The Woman King found her real-life Prince Charming! Viola Davis and Julius Tennon felt an instant spark when they met on the set of City of Angels.
“He was the anesthesiologist, Dr. Holly, and I was Nurse Lannett,” the Woman King star exclusively told Us Weekly in February 2013, remembering how their characters “were passing blood” on the set. “He knew how lonely I was. I was out in L.A. and I hated it and he said, ‘I’ll show you around Los Angeles. I’ll show you around the Santa Monica pier.’ We’ve been together thirteen years, and from the first day, it was magic!”
While Davis’ romance with the film producer continues to bloom after more than two decades together, the How to Get Away With Murder alum was initially wary to accept a date with Tennon after he offered his phone number.
“I remember telling my therapist at the time, ‘I think he’s nice. He’s really cute. But I don’t know. I’m struggling with this, that and the other,’” Davis recalled to the Los Angeles Times in December 2022 after Tennon teased that she did not call him for six weeks. “They say nostalgia isn’t what happened in the past. It’s a story you tell yourself about what happened in the past. So I’m telling myself, ‘This guy may not even be a nice guy. It’s L.A. It’s this. It’s that. Let me just work on my credit.’ Until my therapist told me, ‘Oh, my God, just call the man, Viola! Call. Him.’ And that’s when I stopped making excuses.”
After the Oscar winner finally accepted Tennon’s invitation, they enjoyed a quiet dinner at the Crocodile Cafe in Santa Monica.
“He drove me home in his Nissan Maxima,” Davis told the Los Angeles Times. “Oh, it was so clean. And he drove me to the front curb and he shook my hand. He said I was beautiful and that he’d had such a beautiful time. And he stayed there until I got to the door of my apartment. He was such a gentleman.”
The pair went on to tie the knot in an intimate ceremony in June 2003.
“The first time we got married with 15 people in our condo. It wasn’t big enough,” Davis explained during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in February 2016. “So, three months later, we went to Rhode Island with about 100 people, and everybody said, ‘You know what? The best photos are candid ones.’ We put disposable cameras on every table, sepia-toned [and] black-and-white [ones]. Honey, those kids stomped the hell out of those cameras. They took pictures of the floor, of teeth — there were a lot of toothless people at the second wedding. That’s another story!”
The JuVee cofounders — who renewed their vows in February 2016 — adopted their first child together, daughter Genesis, in October 2011. Genesis is Davis’ first child and Tennon’s third, as he shares two children from a previous relationship. Since welcoming Genesis, the couple have been candid about raising her to be a strong young woman.
“I want her to honor herself, to love herself, to not compromise, to not stop when she makes a mistake and to understand that’s a part of her growth,” the Widows star gushed to Us of motherhood in February 2018. “[I want her to know that] beauty has very little or nothing to with how she looks.”
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Scroll below for Davis and Tennon’s relationship timeline:
Davis played a nurse on the CBS drama City of Angels, while Tennon portrayed an anesthesiologist. After “passing blood” back and forth on set, the Texas native offered his costar his phone number and hoped to go on a date. Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock
The Tony Award winner and Tennon held two wedding ceremonies in 2003 — one in their living room and a second in Rhode Island for their families. Picture Perfect/Shutterstock
After eight years of marriage, the couple launched their own production company. JuVee Productions — a mashup of their two first names — was founded to create enhanced film and TV roles for actors of color. “With all due respect, I did not want to see another narrative where I was crying over my dead son’s body after dying from a drive-by shooting,” Davis said during a June 2022 panel at the Produced By conference. “I see myself as more complicated, and I see all people of color as way more complicated. We were seeking material that honored people who were on the periphery who want to be seen, who want their humanity to be seen fully and completely — and that’s anyone standing on the sideline.” Amanda Schwab/Starpix/Shutterstock
Us confirmed on October 18 that the couple adopted a baby girl, whom they named Genesis. Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock
After Davis became the first Black woman to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress, she highlighted racial inequality in her acceptance speech. However, her moving remarks initially surprised Tennon. “I did want to mark the fact that it was the first African-American to win the lead actress category. So I love that Harriet Tubman quote. I thought it was so progressive,” she recalled on The Ellen DeGeneres Show weeks later. “And I started it and my husband said afterwards, ‘V, I didn’t know where you were going with that. I really didn’t. When you were saying those white women with those arms stretched out over the line, I was like, “What is she doing?!” But when you said Harriet Tubman said it, I was like, “Oh, my God, thank God!”’” Ken Matsui/UPI/Shutterstock
The twosome renewed their wedding vows on Valentine’s Day, instructing all of their guests to wear white ensembles. Broadimage/Shutterstock
“‘I didn't choose you. My heart did.’ To my love. My partner. My very best friend. My cheerleader. My secret keeper. Happy 19th Anniversary! I. Love. You! ❤️❤️❤️,” the Finding Me author wrote via Instagram, sharing a carousel of throwback wedding snaps. Domine Jerome/ABACA/Shutterstock
Davis and Tennon were all smiles as they stepped out at the 13th annual Governor’s Awards in Los Angeles. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
“I knew that I love my husband because he made my life easier,” Davis gushed during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, recalling an early conversation she had with Tennon. “When I said, ‘Julius, I want someone who’s emotionally available.’ He said, ‘Well, I'm emotionally available.’ I said, ‘I know, but I just want someone who's gonna fight with me. Just love me, even with all my faults.’ He said, ‘I love you with all your faults.’ That's when you know you're in love.” She continued: “When someone is willing to go through the mess, and someone who's willing to honor the boundaries, and someone who just thinks you're beautiful.” Youtube
The Fences actress, Tennon and Genesis rang in the new year at home with pup Bailey. Courtesy of Viola Davis/Instagram
The couple had a date night at the NAACP Image Awards, where Davis picked up an Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture trophy for her role in The Woman King. Soul Brother/Soul B Photos/Shutterstock
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