Actress Viola Davis says she did not really expect her Emmy Awards victory speech to be so well received by viewers.
The 50-year-old "How to Get Away with Murder" star, who became the first black actress to win Emmy award for best actress in a drama series, gave an impassioned speech celebrating the recent successes of African-American actresses in TV, reported Female First.
"I didn't know how it was landing. I was up there talking. My husband was like, 'I didn't know where you were going with that thing.'
"I think the most surprising thing is the impact it's made on people's lives. That it wasn't just, 'Oh, you made a really good speech.' It really is, it meant a lot in people's lives and kind of transforming them and shifting them just a little bit," she said.
In her speech Davis had praised the likes of her fellow nominee Taraji P Henson and "Scandal" star Kerry Washington.
Washington re-tweeted news of Davis' historic awards win and wrote, "Amen! Best speech of the night (sic).
