
Actress Viola Davis (“The Suicide Squad”) attended a press conference in Rio de Janeiro this Monday (19/9) to promote her new film, “A Mulher Rei”, in which she plays the leader of an army real African warriors of the 19th century During the press conference, Davis talked about issues such as racism and representation in cinema.
He stressed the importance of a major production such as “A Mulher Rei”, highly regarded by critics, with black actresses.
“It’s important for a woman of color to know that she can lead a blockbuster movie, without the need for a white runway or a man,” said the star, introducing the theme.
“We see some of the great movies and great directors, and we don’t have a black presence,” he stressed. “And I’m not talking about our physical presence. Our power, our beauty, our differences are not represented. There is a feeling that we are invisible.”
“Unfortunately, racism still affects us,” he reflected. “He’s created a system that treats you based on who you are, your gender and your color, and women of color are always at the bottom of that list, especially when you have dark skin. You might even see black doctors, black lawyers. in the movies, but they have no name. You see the people on the screen, you look in the credits and you can’t find them. I’m sick of them. I know who these human beings are. They are our mothers, our aunts. “
“Whenever I see a black woman in a movie, I wonder who she is. When I see her, she’s already gone. I’m tired of it. In my life, I know who these women are. They are many and complicated. They are beautiful. ., funny, sometimes not mothers or aunts. I wanted black women to be humanized like everyone else. If they were to eradicate racism, that would be the first step. Understanding that we are all human, we are not a metaphor. “
For the actress, this is the importance of films like “The King Woman”, which gives back to black women a protagonist that history has stolen from them. “Seeing characters like those in our film is really important. Art imitates life, so we have to see it in art. It’s no longer acceptable to see how white people see us. I have that value, I’m sorry. The same value as Meryl Streep. , Helen Mirren and Julianne Moore. I don’t care if I’m not blonde or I’m not wearing a size smaller. I have value and the movies have to reflect that. “
Davis, however, does not want to diminish the importance of her fellow actresses, but to explain the system that allows them to be great. “The reason they’re great is because they’ve had the opportunity to show it. If art imitates life, it’s because we feel they deserve it. I, as a woman of color, end up feeling like I don’t. It’s underlined everywhere. I remember one person saying to me out of the blue: ‘You know you’re not pretty, right?’ [pessoas brancas] being able to say it and get away with it is why me and Julius [Tennon, marido de Viola e produtor de ‘A Mulher Rei’] we’re putting women of color into storytelling, ”she said.
In the film, Davis plays Nanisca, a general of a female military unit whose warriors were known as Agojie, but were also called Amazons. For two centuries they defended the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful African nations of the modern era, against French settlers and neighboring tribes who tried to invade the country, enslave its people and destroy everything they stood for. The Dahomey Amazons are the inspiration for the Dora Milaje warriors, seen in the comics and “Black Panther” movies.
“I’ve always known the Amazons, but I only got to know the Agojie through the film,” said the actress. “‘Amazonas’ is a colonizer’s expression. I only met them in 2018, when I started preparing for the film. Give the real name of the Amazons, which are the Agojie. They were discarded women that nobody wanted. Recruited by eight and 14. Many of them were beheaded if they didn’t want to become Agojie. “
The actress also talked about Brazil’s role in enslaving African nations. “We know that millions of slaves have left West Africa and their first stop was Brazil,” she said. “There is a feeling in black culture, whether you are African American, Caribbean or Brazilian, that we are all connected. We are part of a whole. One of the central points of the film is precisely this deep connection and the contribution of Brazil in this sense is immense”.
As a curiosity, Dahomey was the first country to recognize Brazil’s independence, in 1822, by sending diplomatic representatives to the imperial court of Dom Pedro I. Unfortunately, the African kingdom ended up being conquered by the French in the early 1900s, spending half a century. as a colony, before regaining its independence and becoming the current Republic of Benin. Before the colonization, however, the Agojie were the main defense front of the country.
“As an actress, I always wonder how to find a way to live this character, to survive this. How to find something beautiful in it,” Davis explained. “In the script written by Dana Stevens, they took pride in defending the kingdom, that gave them purpose. For me it was a way to tell that story as an artist. There is little information about Agojie, so I looked for a way to enhance them.”
This appreciation is part of an effort by the actress to seek a greater representation of black culture in cinema.
“While watching ‘The King Woman’, you have to sit and watch strong, curly black women like heroines for two and a half hours. It’s our chance to be seen,” she said.
The film is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Old Guard”) and focuses on the relationship between Nanisca and an ambitious warrior, Nawi (Thuso Mbedu, “The Underground Railroad”), as they fight side by side against colonial forces. . The cast also includes Lashana Lynch (“No Time to Die”), singer Angélique Kidjo (“Arrangement of Christmas”), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (“After”) and John Boyega (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”) . the king of Dahomey.
The film was released at # 1 in US theaters over the weekend and also garnered impressive ratings: a 95% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the rare A + audience rating on CinemaScore.
The premiere in Brazil will take place on Thursday (22/9). Watch the trailer below.
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Source: Terra

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.