Addressing recent controversy over the lack of Oscar nominations for people of color, Davis made her comments backstage to reporters shortly after winning the 2016 Screen Actors Guild Award as Best Actress in a TV Drama for "How to Get Away With Murder."

She said, "We’ve become a society of trending topics," but "diversity is not a trending topic, it’s just not. I've always considered myself an actor since I got my Equity card in 1988. I've never put any limitations on myself. I can play any character in Chekhov and Shakespeare and Miller and August Wilson."

She added, "All of the actors of color that I know don’t place any limitations on themselves either, so regardless of what is going on with the Academy, regardless what is going on with Hollywood, they will find a way to be excellent. We always have and we always will."

Davis has appeared on Broadway three times, each time in a play by August Wilson. She won the 2010 Tony as Best Leading Actress in a Play for her performance in Fences, won Best Featured Actress in a Play for King Hedley II and was nominated as Best Featured Actress in a Play for Seven Guitars.

Watch her speech here:  

"Diversity is not a trending topic" - @violadavis backstage at the #SAGAwards https://t.co/cHWfimk3zL

— Variety (@Variety) January 31, 2016