Viola Davis explains why actors have a 95% unemployment rate

There are a few things to unpack here. First, I must confess that I didn't enjoy The Woman King. Let's get that out of the way first.

However, I respect Viola as a talented actress and hard working woman.

The reason I felt the need to make this video is because during my time in Los Angeles, I saw quite a few very talented black people begging for opportunities, waiting for their next gig, and working 12 hours a day in order to work for free.

All of this was surprising to me given how talented and disciplined actors can be.

So, when I speak to my daughter about her acting career, we talk about what it means to approach the business as a boss vs coming in as a worker.

A top down approach involves starting your own business, having side streams of income, earning independent wealth that doesn't depend on your next acting gig, etc. Basically, it means having a financial plan that doesn't involve waiting for someone to come save you.

This is no disrespect to my hard working friends in Hollywood, they are amazing at what they do. I'm just saddened to see some of our most talented people begging for opportunities in a world where we can make opportunities of our own.

You can watch Viola's speech here and also see my response.

Dr Boyce Watkins is a Finance PhD and founder of The Black Business School. You can learn more by visiting BoyceWatkins.com.