Viola Davis discusses bulking up for her role in The Woman King

Viola Davis has shared how she thought she was “going to have a heart attack” because of the rigorous training regimen for her film The Woman King.

In the action film, the 57-year-old actress plays a general of an all-female army unit in 1820s West Africa.

Speaking in the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaarshe said, “They really wanted me to be bulky. We did weightlifting and sprinting for an hour and a half, then weapons and choreography for three and a half hours.

Role: Viola Davis has shared how she thought she was ‘going to have a heart attack’ because of the strict training regimen for her film The Woman King

“On the first day I thought, ‘What did I sign up for? I’m over 50, I’m having a heart attack!’ I got my first real glimpse into being a warrior.”

About the film, she said, “I’ve never done anything like it. When I was a little girl, I always imagined I would be in a movie like this.

“You look at Gladiator or Wonder Woman and you see yourself in it, but then you never get those scripts sent to you.

“When you get a story like The Woman King, it resuscitates you. I have dark skin, I have a deep voice. All my life I’ve been told I’m too strong, too manly. We redefine what it means to be feminine in this film. It set me free.’

She said, “They really wanted me to be voluminous. We did weightlifting and sprinting for an hour and a half, then weapons and choreography for three and a half hours.”

Viola shared how she feels “restrictions” were placed on her as a black woman starting out in Hollywood.

The movie star said in many of her previous roles that she was there to be a “nurse” or a “sage” for the white lead character.

She said: “There is a shortage of stories that women of color have access to in Hollywood. When I started out as an actor, the scope of what I wanted to do was infinite.

“It was certainly a big blow to see the limitations placed on me in my career. You are only there to give the lead white advice, to be the sage, to be the caretaker. There’s a lack of really digging deep into who we are.’

She added: “On the first day I thought, ‘What did I sign up for? I’m over 50, I’m having a heart attack!’ I got my first real glimpse into being a warrior’

Viola got her breathtaking film role in the 2008 film Doubt for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Three years later, she received another nomination for her role as Aibileen Cooper in The Help.

When she founded her production company JuVee 11 years ago, she said, “It wasn’t a need, it was a need. It was up to me to be the change I was looking for… If you don’t tell interesting, layered stories, you won’t succeed.

“I wish the public could attend these studio meetings and witness the fight. Because it’s always a fight.’

Viola said, “There is a shortage of stories that women of color have access to in Hollywood. When I started out as an actor, the scope of what I wanted to do was infinite’

Viola received an Icon Award at Harper’s Bazaar’s Women Of The Year Awards on Thursday.

When discussing the award, she said, “When I’m home, I don’t feel like an icon. I always look at little Viola who wets the bed trying to find a meal every day and thought, “Okay, now I’m an icon?”

“I won’t take the credit and run off the podium with it. It’s embedded in my mind and I’m using it as warrior fuel to shift the industry so I’m not alone anymore.”

Read the full interview in the December/January issue of Harper’s Bazaar, on sale November 11.

Interview: The actress said in many of her previous film roles that she was there to be a “nurse” or a “wise” for the white lead character