Viola Davis Had To Dive In Dumpsters For Food For Her Five Siblings

Viola Davis is one of the most talented actresses in the industry. Recently, the First Lady star wrote a new memoir titled Finding Me, in which she details the tough times she faced at the start of her career.

In the book, Viola stated that she grew up so poor in Rhode Island that she had to dive into dumpsters to find food with her five siblings. The actress also shared that she had rocks thrown at her by racists.

Viola also shared that she saw her father Dan physically and emotionally abused her mother Mae Alice. In an interview with People magazine, the 56-year-old actress explained why she was able to eventually forgive her father, who passed away due to pancreatic cancer in 2006. She told the outlet, ‘I wanted to love my dad,’

Viola continued, ‘And here’s the thing: My dad loved me. I saw it. I felt it. I received it, and I took it.’ She also said that forgiving her father relieved her of a ‘heavy weight.’

‘For me, that’s a much better gift and less of a burden than going through my entire life carrying that big, heavy weight of who he used to be and what he used to do,’

Viola added, ‘That’s my choice. That’s my legacy: forgiving my dad.’ The Academy, Emmy, and Tony Award winner explained that though Dan regularly beat Mae Alice, he later ‘changed’ and her mother was able to forgive her father for his mistreatment of her.

The Broadway performer explained, ‘My dad changed, My mom said he apologized to her every single day.’ Dan was a horse groomer who dropped out of school after the second grade. Mae Alice remained married to him for 48 years until his death. 

In her memoir, The How To Get Away With Murder star also described her difficult childhood. Fans can get their hands on the memoir which is slated to release on April 26. Stay tuned to Thirsty for future update.

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