Viola Davis is having a moment.
The Fences actress appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday night, and though she's been sweeping nearly every award show this season, she was surprised by just how many honors she's received overall. "I've won over 30 awards?" she asked. "You got that at Wikipedia, right?"
Jimmy Kimmel proceeded to tease her, asking, "Do you have any other people left to thank at the Oscars, because you are the odds on favorite to win? In fact, some say you're a lock to win."
But Davis—who lost the Best Supporting Actress award for Doubt in 2008 and the Best Actress award for The Help in 2011 —doesn't want to buy into her own hype. "I've been the odds on favorite to win before and did not. It's devastating; it makes it worse," she admitted. "You're sitting there and you're like, 'OK, I'm the odds-on favorite.' And then your name is not called."
To further illustrate her point, the How to Get Away With Murder actress said, "It's like falling from a 100-story building...If you know you're losing, it's like falling from a one-story building."
Davis is nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 2017 Oscars alongside Moonlight's Naomie Harris, Lion's Nicole Kidman, Hidden Figures' Octavia Spencer and Manchester by the Sea's Michelle Williams, and the winner will be announced live on Feb. 26.
Davis—a BAFTA-, Critics' Choice-, Emmy-, Golden Globe- and Tony award-winning actress—has become known for her inspirational acceptance speeches over the years. "I write them, Jimmy. They're off the cuff," she said before asking Kimmel, "You want me to help you for the Oscars?"
"Don't worry: I'm not going to win anything," Kimmel laughed. "But I'll take anything I can get."
Later on, Kimmel showed one of Davis' standout scenes in Fences and asked about Davis' emotional state. "Pardon me if this is an inappropriate question: Was that your snot or was that snot that was added?" he asked. Davis laughed and replied, "That was my snot. Everyone talks about my snot! It's gotten to the point I'm [over it]. My nose runs when I cry. I don't want to spend half the scene [wiping snot away]. Listen, after 23 takes, I had very clear nasal passages!"