‘G20’: See Viola Davis take out the bad guys in Prime thriller
Watch Viola Davis take out the bad guys as the U.S. president in the Prime Video thriller “G20.”
Two things to know about Viola Davis. Don’t get into a pull-up contest with her, and don’t ask her to buy you crazy-expensive sneakers.
Marsai Martin learned both lessons while shooting “G20” (streaming Thursday on Prime Video), an action movie in which Davis plays U.S. President Danielle Sutton and Martin is her precocious hacker daughter, Serena.
The easy friendship shared by the duo was on display during a recent Zoom call, which included Martin, 20, confessing she couldn’t do more than one pull-up, to which Davis just smiled.
“My trainer, Gabriela Mclain, who I call Lord Voldemort or the one who shall not be named, or the brutalizer, she had me doing squats, weights, punching exercises,” says Davis, 59, who also is a producer on “G20.”
“I shot this movie right after doing ‘The Woman King,’ so I never stopped working out,” she says. “So, yes, I can do a lot of pull-ups, let’s just say. I’m tougher than people think I am.”
People will not be doubting Davis’s toughness after seeing “G20,” which shows Davis single-handedly taking down a gaggle of terrorists who infiltrate a G20 summit in South Africa. Davis, buff arms flying, protects her family and literally saves the world.
Why did Viola Davis make ‘G20’? To ‘put every young Black girl in the story’
The film came to Davis, one of Hollywood’s elite EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winners, and her producer husband Julius Tennon in 2015, and despite obstacles, the couple was determined to see the movie through.
“People want to see Indiana Jones and Ripley (from the ‘Alien’ franchise) sacrifice themselves for the greater good, people who make us feel protected and cared for, and dare I say loved,” Davis says.
She remembers when daughter Genesis, now 14, was young, she would ask Davis to insert her as a character in the fantastical stories she’d make up at bedtime.
“She’d say, ‘Put me in the story, Mama,’” Davis says. “So, why did I do this movie? I did it to put every young Black girl in this story; I want them to see themselves without the limitations society often puts on them. When you see it, you can believe it. But the pressure of seeing something within yourself without seeing the evidence of it in the world, that’s tough. So when you get the baton in your hand, that’s your new job, to pay it forward.”
What is readily apparent watching “G20” is that the plot represents something U.S. voters rejected in the last presidential election with the defeat of Kamala Harris.
But during filming a year ago, the cast felt they were shooting a scenario that might soon echo real life, says Martin, known for TV’s “Black-ish,” which also starred Anthony Anderson, who plays the first gentleman in “G20.”
“As an audience member now, you’ll be thinking, man, this is what could have been, but while we were filming, I was thinking, wow, this is what is about to be,” Martin says. “Movies remind us of things that can still happen. I knew this movie would be needed.”
Viola Davis on mentorship, having X-ray vision, and expensive sneakers
Of Davis, Martin says gained a powerful mentor and “came away understanding how you lead on set, how you greet everyone, how you connect with people, how when you are there, people are just ready to work.”
Davis just nods before heaping praise on her costar, who in “G20” plays a central role in helping vanquish the bad guys. “Marsai has depth, she has extreme sensitivity and a driving need for excellence,” Davis says. “I know this. I have X-ray vision, and I can see people.”
So you’re still wondering about the expensive sneakers? When the duo is asked what they learned about each other during the shoot, Davis immediately starts laughing.
“Well, Marsai learned that I’m cheap, that’s what she learned!” Davis booms.
Martin’s eyes widen in embarrassment.
“Come on, that’s what you were thinking, be honest,” Davis says.
Turns out, a birthday was rolling up for Davis’ daughter, and word was that Genesis wanted a very specific pair of Nike sneakers, so Davis enlisted Martin’s help finding a pair.
“Marsai gave me a lesson in Nike sneakers, which I came to find out cost $425, and I was like, ‘$425, you have got to be kidding me,’” she says with a big laugh. “Marsai just looked at me and said, ‘You are cheap.’”
So who won that battle? Let’s just say, you don’t mess with Viola Davis.
“I’m not going to lie, I did not buy them,” Davis says.
