Viola Davis Recalls First Date with Husband Julius Tennon 23 Years Ago: 'He Was Such a Gentleman'

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Viola Davis and Julius Tennon are reflecting on their first date 23 years later.

The Oscar-winning actress, 57, and her producer husband, 69, spoke to the Los Angeles Times about The Woman King and what makes their personal and professional partnerships so special. The pair — who wed in 2003 and share 12-year-old daughter Genesis — started the production company JuVee Productions together back in 2011.

Tennon impressed Davis with his "Texas hospitality" from day one: On their first date, the Austin native took her to the Crocodile Cafe in Santa Monica, Calif. "You said you loved the bread basket!" Davis recalled. He added, "Oh, yeah ... the bread was fresh and good."

Afterward, he drover her home in his "new" Nissan Maxima, which Davis remembers being "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," Davis recalled. "And he stayed there until I got to the door of my apartment. He was such a gentleman."

RELATED: Viola Davis Prayed for Husband Julius Tennon Before Meeting Him: 'I Said I Want a Big Black Man'

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The couple initially met on set of the CBS series City of Angels, but it took six weeks for Davis to finally call her future husband.

"Let me tell you ... at the time I had a 500 credit score. I couldn't get a credit card. I couldn't get a rental car. Sometimes I'd take the bus or I had to walk. I was so stressed out," Davis explained of her situation at the time. "When I got these 10 episodes of City of Angels, I couldn't stay in the apartment I had because it was $2,500 a month. I ran out of money."

She continued: "My anxiety was so overwhelming, and I felt like I wouldn't be attractive to anyone, a 34-year-old woman running around on a bus. Listen, when I met him I had 99-cent sheets. ..."

"It was like sleeping on razor blades," Tennon teased.

Davis said she consulted her therapist on whether she should pursue a relationship with Tennon, ultimately reaching out to him.

RELATED VIDEO: Viola Davis on Why She's Grateful for Husband Julius Tennon: He "Has My Back"

"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.' 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."

Said Tennon: "My mom always told me that when you meet a girl, you don't ask for her phone number. Give her your phone number. And If she's interested, she'll call you. So I always followed that advice because even when my mom was wrong, she was right. So when Viola did call after six weeks, it was a surprise."

"I was shocked you remembered me!" said Davis, as Tennon replied, "Well, of course I would remember you. I was like, 'Hey, what's happening?' "

The Woman King is now available to rent or own on VOD and Blu-ray.