Viola Davis reacts to Timothée Chalamet's viral SAG acceptance speech
Viola Davis recently shared her response to Timothée Chalamet calling her "one of the greats."
Davis called Chalamet's recent Screen Actors Guild Awards acceptance speech, in which he name-dropped the actress, "beautiful" in an interview with Access Hollywood on the red carpet for the premiere of her upcoming film, "G20."
The "Fences" Oscar-winning actress was asked for her thoughts on the acceptance speech in which Chalamet described his pursuit of acting greatness and named Davis, among others, as professionals he looks up to.
"It was a speech about excellence. It wasn't about celebrity, it wasn't about ego. I completely understood it, and it was beautiful," Davis told the outlet.
Davis said her daughter, Genisis, delivered the news of Chalamet's speech to her first. "She loves Timothée Chalamet," Davis added.
Chalamet's acceptance speech made headlines in February when he took the stage after winning best actor at the SAG Awards for his role portraying Bob Dylan in the Oscar-nominated "A Complete Unknown."
"I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me," began Chalamet in his speech. "But the truth is, this was five-and-a-half years of my life. I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist Mr. Bob Dylan, a true American hero, and it was the honor of a lifetime playing him."
Chalamet continued: "I can't downplay the significance of this award, cause it means the most to me, and I know we're in a subjective business. But the truth is, I'm really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don't usually talk like that but I want to be one of the greats. I'm inspired by the greats. I'm inspired by the greats here tonight. I'm as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando and Viola Davis, as I am by Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps."
Chalamet's portrayal of Dylan scored him several high-profile award nominations, including Oscar and Golden Globe nods.
In addition to her 2016 Best Supporting Actress win for "Fences," Viola Davis has won six Screen Actors Guild Awards out of 11 total nominations. She's also one of the few performers who's achieved rare EGOT status, meaning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award wins.
