Viola Davis reigned supreme on the red carpet of the 2023 Golden Globes on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The star of The Woman King looked regal in royal blue Jason Wu as she posed for photos ahead of the event at the posh Beverly Hilton Hotel. Inside, the star was set to compete for the top dramatic actress honor, and she certainly looked ready to shine.
The Oscar-winner wowed in the form-fitting blue gown which had one short sleeve and gathered at her right hip. Giving the dress some detail, the smallest sliver of dark blue tinted the very bottom of her frock. The star wore her hair in a full, natural bob and had glowing skin. For some shine, she put on big silver Chopard hoops which matched her bangles and glittering Kurt Geiger clutch.
Viola’s performance in The Woman King has been lauded as a career best, with The Hollywood Reporter’s critic commending the star for her “impressive level of emotional depth and nuance.” Based on historical events of Africa’s Kingdom of Dahomey, the film follows the leader of a female army as she trains a new generation of warriors.
While The Woman King has been called one of her best, Viola still has to compete against a team of A-list talents. Also nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama include Ana de Armas for Blonde, Cate Blanchett for TÁR, Olivia Colman for Empire of Light, and Michelle Williams for The Fablemans.
This marks Viola’s sixth-ever Golden Globe nomination. She took home the trophy in 2017 for Fences.
Viola talked about what the film meant to her in conversation with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association back during Sep. 2022’s Toronto International Film Festival. “This film is for the risk-takers,” she said. “This film is for maybe even all naysayers who didn’t ever believe that Black women, especially dark-skinned women, could lead a global box office, could open a film.”
She went on, saying, “I said that this film was my magnum opus, but it’s my magnum opus because it’s everything that I ever dreamed it could be. That we can be humanized. We can be all of those things. But it’s also for my six-year-old self in Central Falls, Rhode Island. The little girl who was traumatized. The little girl who was called ugly. The little girl who was not seen, who was left invisible. I see you, Viola, and I see every little chocolate girl who is like you. I’m telling you to stop running. This is my gift to you.”