Viola Davis says she joined the 'Hunger Games' prequel to impress her 13-year-old daughter

• Viola Davis plays Dr. Volumnia Gaul in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes."
• At a fan screening, Davis said she joined the film, in part, to impress her daughter.

Viola Davis says she joined "The Hunger Games" prequel to get some brownie points with her daughter.

"I'm just gonna say it. I wanted to impress my 13-year-old daughter, Genesis," Davis said to a round of applause at a Los Angeles fan screening of "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" attended by Business Insider.

The Academy Award winner said she can usually impress her teenager for about five minutes.

Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, adopted Genesis in 2011. An aspiring actor, Genesis Tennon voiced a character in 2019's "The Angry Birds Movie 2."

Davis is captivating in the prequel as she plays the menacing Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the Hunger Games' head gamemaker as well as an instructor who takes a shine to the film's protagonist, Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth).

It's just one reason Davis said she was eager to be a part of the franchise.

"I did have the best time," Davis said of playing a calculating villain. "I had the best time torturing the young people."

In the film, Dr. Gaul thrives off of coming up with new ways to torment the tributes in the titular Hunger Games.

As a geneticist in charge of the Capitol's experimental weapons division, Dr. Gaul revels in creating modified animals, Muttations, to set loose on tributes.

"Sometimes I feel that people see me as so maternal and good. I have people who want to hug me at Target," Davis said, adding, "It was just a pleasure to play not a very huggable character, I will say, and step out of my comfort zone and be a part of this franchise."

Also starring Peter Dinklage, Tom Blyth, and Rachel Zegler, "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is in theaters Friday. You can read our review here.