Viola Davis says she's been turned down for roles because of her race: 'It pisses me off, and it has broken my heart'

• Viola Davis said she has been turned down for roles because of her race, Variety reported.
• Davis said she's been passed over because she is not "pretty enough," and it's hard overall for Black women to find roles.

Viola Davis said she has been turned down from roles because of her race, according to an exclusive interview with Variety.

"We could talk about colorism, we could talk about race," she said in the interview. "It pisses me off, and it has broken my heart."

It "really gets on my damn nerves," she told Variety, adding that she has also been passed over because Hollywood bigwigs didn't find her "pretty enough."

"A lot of it is based in race. It really is," Davis said of not getting jobs because she is Black.

"Let's be honest. If I had my same features and I were five shades lighter, it would just be a little bit different. And if I had blonde hair, blue eyes and even a wide nose, it would be even a little bit different than what it is now," she told Variety.

Davis starred in Shonda Rhimes' "How To Get Away With Murder," earning her an Emmy for her front-running role. During its six-season run, it was one of the only shows led by a dark-skinned Black woman, Variety reported.

"Why aren't you hiring a dark skin woman when she walks in the room and you say she blows you away?" Davis said of the film and TV industry. "Create space and storytelling for her so when she thrives she's not thriving despite of her circumstance but thriving because of her circumstance."

She told Variety that it is still difficult for Black women to get leading roles, saying it would be easier to land a role as a mother living in a low-income neighborhood than to star in lighthearted film about a woman finding herself while traveling the world.

In her interview with Variety, Davis also recalled a time when she was 30 and a director called her by his maid's name.

"I had a director who did that to me. He said, 'Louise!' I knew him for 10 years and he called me Louise and I find out that it's because his maid's name is Louise," Davis said.

Davis is now setting out on her own path with her production company JuVee Productions, which she founded with her husband Julius Tennon.

Their next project is the true story "The Woman King," opening in September, in which Davis plays the general of the Dahomey Amazons, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 19th century. She and her army set out to fight against those who are enslaving their people.

Insider saw footage of the movie at CinemaCon last month. It was certainly a standout at the convention.