Viola Davis is embracing getting older and says she feels more valuable than ever at 61.
The Oscar-winning actress opened up about aging, confidence and the evolution of her career in a new interview, explaining why she no longer views getting older as something that limits what she can accomplish.
Davis, who celebrated her 61st birthday in August, said reaching this stage of her life has instead given her something she values deeply: the freedom to define herself.
Viola Davis at 61 Feels Her ‘Value Is Going Up’
Davis reflected on her changing relationship with age in a new AARP interview, published as part of the outlet’s 25 Most Fabulous Gen X Actresses list. The actress explained that Hollywood can sometimes leave women believing their opportunities will disappear as they get older.
“When you come to Hollywood, I think women over 40, then over 50, you feel like you’ve just sort of disappeared and fallen off a cliff,” Davis said. “So it’s nice to know that’s not true.”
For Davis, her experience at 61 has been considerably different. “I feel like my value is going up. It feels fabulous,” she said. “I don’t see my age as a limitation or anything.”
That outlook also extends to the kinds of roles Davis believes she can tackle. She pushed back against the idea that being 61 should prevent her from starring in an action movie, appearing in a love scene or pursuing other opportunities. Instead, Davis said her belief in her own abilities belongs to her.
Viola Davis’ Career Continues to Challenge Expectations
Davis has plenty of recent projects supporting her point. Her career has taken her across genres, including the historical action drama “The Woman King” and the action thriller “G20.” She has also appeared in major franchises, playing Dr. Volumnia Gaul in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”
Davis has accumulated some of entertainment’s biggest honors along the way. She completed her EGOT in 2023 when she won a Grammy for the audiobook narration of her memoir, “Finding Me,” adding the honor to her Emmy, Oscar and Tony wins.
But Davis told AARP that those accomplishments aren’t what ultimately determine her worth.
“Every once in a while I’ll say ‘I worked hard in my life. I got some awards and I did some great films, or whatever,’” she said, before explaining that she reminds herself she would still be worthy without those achievements.
That perspective appears to be part of the freedom Davis has discovered with age. “I feel like right now at this point in my life I actually have the freedom of being me,” she said.
Davis Is Looking Ahead to Another Major Role
Davis isn’t slowing down professionally either. She is part of the star-studded cast of “Children of Blood and Bone,” Paramount Pictures’ upcoming adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling fantasy novel.
The film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, stars Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg and Tosin Cole alongside Davis, Idris Elba, Regina King, Cynthia Erivo, Chiwetel Ejiofor and others. Paramount Pictures has scheduled the movie to arrive in theaters on Jan. 15, 2027.
Davis’ latest reflections also echo the message she shared when celebrating her 61st birthday on Aug. 11.
“God has blessed me with such an abundant life,” she wrote in her birthday message, adding that she has “love, gratefulness, joy, and awe” and describing it as “the life I prayed for.”
For Davis, getting older appears to be less about what she might lose and more about recognizing what she has gained. “Mistakes, dreams, successes, all of it is mine to define,” she told AARP, describing that discovery as both “the award and the reward” of aging.
