The meaning of life according to Viola Davis? To make a difference in the life of a child.
So she says in a clip from her latest movie, Won't Back Down, now out on Blu-ray. The special features section of the DVD has this exclusive interview with the stars of Won't Back Down, reflecting on the importance of a great teacher in a child's life.
When a child comes from a desperate background, Davis explains, it just takes one person to help them get through it.
That person could be a teacher and touch many lives, says Davis, making the difference "between them just sinking into the ground and dreaming big, and flying."
Davis' co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal points out that different teachers connect with different students to push them and "make [them] grow up."
Won't Back Down— inspired by real-life stories of California parents who tried to use the law to let them take over failing schools — centers on a single working mom, Jamie Fitzpatrick , who worries that her daughter's elementary school is letting her down.
Fitzpatrick joins up with a warm-hearted teacher , who's worried about her own son's schooling, and the pair strives to bring their school into line.
Won't Back Down was released on Blu-ray and DVD Jan. 15.