Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis sat before an audience of almost 1,500 people Thursday as a part of UK’s SpeakBlue series put on by the Student Activities Board. Interviewed by Dr. Beth Barnes, professor of integrated strategic communication at UK, Davis spoke with honesty about her life, inspiration and Hollywood.

Though Davis said she is not much like her character, law professor Annalise Keating, in the television drama “How To Get Away With Murder,” she spoke with a wisdom that mirrored many of her teaching moments onscreen.

“Find out what gets you up in the morning,” Davis said. “It’s (more) important to find your bliss, your passion than to settle into something.”

Davis said her inspiration came from many actresses, but she admires Cicely Tyson most for her craft. But most importantly, “She looked like me,” Davis said.

Davis did not stray away from the tough topics, and said that art was neglected in education when “it should be at the forefront.”

She said Hollywood’s writers were maligning issues they did not understand and had never lived through.

Theater junior Curtis Lipsey said he agreed with the importance of diversifying the storylines to include realistic interpretations, which comes with diversifying Hollywood’s pool of writers, directors and actors.

“We have multicultural families and all this (diversity)…I love this idea that art should reflect what you’re going through, what’s happening now because that’s the job of the artist,” Lipsey said.

Throughout the conversation, audience members had their phones out live-tweeting using the hashtag #SpeakBlue to send questions for Davis to answer in the last part of the series segment. Some questions lead to lighthearted answers, like what was Davis’ favorite song from Beyonce’s newest album “Lemonade,” which she said was “Freedom,” and if she was a Kentucky Basketball fan. Others pressed for guidance — for young actors, for black women in acting and for students just trying to make it.

“I think what was so magnificent about the experience was that as an artist and as a woman, and more specifically as a black woman, Viola’s words transcended a lot of barriers in that room tonight,” merchandising, apparel and textiles junior Jared Guillaume said.

Davis concluded with one piece of advice. “Go for it. Dive afraid,” Davis said. “Don’t wait for the perfect moment…(Something) I tell my daughter: don’t compare your life to anyone else’s.”