Beautiful & Amazing Oscar Speech – Viola Davis

Beautiful & amazing Oscar Acceptance Speech by Viola Davis at the 89th Academy Awards on 26th Feb 2017 | Best Supporting Actress – Fences as Rose Maxson

Transcript:
Thank you to the Academy.

You know, there’s one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. One place. And that’s the graveyard.

People ask me all the time. What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say, exhume those bodies. Exhume those stories. The stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost.

I became an artist, and thank God I did. Because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life. So, here’s to August Wilson, who exhumed and exalted the ordinary people. And to Bron Pictures, Paramount, Macro, Todd Black, Molly Allen, Scott Rudin for being the cheerleaders. For a movie that is about people.

And words. And Life and forgiveness and grace.

And to Michael T. Williamson, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby, Jovan Adepo, Saniyya Sidney for being the most wonderful artists I’ve ever worked with. And oh captain, my captain, Denzel Washington.

Thank you for putting two entities in the driving seat: August and God. And they served you well. And to Dan and May Alice Davis, who were and are the centre of my universe, the people who taught me good or bad, how to fail, how to love, how to hold an award, how to lose.

My parents ― I’m so thankful that God chose you to bring me into this world. To my sisters, my sister Dolores, who was here, who played Jaji and Jaja with me. We were rich white women in the tea party games. Thank you for the imagination. And to my husband and my daughter. My heart, you and Genesis. You teach me every day how to live, how to love, I’m so glad that you are the foundation of my life. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you.

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Video Transcript:
When you are on an airplane, before take-off, the flight attendant always says… “In the event of an emergency, an oxygen mask will automatically appear in front of you. If you are travelling with a child, or someone who requires assistance, secure your mask on FIRST, and then assist the OTHER person.”
See, Life is just like this. Before you try to go and help somebody else, you got to first HELP YOURSELF. You got to SECURE YOURSELF. Some people may call it selfish, but if you are panting, and hyperventilating in Life, and you are trying to go and help somebody else – I don’t care how good your intentions. Chances are, you are both not going to make it.
See, there is a REASON they say, “Secure your mask FIRST, BEFORE helping even children.” That is how important it is for you to be stable first. Because once you are stable, THEN you can help the child. You can help the old lady, the old man, the teenager.
What I am trying to say is that in Life, to be the most help to others, you got to take the time to secure your own mask. To secure yourself financially, mentally, physically, and most importantly, spiritually. That means you got to leave friends, family. Turn off the game, the award shows. And just be with yourself.
Because see, in the operating room, ain’t no visitors allowed. No guests, no friends, no family. Why? Because the patient is undergoing a transformation. Well, in that same way, you must get by yourself, if you want to transform into your best version.
But let me finish with this. After you have your mask properly secured, and you are able to breath, it becomes your obligation, your duty, to help others, secure their mask. So ain’t nothing wrong with being selfish in the beginning. But make sure the end game, is to be selfless.
Because to be the only one breathing on a plane, while everybody else is unconscious, will surely put you on a crash course – for loneliness and disaster.
Peace ☮
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