Viola Davis was working in Los Angeles, single, and extremely lonely. A friend suggested she pray for a husband, and three weeks later, Viola met a man who had everything she was looking for. But before they could go on their first date, the actress got cold feet. Due to her own personal struggles and her financial issues, including a horrible credit score, she didn’t think she had anything to offer a guy like him. But in the end, she decided to fight through her internal battles.
Here’s the truth about Viola Davis’ marriage and her journey to finding everlasting love.
An early love for acting
Viola Davis was born to Mary Alice Davis, a maid and factory worker, and Dan Davis, a horse groomer, and was raised on a farm in South Carolina. When she, her siblings, and her parents moved to Rhode Island, they got permission to live rent-free in buildings that were scheduled to be demolished. Viola recalls their apartment being infested with bugs and rats. They always had a shortage of food, and at times, she would dig through dumpsters to keep herself full.
When she started acting at the age of eight, alongside her sisters, it became her escape. They would write scripts and perform for the rest of the family. In high school, her love for acting grew even stronger. She earned a scholarship to study theater at Rhode Island College, and after graduating, she attended the Juilliard School in New York.
The ‘loneliest woman in the world’
She caught her first big break in the 1996 film The Substance of Fire. And by 2001, she was winning Tony awards for her appearances on Broadway. She moved to Los Angeles to further her acting career. Although she was living her dream, she told Page Six she was the “loneliest woman in the world.” A friend told her: “You should just pray for a husband,” so Voila decided to give it a shot.
She prayed for “a big black man from the South who looked like a football player, who already had children, who maybe had been married before.” Three and a half weeks later, she was on the set of the show City of Angels when her entire world changed.
New love, bad timing
She was in the craft service area enjoying a meal with a friend when she began to complain about being single and not knowing a lot of people in LA. Fellow actor and single father of two, Julius Tennon, overheard their conversation. Even though he was dating someone else at the time, he told OWN’s Black Love series he was “kind of ready to meet somebody else.” So even though they had just filmed a scene together, he introduced himself to Viola, gave her his business card, and offered to take her to the Santa Monica Pier.
She was eager to meet a nice man but told OWN’s Black Love series she didn’t think she was ready for a relationship. She was having a hard time driving around LA, and being on the road was giving her major anxiety. She was also embarrassed about her 500 credit score and all the debt she had acquired while being a struggling actress. Viola didn’t think she had much to offer a man like Julius, especially since he had everything she had prayed for. He was handsome, a former football player, and a single father raising two teenage sons from previous relationships.
Viola kept his card and focused on straightening out her issues. She told Live With Kelly & Ryan that she realized she wasn’t going to be able to fix her credit fast enough and she was still very lonely. Reluctantly, she gave Julius a call six weeks after they first met.
Their first date
They had a lovely first date, and when Julius dropped her off at home, he opened up about his feelings by saying, “You are a very beautiful and nice woman, and it was a pleasure spending time with you.” And like a true gentleman, he shook her hand, and Viola left his vehicle and went inside her home.
Twenty minutes later she received a call from Julius. Viola said she was surprised he made it home so quickly. But Julius told her he was actually at the Ralph’s grocery store down the street from her house. He said, “I just wanted to tell you again what a great time I had and what a beautiful woman you are.”
Another 20 minutes passed by and Viola’s phone rang again. It was Julius. This time, he told her, “I just want to tell you I got home, and you are a beautiful woman. I’m about to go to sleep, and I just wanted to tell you to have a good night.” Yas, Julius!
A simple wedding
They fell in love and got married on June 23, 2003. She told InStyle magazine she wore a simple skirt from Express clothing store. The ceremony took place in their apartment with about 50 of their closest family members and friends in attendance.
Three months later, they got married again. This time, they invited 100 people to watch it all go down. In an Instagram post dedicated to her husband, the actress wrote: “Thanks for loving me despite my bad credit. Look at how our life has grown.”
Eight years after tying the knot, they adopted a baby girl named Genesis. Life was sweet for the award-winning actress, but the troubles she faced during her childhood began to haunt her. She told Glamour magazine that with the support of her husband and seven years of therapy, she’s finally at peace.
Two vow renewals
In 2013 the couple renewed their vows in front of family and friends. Viola said she wanted a ceremony that was really pretty with a fabulous dress and fabulous food. She and Julius even served their signature drink to their guest, a tequila cocktail they call the Ju-V juice.
They renewed their vows once again in February 2016. She told InStyle she decided to remarry to remind herself what life is truly about. She said, “My career is about success but my marriage and my life is about significance.”
During his speech at the ceremony, Julius told Viola she had been so amazing and incredible throughout the years. He added: “She teaches me every day how to man up, how to agree to disagree but let’s get it done, don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” He admitted they’ve had days when they slam doors out of anger. But they always reconcile and find a way to patch things up.
Viola Davis’ marriage enriches her life
Although she’s very serious and professional while on set, Viola doesn’t mind letting loose when she’s away from the cameras. She told The Guardian that she and Julius have a lot of fun together, and they throw some great parties at their $5.7 million dollar Toluca Lake, California, home. When it’s time for her to get back into work mode, Julius is right there by her side. In preparation for a red carpet event, she told Vanity Fair they wake up really early, hang out in their jacuzzi, and chit-chat.
With one of the longest-lasting marriages in Hollywood, Viola and Julius are pros at keeping the spark alive. She told People magazine she’s in love with their everyday life. Whether they’re taking out the garbage, cooking, or cleaning it’s the simple things that are so special to her. But of course, she loves when her husband surprises her with little tokens of his affection. She told the magazine he made her a book entitled, How Do I Love Thee Viola? Confirmations Of Love By Julius. She keeps the book in her bag and carries it to work with her every day. Each page of the book has a love affirmation written by her husband.
Viola told Glamour magazine no matter what, she always makes her husband a priority. She said: “My marriage enriches my life. It’s more important than my career, more important than anything.”
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