her family and fellow world leaders in a high-stakes scenario.
Directed by Patricia Riggen (The 33), the film also stars Anthony Anderson as First Gentleman Derek Sutton, black-ish breakout Marsai Martin as their daughter Serena, and Christopher Farrar as their son Demetrius.
Davis personally asked Anderson to play her on-screen husband, citing their long-standing friendship. “We’ve known each other for years,” Anderson said. “Same networks, same friends — we go way back.”
Their favorite bonding activity? Hitting gifting suites together. “I didn’t want to mention that,” Davis joked, “but yeah… we like the free stuff.” The two burst into laughter remembering those moments.
But beneath the laughs, the role carries deep meaning for Davis.
“That 6-year-old Viola has been showing up for me my whole life,” she said. “And now it’s my job to make her squeal with joy. My job is to show her who she becomes.”
Already an EGOT winner — holding an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony — Davis continues to break boundaries. And with G20, she’s adding “Commander-in-Chief” to her list of unforgettable roles.
