Emmys host Jimmy Kimmel reunited with Emmy nominee Viola Davis on Thursday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! The How to Get Away With Murder star revealed that, after her history-making win in 2015, she didn’t want to win this year.
“Actually, this year I did not because I knew I would have to get up onstage with that damn peanut butter on my Marchesa dress,” said Davis, referencing the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches Kimmel’s mom whipped up for the audience. “I looked under my bag, and I had big chunks of peanut butter.”
And when it came time for the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series, Davis said she was worried about her expression.
“People apparently think I have a hostile face,” said Davis. She explained that people mistake her for her characters, like How to Get Away With Murder‘s Annalise Keating and Suicide Squad‘s Amanda Waller, so she feels like she has to smile to compensate.
“I have to overly smile. I have to smile as if I’m doing a Colgate-commercial smile,” she said, adding, “Can I just tell you, I had about five hot flashes during the Emmy Awards? So smiling during a hot flash is a hard thing.”
Kimmel asked Davis to explain what a hot flash feels like.
“It’s like someone set you on fire for two minutes,” said the actress. “Listen, they come in successions sometimes, so as soon as one is over, then another one comes. Everyone else is like, ‘It’s freezing! It’s freezing!’ and you have sweat dripping — and then your name is not called. It’s Tatiana Maslany, and you’re having a hot flash.”
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