Viola Davis had a "chip on her shoulder" growing up.
The ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ star felt her "voice as an artist was being stifled" when she attended Juilliard.
Speaking as she collected the 2017 Artist of the Year award during Harvard’s Cultural Rhythms Festival, she said: "I spent so many years at Juilliard just wanting to beat somebody up. I think it was the height of my anger; that chip on my shoulder.
"I’m still trying to take care of that chip on my shoulder, by the way. It was mainly because I felt my voice as an artist was being stifled."
Meanwhile, the 51-year-old actress previously admitted she "fears" her daughter Genesis will grow up to be "entitled".
She said: "You just listed my number one fear, which is entitlement. I never had a house; I do shop at Target, I buy all her clothes at Target or H&M. And maybe, if I’m feeling really good, Nordstrom Rack."
And Viola says her husband Julius Tennon helps her keep Genesis grounded as he always "holds her accountable" for the things she does.
She added: "Julius is really tough. He has two beautiful children and seven grandkids. I came into a relationship where he already had children and grandchildren and raised his kids on his own, so he’s tough — he toes the line, but in a very loving way.
"He holds her accountable. Me, not so much — I’m the softie. Really, entitlement. Listen, there are poor kids who are entitled. So I pray."
And Viola decided to have a child with her husband because she wanted her life to "mean something deeper".
She shared: "I wanted my life to mean and be something deeper. That’s when the urge came, and the urge was just very, very, very, strong. So I have a kid now and she is just the light of our lives."