Viola Davis happily threw Meryl Streep under the bus when the legendary actress kept forgetting her lines while shooting Doubt.
The two stars teamed up for the 2008 movie, which was about a priest who was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a boy.
Viola and Meryl shot many scenes together, some of which went better than others.
"There's been a situation where I have not known my lines," Viola told US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. "The most prominent situation was when I was doing Doubt and Meryl Streep kept screwing up one line. She just completely forgot it. And how do you tell Meryl Streep that she's forgotten her line' You do it telepathically. We just screwed up the scene again and again and again and the director was like, 'Why is it not working' I said, 'Because she forgot her line!'"
Viola was only joking, not least because she was in awe of Meryl when they worked together.
Since then the actress has become better known, and she now finds some younger stars get nervous around her on set. She tries to allay their anxiety by explaining to them that if anyone is going to make an error with the script it'll likely be her. They never believe her though - until she does mess up.
"People always ask me, 'So how did the scene go Viola' How was so-and-so in the scene'" she added. "I'm not looking at so-and-so, I'm worried about me. It's about me, it's always about me."
Viola is currently on a high after winning the best drama series actress at the Emmy Awards in September (15), marking the first time a black star had received the gong. She gave an impassioned speech, stating that there aren't enough meaty roles around for women of colour.
The following day she was back shooting How to Get Away with Murder, the programme which won her the accolade.
"It is (a big thing to have won) because there is so much you can't do on network (TV), even with the sex," she explained. "I mean you can't show the thigh, you can't show the breast - which I'm grateful for by the way, I say, 'The only thing you can show on me is my feet.'"
