Viola Davis: My Daughter Genesis, 2, "Slaps" Boys Who Try to Kiss Her

USMagazine, Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 5:30am (PDT)

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon are raising quite a firecracker!

At the Rape Treatment Center's annual fundraising brunch in Beverly Hills October 14, Davis chatted with Us Weekly about the values she and her husband are teaching their daughter, Genesis, 2.

"It's like that book, 'I like myself because I'm me. There's no one else I'd rather be,'" the Won't Back Down actress, 47, explained of Karen Beaumon's children's story, I Like Myself. "I'm starting early to instill in her a strong sense and love of self, which wasn't given to me."

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And so far, it's working! "When she plays with the little boys who want to kiss her, she's slaps them and say, 'No!'" Davis said of her daughter, whom she adopted one year ago. "So that's good!"

Married to Tennon since 2003, Davis couldn't help but gush about her little girl. "She loves telling people her name," the Academy Award nominee shared. "It's a big one because at first she didn't do that. She's 2, so now when people say, 'What is your name?' she says, 'My name is Genesis!' And she screams it! She's proud of her name!"

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Davis -- whose next film, Beautiful Creatures, is in theaters February 13, 2013 -- also spoke about her desire to team up with Meryl Streep, 63, on the big screen. (The Help's Davis lost the Academy Award for Best Actress to The Iron Lady's Streep in 2012.)

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"I feel like I did that scene with her in [2008's] Doubt, but I keep telling her, 'We need to do something fun together. Like a fun road buddy comedy!' No one has ever seen that -- the black chick and the white chick kind of on the road together just having a good time!" the actress laughed. "She's so busy. We'll see how it sinks in."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Viola Davis: My Daughter Genesis, 2, "Slaps" Boys Who Try to Kiss Her