Viola Davis Explains the Meaning Behind Her Viral Awards Moment and Discusses Her New Novel

Viola Davis says the now-viral moment in which she enthusiastically announced Michael B. Jordan as best actor at the recent Actor Awards was rooted in a deeply personal artistic reference rather than a spontaneous outburst.

The clip circulated widely online after Davis dramatically read the winner’s name and exclaimed that Jordan was “shining like new money.” While the moment quickly became a meme across social media, Davis said the line was carefully chosen and drawn from one of her favorite works of theater.

The phrase originates from Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson, a work Davis has long considered central to her artistic life. She first performed in the play in 1988, an experience that also earned her membership in Actors' Equity Association.

“That line is constantly playing out in my mind,” Davis explained, noting that it represents the idea of a person stepping fully into their purpose. In the play, the line is delivered in reference to Harold Loomis, a character whose journey centers on reclaiming identity and freedom after trauma.

Davis originally intended to use the quote if she ever had the opportunity to present an award to Delroy Lindo, who famously originated the role of Harold Loomis on stage. Instead, when Davis opened the envelope at the ceremony and saw Jordan’s name, she felt the quote still captured the moment.

According to Davis, the line symbolized her view of Jordan’s current position in the film industry. She described the actor, whose recent performance in Sinners earned the award, as someone entering a new phase of leadership and creative influence.

“Michael B. Jordan is an incredible human and an incredible leader,” Davis said, adding that she believes his work as both an actor and director will help shape the future of African American filmmaking.

Beyond the awards moment, Davis is also marking a new chapter in her own career with the release of her first work of fiction, Judge Stone. The novel, co-written with bestselling author James Patterson, represents a long-held ambition for Davis, who said she originally dreamed of becoming a writer during childhood.

“When I was nine, I said I wanted to be a crime writer,” she recalled. Writing, she said, once served as a way to escape the challenges of her early life and imagine other worlds.

Although Davis previously became a New York Times bestselling author with her 2022 memoir Finding Me, the new book marks her first venture into fiction. Davis said the experience offered a level of creative freedom she could not fully explore in memoir writing.

“That book was only about 30 percent of who I am,” she said of her autobiography, explaining that many memories and experiences remain too complex or private to include in a nonfiction narrative.

Judge Stone is structured as a courtroom thriller centered on a controversial case involving a young girl in Alabama and a doctor facing criminal charges after performing an abortion. Davis said the story was designed less as a political argument and more as a framework for exploring character and moral complexity.

The novel, she noted, intentionally invites readers to wrestle with questions rather than presenting definitive answers. In that sense, Davis compared its narrative approach to that of To Kill a Mockingbird, which also used a courtroom setting to explore deeper social tensions. “Teachers influenced me enormously,” Davis said. “And acting has brought me a lot of healing. If I can help someone else discover that, that would be incredibly meaningful.”