If you've had a great start to 2017, we have a feeling it's not quite as good as actress Viola Davis' right now.
Yesterday, The Help star was honored with the first star on the year on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, crowning her the 2,597th entertainer to receive the coveted accolade.
However, while recognition in the form of a gold-trimmed paving stone might reflect the height of film success for some stars, for Davis, it's a symbol of courage, hard-work and the determination to overcome the challenges she faced growing up.
In a video of the ceremony, Davis' voice breaks on several occasions during her acceptance speech as she speaks of her late father who would have thought her star to be 'pretty fantastic'.
Talking of her upbringing in Central Falls, Rhode Island, the Doubt actress admitted that she only has one photo of herself as a child in kindergarden – a photo which is a reminder of her aspirations, despite her impoverished childhood.
'Every time I look at the little girl, I always thought, 'Oh, that's a cute outfit but she was always hungry, she was always shy, she was always kind of in the background, but inside she had big dreams bursting',' she said.
Speaking of the extreme poverty she grew up in – which often meant she went hungry as a child – the mother-of-three revealed she often stole food and climbed into rubbish bins to find food.
'I befriended people in the neighborhood, who I knew had mothers who cooked three meals a day for food, and I sacrificed a childhood for food and grew up in immense shame,' she added.
Reflecting on her tough childhood and current success in Hollywood, Davis – who received her Hollywood star from Academy-award winning actress Meryl Streep – said she often finds herself thinking of the story of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
Reflecting on the picture of the little girl in kindergarten who had an expression that was 'not really a smile, not really a frown, just something', she ended her empowering speech to say:
'What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the butterfly. I cannot believe my life right now.'
Viola Davis – proof that dreams are what you make of them.
Watch the video of the ceremony below:
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
