Viola Davis has shared a surprising behind-the-scenes story involving Meryl Streep. The Oscar-winning actress recently opened up about a tense moment on set that was both awkward and hilarious.

Viola Davis talks about Meryl Streep forgetting her lines on Doubt set

Davis recalled the incident while speaking on Amy Poehler’s podcast. The moment happened during the filming of Doubt, where the two actors shared an intense scene.

Davis explained that everything suddenly stalled because someone missed a line, and it took a second to realize who. “At first, I’m looking in her face, nothing. She’s saying nothing, I’m saying nothing,” Davis said. Then it hit her: “Meryl freaking Streep dropped the line.” The scene had to be repeated several times, but the issue kept happening, which made the situation even more awkward for Davis.

Viola Davis admitted the moment got frustrating, but she held back at first. After a pause, she finally spoke up and told Meryl Streep what was off. Streep stayed cool about it and brushed it off with a simple response, asking why Davis had not said anything sooner. “Well, why didn’t you say something?” Streep told Davis.

The 2008 film Doubt featured a strong cast, including Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The movie picked up five Oscar nominations, with both Davis and Streep earning recognition for their performances. Even with limited screen time, Davis made a huge impact. She appeared in just one major scene, but the performance stuck with audiences long after the film ended.

Over the years, Viola Davis and Meryl Streep built a strong friendship. Davis paid tribute to Streep at the Golden Globe Awards 2017. Davis quoted “ You make me feel that what I have in me — my body, my face, my age — is enough. You encapsulate that great Emile Zola quote that, if you ask me as an artist what I came into this world to do, I, an artist, would say, I came to live out loud (via EW).”