Viola Davis was named the 48th Chaplin Award Gala honoree on Monday (April 24, 2023) in New York.
Davis, a rare EGOT winner, says she feels the same way she did when she appeared in Denzel Washington’s directorial debut, “Antwone Fisher,” her first major film role.
“I don’t feel any different…the biggest excitement besides working with Denzel and working with Derek, Luke and all the beautiful actors on there was I had two days of work, so it was supposed to be one day and it ended up being two days,” said ‘The Woman King’ star.
“I made $671 for two days. I’ve always felt like the privilege was just doing it. See, I’m from the other side of acting, that 95% unemployment rate, 1% that make $50,000 a year or more. I never got into it to be famous.”
A few of her A-list friends showed up to show their support.
The EGOT winner’s career as an actress and producer was honored at a star-studded event at New York City’s Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, where she received the coveted Chaplin Award.
For the evening, Davis was joined by Meryl Streep, who co-starred with Davis in 2008’s “Doubt,” and Jessica Chastain, who co-starred with Davis in 2011’s “The Help.”
The Chaplain Award Gala, which began in 1972, is Film at Lincoln Center’s most important fundraising event of the year, with all proceeds benefiting the organization’s mission to support the art and craft of cinema.