Chadwick Boseman's 'Ma Rainey' Co-Star Viola Davis Talks About the Moment She Learned He Died

Viola Davis delivered one of the greatest performances of 2020 as blues legend Ma Rainey in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The Oscar-winning actress, 55, revealed she gained some weight in preparation for the role, but turned to Gabriela Mclain to help her get “back in shape” post filming. “Love my amazing trainer, Gabriela Mclain! She played a major role in getting me back in shape after gaining weight to play Ma Rainey,” Viola tweeted on December 17.

Viola Davis is paying tribute to late co-star Chadwick Boseman.

Viola Davis and her husband take a bath together “every night”. The 55-year-old actress and her spouse, Julius Tennon, make sure to make time for one another every morning and every night, when they share a relaxing soak in their jacuzzi and their bathtub.

Gordon Cox Theater EditorAudiences won’t see Ruben Santiago-Hudson on screen in the new Netflix adaptation of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” but theater fans can rest assured that the writer-actor-director — one of the foremost interpreters of playwright August Wilson’s work — had a major hand in shifting the story from the stage to the screen.

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey is considered the “Mother of the Blues” for being one of the first African-American professional blues singers and among the first generation to record. Born in 1886 as Gertrude Pridgett, the singer started her career as a teenager and adopted the nickname of “Ma” Rainey after marrying Will “Pa” Rainey in 1904.

Viola Davis broke down when she heard Chadwick Boseman had died. Chadwick, 43, passed away earlier this year after a secret, four-year battle with colon cancer and his 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' co-star Viola admitted she struggled to cope with the news of his death.

NEW YORK -- Like many of those involved in the making of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” it’s not easy for Viola Davis to summarize what playwright August Wilson has meant to her except to answer, “Everything.”Davis' first stage role was in Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” She made her Broadway debut in his “Seven Guitars” and won a Tony for “King Hedley II.” After playing Rose on Broadway in Wilson’s “Fences,” she reprised the role in Denzel Washington’s 2016 film, winning her an Oscar.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” hair department head Mia Neal had never worked with horsehair before until she needed to create wigs for the new Netflix film starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman.Few photographs existed of the real Ma Rainey, known as the “Mother of the Blues,” but costume designer Ann Roth pointed to reading material that suggested Ma’s social status meant she would use wigs imported from Europe and they would be made of the highest quality

Viola Davis is opening up about what her daughter, Genesis, has put on her Christmas list this year.

Viola Davis is thrilled to be playing Michelle Obama in the upcoming Showtime anthology seriesFirst Ladies, but says she had some trepidation. TheHow to Get Away With Murderstar dropped byThe Graham Norton Show for an episode that will air on Dec.

Viola Davis paid a virtual visit to “The Graham Norton Show” to promote her new Netflix movie “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”.

Viola Davis' daughter was not getting away with her Christmas list this year! During the Thursday, December 17 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the How to Get Away with Murder star recalled having to tell her 10-year-old daughter Genesis Tennon that her extravagant Christmas requests were getting denied. "This was her first year making a list," the Oscar winner explained.

Viola Davis’ 10-year-old daughter, Genesis, is in for a rude awakening on Christmas morning.The little one made a list for the first time, but the How to Get Away With Murder alum, 55, will not be buying the majority of the items on it.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, starring Viola Davis as the brazen blues legend and Chadwick Boseman in his final film role, has brought new attention to Rainey’s mystifying story. Adapted from August Wilson’s Broadway play of the same name, the film explores an intense 1927 Chicago recording session between Rainey and her band members, with Davis delivering an unapologetic portrayal of the singer. “Usually Ma Rainey and how she looks has been greatly stereotyped in cinematic history and in life,” the

Viola Davis “lost it” after receiving the news her Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-star Chadwick Boseman had died.The actor, who lost his battle with cancer in August (202020), filmed the Netflix movie, about the iconic African-American blues singer, with Davis in the summer of 2019.Speaking on Britain’s The Graham Norton Show, the actress paid tribute to her late co-star, admitting she was “so surprised” by the tragic news as she was in the dark about his illness.“When I found out he was gone, I

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (★★★★☆), even if she’s just going to be gritting her teeth before taking a bite out of their ass. Only one in Ma’s circle — among her band, her manager, her nephew, her girlfriend — thinks they should be the center of attention, and that’s Levee, her horn player.