Viola Davis’ sports routine for her role in ‘The Woman King’ is impressive

CINEMA – To be an actress, you sometimes have to be able to transform your body and Viola Davis knows something about it. While she is the headliner of The Woman King, a new film by Gina Prince-Bythewood which will be released in theaters on September 28 in France, she had to work on her physique enormously to interpret this role of general of a regiment of Amazon warriors. His fans were able to get a glimpse of his sports routine at the time thanks to a video recently shared on his Instagram account.

In these images, Viola Davis, who we have seen little in such a physical role, trains intensely, working her arms, her back and her core with weights and pulleys. The actress even gives a nod to her trainer Gabriela Mclain in the caption, writing, “Thank you to my amazing trainer, @gabrielamclain, for preparing my body for #TheWomanKing! I can’t wait for you all to see it in theaters on September 16! 🗣 Agojie… 👸🏿💪🏿👊🏿🙏🏿❤. (The film opens September 16 in the United States.)

Internet users and other celebrities were quick to congratulate her in the comments. Actress Taraji P. Henson writes, “You look at our #WomanKing, so inspirational,” while comedian Chelsea Handler even proclaimed, “You are OUR female queen. »

For the website popsugarhis coach had explained the details of the three training sessions per week followed by Viola Davis: “ On Monday we usually do a cardio kickboxing type session. We focus on his punches and kicks. (…) On Wednesdays, we work strength, heavy weights, lots of legs, upper body and always core. » When on Friday, her trainer emphasizes resistance bands and weighted exercises to “build strong and fast legs. »

An actress accustomed to physical metamorphoses

This is not the first time that Viola Davis has worked with Gabriela Mclain. She was the one who helped him get back in shape after filming the movie My Rainey’s Black Bottom – a film about Blues singer Ma Rainey, released in 2020. For this role, Viola Davis had also operated an impressive physical transformation. The actress then weighed almost 90 kg.

To EntertainmentTonight, Viola Davis said at the time: I wanted to create a character on my own terms. I didn’t want to filter it through the gaze of white people or through people’s idea of ​​someone fatter, black, a singer, a woman. (…) Usually these characters are just tall and funny. Big, black and funny. I wanted more than that. I wanted autonomy. »

The Woman King, inspired by real events, retraces the story of a unit of warriors from the kingdom of Dahomey, the Agojie, in the 19th century in West Africa. More particularly, it follows the epic fate of General Nanisca – Viola Davis, therefore – who trains a new generation of recruits and prepares them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life.

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