Viola Davis wants to be honest with her daughter.

The 'How To Get Away with Murder' star has eight-year-old Genesis with her husband Julius Tennon, and has said she doesn't want to hide anything from her daughter, as she's often open with her about the way the world works.

Viola says she talks about her own upbringing - which saw her struggle with poverty - with Genesis, and reminds her she will definitely ''make some big old mistakes'' in her life.

She said: ''I empower her to understand that she has to count it all as joy. Even her mistakes, her failures, her triumphs, what she looks like, all of it. That's all a part of her loving herself, even if none of those things change.

''I feel like I'm the mom who has the courage to share her story with her daughter.

''I tell her that she's going to make some big old mistakes, and that Mommy is not going to have the answers, and sometimes you're not either. I'm the mom who says, 'You're good enough wherever you are, but there's going to be times when you don't feel good enough.' I'm not the mom who's just going to tell her a bunch of lies about life, because I want her to be the best woman in the room.''

The 'Widows' star, 54, also makes sure Genesis knows where true beauty comes from.

She added: ''[I tell her] that beauty is from within. I mean, we've got to get past physical beauty, selfies, even though of course I've taken a selfie in my day. But I always say, 'Genesis, your heart and your head are the two most important parts of you.' The physical falls away. The things that you can take with you that really are of value have nothing to do with the physical. And she knows that.''

And Viola keeps her daughter grounded by giving her responsibilities around the house.

The 'Suicide Squad' actress explained to People magazine: ''I make her clean her room, take care of her fish. I don't shelter her. I just tell her she's worth it. Even if I'm combing her hair, and she's crying. ... She does not have to be a perfect little girl. There's no such thing. It's okay to be vulnerable, and there's strength in vulnerability.''