Viola Davis

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Another event this week was the announcement of the Oscar® nominations. Oprah says if there's any year to tune in to the ceremony, this is it! One nominee she's especially excited about is Viola Davis, who's up for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Doubt as Mrs. Miller, the mother of a child suspected of being abused.

Oprah says she originally wanted to play Mrs. Miller just to have the experience of working with the film's star, Meryl Streep. Director John Patrick Shanley turned her down, but Oprah says he made the right decision. "When I was watching the movie I couldn't wait to see who was going to play the role I really wanted to play. ... I got chills when you first entered the screen," she tells Viola, who's Skyping in to the Oprah Show studio. "You were so brilliant," Oprah says. "I started to cry because I thought, 'Really, the person who deserved it most got this role.'"

Working with as accomplished an actress as Meryl Streep was definitely intimidating, Viola says. "It's like going 15 rounds with Mike Tyson and you have only fought one fight. You're just trying to not let them get the knockout punch," she says. "But I have to tell you that [Meryl] could not have been more generous. She is shocking in her generosity and normalcy and kindness, so she was just the perfect acting partner."

Now that she has an Oscar® nomination under her belt, Viola has a big decision to make—what to wear to the awards ceremony! "I want to be cute, Oprah!" she says. "For some reason, they always break me down in roles. I never get to wear any makeup."