Psychic predicted Oscar-nominee Davis' work with Tyler Perry

Actress Viola Davis already has a Tony Award for her work on Broadway. Now, she's up for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing Mrs. Miller, a pragmatic mother of a young boy who might be the victim of a pedophile priest in the drama "Doubt."

The Academy Awards will be handed out Sunday night, Feb. 22. But the 43-year-old Davis has another reason to celebrate this weekend: She's in the latest Tyler Perry family comedy, "Madea Goes To Jail," opening Friday. I sat down with Davis at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago.

Q. Is it true that a psychic foretold that you would make a movie with Tyler Perry?

A. Yes, it happened. I'm not ashamed of it. It happened. At my dad's funeral. A friend of my mother's. My mom has a friend who prophesies over people. I said, "Mom, I don't want to know what's going to happen in my life." This was two years ago.

Q. You're Ellen in "Madea Goes to Jail." Who's she?

A. An ex-prostitute and drug addict. I play ex-prostitute drug addicts and active prostitute drug addicts, I guess, very well, because those roles come to me a lot. Even on stage. I've played a lot of prostitutes.

Q. You are a bolt of lightning as Mrs. Miller in "Doubt," even though you're in the movie a very brief time. How did you prepare for your big scene with Meryl Streep?

A. I geared up by having a lot of neuroses and fear. That always helps. Then I relied on my upbringing, growing up in Central Falls (Rhode Island). The first black family in 1965. A predominantly Catholic community. Always being on the periphery. Watching my mom be the advocate for us in so many different situations.

Q. You come into "Doubt" with so much power. How'd you do it?

A. I only had one shot. I only had one scene. In that one scene, you have to be able to see her relationship with her husband, her relationship with her son. You have to see her everyday struggle. After I did my research as an actress, I felt that I had to walk in with that entire history already in my body, in my face and my spirit. Because I didn't want to overplay the scene. I didn't want to feel like I was an actress who had a small amount of time who was trying to make too much of it. I wanted to make it look like one moment in an entire life of this woman.

Q. At the Golden Globes show, Meryl Streep called you a gigantic talent and said, "My God, someone give this woman a movie!" How did that make you feel?

A. I reverted back to a 5-year-old girl. I did. But I do that around her all the time. And I don't think she notices, because she's like a 20-year-old woman. She's bouncing around everywhere, she was bouncing around the set, laughing, singing. I marvel at that. I'm always neurotic and just shy. This woman enjoys life. I'm still shocked that I worked with her. Still shocked that I got this scene to do with her. Everything else is just icing on the cake. It's like if there's anymore, I may die of a heart attack!

Q. How has the election of President Obama affected the community of African-American actors?

A. It has stimulated the imagination, I think, of Hollywood. Seeing the possibilities of African Americans. Hopefully, we're no longer thugs and prostitutes or drug addicts, or really, really eloquent, strong mothers.

When you go to acting school, your job is to create a fully realized human being. What is a human being? A human being has dichotomies, contradictions, duality; sometimes they're funny, sometimes they're not. They're strong. They're vulnerable. They are all of those things. They're never just one thing.

What I see with so many African-American characters is they're always one thing. They're metaphors. Sometimes they're fabulous metaphors, but that's all they are.

Right now, I just want to see more human beings who look like me, you know? I'd like to see me, actually. I'm shy. I'm quirky. Sometimes I'm funny. Sometimes I'm strong. Sometimes, I'm kind of cute! Sometimes, I'm not. But I'm real. I'm human. I don't see myself ever represented. I see a vast array of white women represented. I don't see me.

Q. Which means more to you, a Tyler Perry comedy or an Oscar-nominated movie?

A. The most interesting thing is like, "I got a movie with Meryl Streep!" (People say) "That's great. Viola." Then, "I did something with Tyler Perry!" Oh, my God! You would not believe the phone calls I got from people. One of my friends told me, "Viola, I don't care what people say about Tyler Perry. When I feel down, I pop this movie into my DVD, and I feel better."

Q. It's probably not the same reaction watching "Doubt." That's just a guess.

A. That's my guess, too.

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