Viola Davis says turning 60 changed what matters most to her

• Viola Davis says turning 60 allowed her to let go of expectations she once felt pressured to meet.
• "In your 60s, your life is yours. That's the best part of it," she said.
• The actor said she's now focused on her loved ones and the legacy she'll leave behind.

Viola Davis says turning 60 gave her a new kind of freedom.

Speaking on Tuesday's episode of "Good Hang with Amy Poehler," Davis shared how aging has shifted her priorities and helped her let go of what no longer serves her.

"In your 60s, your life is yours. That's the best part of it. Your life is yours," Davis told podcast host Amy Poehler.

She said her perspective has also been influenced by a quote that's stuck with her.

"'The definition of hell is: Your last day on earth, who you became meets the person you could have become.' I feel that that's 60s, man," Davis said.

The "How to Get Away with Murder" star said that realization now shapes how she approaches this next stage of her life.

"The 60s is, I'm going to become that woman, because all that bullshit that I was told in the past that, you know, I had to make a certain amount of money or be smart enough or pretty enough or thin enough or whatever, none of that stuff means shit," Davis said.

"My life right now is about who I love, who loves me, and what I leave behind. That's it. It is clean. And it's given me a certain level of bravery, too," she added.

Davis, who turned 60 in August 2025, has previously spoken about the clarity she's gained in this stage of life.

She told E! News that month that she'd spent years feeling pressured to meet certain expectations.

"Now, I just let it all go," Davis said. "I had an 'Aha!' moment, which is, I'm just supposed to be here in the now, and I did good."

Davis isn't the only woman in Hollywood to speak about how pivotal turning 60 can be.

Jane Fonda said entering her 60s helped her realize she didn't want to die with regrets.

"That was an important realization for me, because if you don't want to die with regrets, then you have to live the last part of your life in such a way that there won't be any regrets," Fonda said.

Jodie Foster said turning 60 helped her find clarity after a period in her 50s when she felt she was falling short of her own expectations.

"I turned 60," Foster said, "and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. Everything changed. I was like, 'Yeah, I don't care. I'm no longer tortured by any of this. I don't know why I seemed to care so much.'"