Good Hang with Amy Poehler Viola Davis
27 snips
Mar 17, 2026 
Viola Davis, award-winning actress and producer known for Fences and The Woman King, and Julius Tennon, actor-producer and her producing partner, share personal stories and career moments. They talk about training at Juilliard, working with Meryl Streep, making The Woman King, stage versus screen craft, parenting and skydiving for a daughter, and the joys and challenges of marriage and creative partnership.
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Make Projects For Cultural Impact Not Just Budgets
- Julius and Viola produced The Woman King despite budget limits because they believed in its cultural impact and longevity.
- They persisted through funding challenges, prioritizing story importance over short-term financing concerns.
Telling Meryl Streep She Forgot Her Line
- While filming Doubt, Viola kept silently waiting when Meryl Streep repeatedly dropped lines, eventually telling Meryl she kept forgetting lines.
- She recounts doing the scene multiple times and finally addressing the issue directly to Meryl Streep.
When You Critique, Offer A Fix
- If you critique a writer's work, propose fixes; identify why a scene fails and suggest concrete, implementable changes.
- Viola insists actors shouldn't just complain—they must know how to fix a scene or explain the specific change needed.
