‘HTGAWM’ Star Viola Davis is ‘Grateful’ for Broadcast TV Restrictions

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! a week after her historic Emmy victory, How to Get Away with Murder star Viola Davis channeled the title of the late, great kids’ show You Can’t Do That on Television. “There’s so much you can’t do on network [television],” said Davis, whose hit series airs on ABC. “Even with the sex, you can’t show the thigh, you can’t show the breasts. Which I’m grateful for, by the way! I said, ‘The only thing you can show on me is my feet!’”

What Davis can do is fake her through scenes where she doesn’t know her lines. “I go, ‘This is not working for me,’” she told Kimmel. “I learned that at Juilliard!” The other option when you can’t navigate your way through a scene? Blame Meryl Streep. While shooting the 2008 film, Doubt, together, Davis said that the Oscar-winning movie legend kept missing one specific line over and over throwing her co-star off her game. As the flubbed takes mounted, the director asked what was going on and Davis admits that she totally sold Streep out. Clearly, Streep needs to guest on HTGAWM so she can return the favor.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on ABC