Arts & Entertainment
Viola Davis: ‘HTGAWM’ character’s pansexuality was inspired by Jazz Jennings
The character has been involved with both men and women
Viola Davis (Screenshot via YouTube)
Viola Davis says she was inspired to make Annalise Keating pansexual on “How to Get Away with Murder” after watching an episode of TLC’s “I Am Jazz,” which follows transgender teen Jazz Jennings.
In an interview with PrideSource in promotion of her new thriller “Widows,” Davis describes the moment in the reality show that made her view Annalise differently.
“They were talking about who they see themselves with in the future, and they were like, ‘Whoever, you know. I’m open. I’m open to a boy, I’m open to a girl.’ And they started talking about just the attributes of the people they wanted to be with. That transformed me more than anything,” Davis says.
“I thought that was a great idea for Annalise because Annalise is so damaged, so traumatized that what if she just said, ‘I’m just open to love’? God, think about what we can explore there,” she continued.
On the series, Annalise has dabbled with numerous relationships with men and women. She was married to Sam Keating (Tom Verica) and was also involved with detective Nate Lahey (Billy Brown). She has a flirty relationship with her colleague, Bonnie Winterbottom (Liza Weil) and was in a serious relationship with death row attorney Eve Rothlo (Famke Janssen).
Davis says “I had everything to do with that,” of Keating’s pansexual identity, although she does also credit series creator Pete Nowalk.
“How to Get Away with Murder” airs on Thursdays at 10 p.m. on ABC. You can also catch Davis in “Widows,” directed by Steve McQueen, which hits theaters on Nov. 16.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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