'I don’t see my age as a limitation... I have the freedom of being me': Viola Davis speaks about the 'reward' of ageing

Viola Davis has shared her inspiring stance on ageing, and how it’s only increased her sense of self-worth and value, especially in the face of people trying to limit her.

Speaking to AARP, the How to Get Away with Murder star shared, "It doesn’t matter if people feel like ‘Viola, at 61, you can’t do an action movie, you can’t do a love scene, you can’t do A, B and C’. My ability to overcome and to challenge and to believe in my ability is mine."

She added that this confidence has come with age, saying, "I feel like my value is going up. It feels fabulous. I don’t see my age as a limitation or anything. I feel like right now at this point in my life I actually have the freedom of being me."

Viola also shared some words on what has informed her confidence over the years. She said, "I think that when I was younger, I was so afraid of failure. I was so terrified that failure would define me.

"It doesn’t define me and it also does not challenge my worth. Who I am is really shaped by my family, my background. I wasn’t an MTV girl. We didn’t have cable TV because I was poor. We didn’t have a telephone. What shaped me is, actually, sometimes, bad memories and bad experiences."

Working in an industry that has historically dismissed women after a certain age, the EGOT winner - meaning she has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony - Viola has challenged this norm and feels more vital than ever.

She shared, "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. So it’s nice to know that’s not true…

"Mistakes, dreams, successes, all of it is mine to define, and I think that that’s the award and the reward as I’m ageing, is a discovery of that."

For anyone not in the entertainment industry, Viola still offers a refreshing perspective on what it really means to define yourself as a woman, insisting awards and accolades are secondary to knowing your true worth.

She said, "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,’ and I always have to stop myself and say ‘Viola, even without any of that, none of that didn’t have to happen. You’re still worthy."