Viola Davis Uses Crisco to Keep Her Bunions at Bay

As a woman who frequently battles ash, I secretly wondered how Viola Davis keeps her mahogany skin glistening on the red carpet. Really, not a dry elbow in sight! Then, she revealed her secret beauty weapon on The Ellen DeGeneres Show: it's Crisco. The white vegetable shortening (and Deep South kitchen staple) is the key to fluffy biscuits; crispy, golden fried chicken; and, apparently, bunion relief.

Viola told Ellen DeGeneres that she used the white, lard-like substance on her feet right before the SAG Awards, where she won outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama. "The next thought I had when they announced my name was 'OK, this is it. I'm going to fall flat on my face because of my bunion,'" she said. "I've got a bunion on my right foot. So before the awards, I said, just in case something happens . . . I told my husband to go to the store and get a can of Crisco." Viola massages the salve into her toes to reduce friction and soothe dry skin. Excuse me while I reach into the cupboard for that signature blue can.