Viola Davis' transformation for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' sparks sexism debate online

Viola Davis is garnering praises for her role as Ma Rainey in Netflix’s new film. But her transformation for Ma Rainey’s role has sparked a sexism debate on Twitter. Davis’ fans are divided on why Viola Davis’ transformation for the role did not receive much appreciation in comparison to Joaquin Phoenix’s transformation for Joker. Find out more details about this debate below.

Viola Davis’ Ma Rainey transformation sparks debate

Viola Davis is garnering praise from critics and audience alike for her portrayal of Blues singer Ma Rainey. She stars as Ma Rainey in Netflix film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Now that the film has finally premiered on Netflix, Viola Davis is working to get in shape for her next film. For Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Viola Davis gained weight to look like the singer.

Also read | Viola Davis's Net Worth As Her Performance In 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Is Lauded

But now, Viola Davis’ transformation for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom has sparked a controversial debate among fans. On Twitter, a user asked a question why Viola Davis’ weight gain did not receive the same attention as Joaquin Phoenix’s weight loss for his role in and as 'Joker'. Soon this tweet went viral and many 'Joker' and Viola Davis’ fans started a heated debate online.

The tweet claimed that this is a sexist approach and undermines Davis’ career graph and her success in the industry. The Twitter thread also led to many people talking about a racist angle in this debate. Take a look at some of these tweets here.

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As mentioned earlier, Viola Davis is sweating it out to lose her weight for her upcoming project. Viola took to Instagram recently and shared a picture of herself working out with her trainer. In this post, Viola Davis revealed that her trainer helped her get back to shape after gaining weight for Rainey’s role. Davis wrote, “Love my amazing trainer, @gabrielamclain! She played a major role in getting me back in shape after gaining weight to play #MaRainey”. Take a look at Viola Davis’ Instagram post here.

Talking about her upcoming movies, Viola Davis will be next seen in The Suicide Squad. She will be reprising her role as the government official Amanda Waller. Moreover, she will also star in The Woman King. According to Variety’s report, the film is based on the true events of The Kingdom of Dahomey. Dahomey was one of the most powerful and fearsome States of Africa in the 18th and 19th century.

Also read | Viola Davis Remembers Her 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Co-star Chadwick Boseman At Preview

Also read | Viola Davis Shares Snippets From Her "Woman King" Training; Fans Call Her An 'inspiration'