Viola Davis has been immortalized at Madame Tussauds Hollywood, where her new wax figure was recently revealed. It features her look from the Academy Awards in 2017 — a red Giorgio Armani Privé gown — when she won best supporting actress for her role in Fences. Intricate details were included, like her platform sneakers, gold jewelry and her wedding ring.
“This is what art is supposed to do. This is how art is supposed to make you feel,” said Viola, who worked with the Madame Tussauds’ creative team to get every detail of her look right. “It’s transcendental. It goes far beyond anything you could imagine in an earthly realm.”
She shared on Instagram her initial reaction to seeing her wax figure, alongside the caption, “No words. Just….love. LOVE. Thank you @madametussaudsusa!”
In the clip, she’s captured walking toward the figure and admiring the end result. “[They] got everything right. I mean, she looks alive. My teeth, my lips,” Viola said. “This dress I believe is Armani, but it’s more than the Armani. … It’s like a dream I had when I was 28 when I was looking at myself in the subway station, but it was a dream. This is just, like, ‘Whoo!'”
“There are signs in your life where you feel worthy, and they help the inside feel worthy. I keep saying that saying of ‘Your purpose is not what you do. It’s what happens to people when you do what you do.’ And sometimes the people that it happens to is you,” she continued. “And it’s what I did. I can’t believe that little Viola pulled it off.”
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