Yes she is, however this isn't an argument against being a xSFJ (still not certain on the Introversion/Extroversion)
There's so much Si in the way she speaks. It's weighty, but with a strong sense of precedence and keen awareness for detail. She often has an eye on the past and where everything lies within the context of who and what has come before. She very comparative when she speaks, which is often a sign of Si-Ne (or Ne-Si).
Some examples from
this interview:
ehh i think you're missing the forest for the trees. first off, i'm sure that if i were famous and someone analyzed my quotes, they could find a lot of Fe or something. because viola had such a rough upbringing, of course she's keenly aware of the past and how it made her who she is. i don't think that's clearly strong Si as much as... common sense? something she's in awe of because her background is so traumatic and it's unbelievable she made it this far? she's also verrrryyy into metaphors... i was watching an interview awhile ago and she was talking about how she had to run this race against this bully, and she didn't wear any shoes and it was a metaphor for how in life, you have to run the same race regardless of what you're equipped with. also, when you're a black woman in hollywood, you're very aware of the past and how things have changed and how they haven't. because that's very much a part of your day to day reality. she feels like she has a responsibility to make her black background known and understood, and she has said repeatedly that she wants to get ahead so she can bring other black actors up with her. she shares her story so that in hollywood, which is obviously incredibly white, her story and the black story is heard. sometimes, in typing, it's not what someone says, but how and why.
fact of the matter is, she's an incredibly cerebral, introspective, intense and insightful woman. she's an abstract thinker as well. i cannot possibly imagine her as ESFJ... i know this sounds ridiculous, but i'm almost always accurate at typing people. i've typed my friends, family, strangers correctly. different types just have a different energy to them. viola is wayyyy too introspective and profound in a larger sense to be ESFJ. nothing against ESFJs... they just don't have that deep gravitas and human insight like viola does. li understand why the taking quotes out of interviews is done, but it can be kinda like cherrypicking + the reason for the interview and the questions she was asked that prompted the answers etc largely go unconsidered. just watching her over the years, i get a really strong sense she's INFJ. she operates similarly to meryl, who is profound and meticulous yet intuitive in the same way, and is also INFJ. there are many many INFJ actors (in fact, the most lauded actors do tend to be INFJ) and they all have that similar emotionally intense yet guarded in a professional way, and kind of cultivated persona, not totally raw and off in their own worlds like many INFPs. she has stated that she can get pretty cynical, as well.
again, i don't think those quotes, considering her background, her mission, and what she's constantly asked in interviews, indicate a preference for certain functions over others. the quote about going to juilliard coujld also be Fe, because she needs to feel accepted as an actor within the acting community. the discussion of her background is not necessarily ESFJ Si because she is constantly asked about it in basically every interview, feels a need to tell her story to share and not tone down her black experience for hollywood, for the benefit of all black actors. i think INFJs are still quite aware of trauma in their background and how it affects them... it's not like they're blind to it + never consider the past. and the housekeeper line doesn't really tell anything to me... i don't think any introspective black actor wants to play the same diminuitive and stereotypical roles over and over again---especially someone who wants all black actors to have a shot at playing non-stereotypical, regular, complex human beings. for people to type others well, there needs to be this perceptive ability to understand the larger picture of the person... and so often i see people analyze someone from a few quotes and read one function so much into it. by telling her story, she engages others; we have to bear witness to the stories of people who didn't have shoes, you know?
