I-- - THANK YOU.

- WHAT A GREAT SHOW THIS IS. [audience cheers]

AND...

NOW, OBVIOUSLY SHONDA HAS A GREAT TRACK RECORD,

BUT ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT IT'S AS POPULAR AS IT IS,

OR DID YOU EXPECT IT TO BE? - LISTEN...

I DID EXPECT IT TO BE. - MM-HMM, GOOD.

- I'M JUST GOING TO ADMIT IT.

I SAID, "WE'RE FOLLOWING 'SCANDAL.'

WE'RE GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL."

I AM THE FAILED PILOT QUEEN.

I HAVE DONE SO MANY FAILED PILOTS--

SO MANY FAILED PILOTS THAT I SAID,

"THIS ONE HAS GOTTA HIT."

- YEAH. - YOU KNOW?

- AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY GOOD.

I LOVE IT. I LOVE WATCHING YOU ON IT.

- [laughs] - AND I HAVE TO SAY,

IT'S, UH, IT'S VERY, UH...

SEXUAL. THERE'S SOME--SOME

SEXY SCENES IN THERE.

AND YOU'RE MARRIED, RIGHT? - YES, I AM.

- AND YOU HAVE FAMILY THAT PROBABLY WATCHES.

- WELL, EVEN IF I WEREN'T MARRIED,

LET ME TELL YOU, THANK GOD FOR BODY MAKEUP.

THE MAKEUP ARTIST SAID, "OH, OKAY,

OH, SO MISS DAVIS, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE THE MAKEUP

FOR, YOU KNOW, THIS SEXUAL SCENE?"

I SAID, "EVERYWHERE."

- [laughs]

- I SAID, "CAN I PUT IT IN THE BACK OF MY FEET?"

- UH-HUH. - BECAUSE I KNEW IF I DID

A STRADDLING SCENE OR WHATEVER THAT THEY COULD SEE

THE BACK OF MY FEET. - UH-HUH.

- WHICH, YOU KNOW...

I'M A MOTHER. I DON'T HAVE ANY TIME

FOR PEDICURES. - [laughs]

WELL, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF.

YOU LOOK FANTASTIC. - THANK YOU.

- BUT I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST THE MAKEUP.

I MEAN, THERE-- DO YOU GET UNCOMFORTABLE

WITH YOUR FAMILY WATCHING THE SCENES THAT YOU ARE DOING?

- YES, I GET VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.

MY MOM HAS ALREADY SAID IN HER SOUTHERN ACCENT, YOU KNOW,

"VIOLA, NOW YOU KNOW WHERE I CAME FROM,

"AND YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAME FROM.

"SO YOU DON'T NEED TO BE TOUCHING NOBODY,

"AND YOU DON'T NEED TO BE SHOWING YOUR BEHIND,

"AND IF YOU DO, JUST TELL YOUR MOMMA

SO I DON'T NEED TO BE IN THE ROOM WHEN IT COME ON."

- UH-HUH.

- AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M GOOD WITH THAT.

- YEAH. - I'M GOOD WITH MY MOM

NOT LOOKING AT ME DOING ANY OF THESE LOVE SCENES.

BUT IT'S BEEN VERY LIBERATING FOR ME

BECAUSE USUALLY, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS SAY,

IT'S LIKE WHEN PEOPLE SEE THE SEXUAL SCENES ON THE SCREEN,

THEY'RE LIKE, "IS THAT AIBILEEN CLARK

FROM 'THE HELP?'"

- [laughs]

[both laughing]

- YEAH, IT'S ME.

- YEP.

[audience cheers]

- TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

- YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

[laughs]

- THERE WAS A SCENE, AND IT'S--

I'M SO GLAD TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS BECAUSE

I THINK A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO THERE WAS A SCENE WHERE

YOU'RE GETTING READY FOR BED.

- YEAH. - AND I WAS--

BOTH PORTIA AND I WERE LOOKING AT IT GOING,

"HOW BEAUTIFUL A SCENE IS THAT?"

AND I HEARD IT WAS YOUR IDEA TO COMPLETELY TO TAKE YOUR WIG OFF,

TAKE YOUR MAKEUP OFF... - IT WAS.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I WAS SO ADAMANT ABOUT IT.

I WAS SO ADAMANT ABOUT IT. I SAID, "LISTEN...

"SHE CAN'T GO TO BED WITH HER WIG ON.

"SHE CANNOT BE IN THAT BEDROOM WITH HER WIG ON

'CAUSE WOMEN DON'T GO TO BED WITH THEIR WIGS ON."

AND I SAID, "A WHOLE PORTION OF WOMEN OUT THERE

"ARE MARGINALIZED. I WANT TO BE A REAL WOMAN.

LET'S GO FOR IT. I'M A CHARACTER ACTRESS."

[audience cheers] OKAY?

CHARACTER ACTRESS.

BUT LISTEN... - [laughs]

- BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE SCENE

WITH ALL THE CREW MEMBERS AROUND ME,

TAKING MY WIG OFF AND MY MAKEUP, YOU KNOW,

I SAID, "OKAY, MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE RETHOUGHT THIS."

- YEAH.

- I SAID, "CAN I KEEP MY LASHES ON?"

- NOPE. NO, I LOVED IT.

- [laughs] - I LOVED

HOW YOU TOOK THE LASHES OFF.

I LOVED THE WAY THAT YOU SMEARED THAT--

AND YOU USED THAT ONE CLOTH.

AND I THOUGHT, "OH, MY GOD, IF THEY HAVE TO SHOOT THIS TWICE,

SHE'S GOTTA PUT ALL THAT BACK ON AGAIN AND DO IT AGAIN."

- YES. - BUT IT REALLY WAS.

I JUST--EVERY-- THE WAY YOU DID EVERYTHING,

I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL.

I LOVED THAT SCENE. - THANK YOU.

- SO GOOD FOR YOU FOR DOING THAT.

- THANK YOU SO MUCH. - I LOVE THE SHOW.

- YES. - AND IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED IT

YET, YOU MUST WATCH IT. - YES.

- IT'S CALLED "HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER."

IT AIRS THURSDAYS AT 10 AFTER "SCANDAL."

WE'LL BE BACK. VIOLA DAVIS.