Viola Davis wrote that her “heart just burst wide open” when responding to a fan Instagram post that said her 7-year-old daughter was named after the actress.
Erin Morrison-Fortunato shared in an Instagram post that when she was pregnant with her now 7-year-old daughter, Viola Davis had just been nominated for her role in “The Help.”
“The more I heard her speak, the more I appreciated her as not just a talented #actor, but as a #humanitarian and a #thoughtful, #reflective woman,” Morrison-Fortunato wrote.
The post then went on to reveal that toward the end of her pregnancy, Morrison-Fortunato’s daughter was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition in-utero. As she sat in the OBGYN’s office afraid and exhausted, she flipped through the magazines in the room and stumbled upon a profile of Viola Davis.
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“She frankly discussed her #struggles to find her footing in her #career, the #challenges she had faced and #overcome,” Morrison-Fortunato wrote. “And, in that moment, I knew that my daughter would be her #namesake.”
Morrison-Fortunato wrote that when a “People” magazine got delivered to their home, little Viola carried it around and showed to everyone -- so proudly, in fact, that the cover fell off.
The picture on the post shows a photo of her now 7-year-old daughter Viola, next to a photo of the magazine cover posted on her bedroom door.
“When little Viola, now 7-years-old and #thriving, asks about how we chose her name, I tell her she is named [after] an astoundingly talented, #beautiful, #strong and #wise actor,” Morrison-Fortunato wrote.
The heartwarming Instagram post caught Voila Davis’s attention and she shared a sweet message to her namesake.
“I’m honored to share this name with you Miss V. You already know the truth behind resilience, courage and survival,” Davis wrote. “Tell it. Share it. Sending love and a boatload of respect.”
Davis also offered to send a new magazine to replace the one that had been broken.
Several celebrities commented on Davis’s response with warm messages including Kerry Washington, Eva Mendes and Yara Shahidi.
“Sending so much love to both Miss V’s,” Mendes wrote.