Veteran actress Viola Davis celebrated her 60th birthday on August 11, but she’s making it known that age is just a number.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE at The Television Academy Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, Davis was asked about turning 60 and her state of mind.
“Fabulous. I’m alive. I’m breathing. I’m about to have a cocktail and some food. I feel happier than I’ve ever been,” the Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star said. Davis also said that was the case as she’s “done the work.”
“I’ve been curious enough about myself to do the work, and now that I’m at 60, I can really honestly say that I found home. I found my ruby slippers, and that, for me, has been extremely freeing,” Davis added.
“I think that if I hadn’t done the work, I would just feel old, but I do not feel old. I feel younger than I’ve ever felt, and I feel more grateful and in awe than I’ve ever felt.”
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Davis has previously shared advice on how to improve one’s emotional and mental health. She also touched on her 15-year-old daughter and the advice that she gives her.
“I told my daughter this morning that she has to have a love affair with herself,” Davis told PEOPLE in 2023.
She added: “That she is indeed the love of her life. I said, ‘I love you, but it’s not me, it’s not some boy. At the end of the day, you can’t disappoint yourself. You have to advocate for yourself. You have to show up for her.’”
“And it’s not just spa treatments and a glass of wine. It’s in showing up when someone hurts you. Creating boundaries, and when someone crosses [them], show up for yourself,” Davis continued. “No one ever taught me that. I felt loving myself was being conceited. No, that’s right.”
Davis is married to fellow actor Julius Tennon, and she said they tell their teen daughter to “be honest about what she’s feeling and knowing that she doesn’t have to keep anything in. To start sort of that practice right now of sharing with people that you know have your back, like Mommy and Daddy. And if you don’t share, if you don’t tell us, then we can’t help you.”
READ ALSO: Viola Davis shares how her new film ‘G20’ aims to empower and inspire Black girls
