{blackbabes} Viola Davis' courage to voice opinions

CANNES — "How to get Away with Murder" star Viola Davis said one of the toughest tasks in Hollywood is having the courage to voice your own opinions — no matter what they are.

"I'm terrified to not have the courage to be authentic," said Davis, speaking on a panel at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

"I start to become a Mr. Potato head of acceptability," she said, adding that when there's a chorus of approval about a certain movie she has a tendency to go along and agree.

"It takes courage to have a voice," said the actress, speaking at a session convened by McCann World Group and The Paley Center for Media — alongside Betsy Beers, the executive producer of Davis's ABC show and Pete Nowalk, the show's creator.

The actress noted courageous actors Robert DeNiro in "Taxi Driver" and Meryl Streep in "Kramer vs. Kramer" who, she said, exemplified the power of expressing their own voice.