Viola davis’ inspirational rise to icon status | members only access

What’s a woman to do when she reaches EGOT status, the quadruple threat of winning an Emmy (for her lead role in _How to Get Away With Murder);_ Grammy (for best narration of an audiobook

for her memoir, _Finding Me_), Oscar (for her supporting role in _Fences_) and Tony (for her stage roles in _King Hedley II_ and _Fences_)? Well, if you’re Viola Davis, you set your sights

on becoming the next president of the United States. But don’t get too excited — Davis, 59, isn’t actually running for office. She’s just playing the president in an upcoming thriller from

Amazon Studios, _G20_, which doesn’t yet have a release date. Her version of the presidency isn’t just signing bills and delivering speeches; she’ll be kicking butt and saving lives when

terrorists attack the G20 Summit. She’s also cowriting a novel with bestselling author James Patterson. It follows a female judge who has to make a decision that will likely have “seismic

repercussions” — not just for her small county, but possibly the nation. And she’s presenting an award at this Sunday’s Emmy ceremony and speaking next month at an annual conference in

Philadelphia devoted to women in tech. As if that’s not enough, she’s also a mom. Davis is private about her family life, especially Genesis, the daughter she adopted in 2011 with husband

Julius Tennon. But last July, she shared a photo on Instagram of her and Genesis with the heartwarming caption: “Me and my soon to be 14 yr old. Love her soooo much.” Davis, seen here with

Conrad Ricamora, starred in the ABC drama "How to Get Away With Murder." Nicole Wilder/ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection AARP has spoken with Davis several times throughout her

illustrious career, and as we wait (impatiently) for her next projects, we look back at the lessons she’s shared with us about life, aging and how to be a more decent human being.  NEVER

STOP BEING GRATEFUL It wasn’t until Davis was in her 30s that she realized, “I’m not poor anymore.” But the little girl who’s hungry, who’s dreaming of a house and three meals a day, is

always with her. “Sometimes that girl is literally sitting in my Jacuzzi, going, ‘Wow! Look at the yard! Look at the rabbits in the garden! We have cottontails all over the place.’ ” Davis

doesn’t take anything for granted. “As kids, we often didn’t have bus fare,” she says, “so to have a car today — it’s unbelievable to me.”