Actress Viola Davis reflects on her character in The Help almost 10 years after its release, reiterating that she regrets taking the role. The film was written and directed by Tate Taylor and based on Kathryn Stockett's novel of the same name. In it, Davis stars as Aibileen Clark, a Black maid in Mississippi working for a white family during the Civil Rights Movement. Clark, along with her fellow maids, entrusts the help of white journalist Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone) to tell her story.
The Help was unabashedly popular during its initial 2011 release. In retrospect, many now view the book and movie as indicative of American's reductive notion of racism and obsession with stories plagued by the white savior complex. In a 2018 interview with the New York Times, Davis agreed with those critics, itting that she regrets taking a role in the film. This past June, however, The Help became most streamed movie on Netflix amid this summer's Black Lives Matter protests, renewing not only its popularity but the criticism surrounding the film. Now, Davis has reaffirmed her stance about her role.
In a recent profile released in Vanity Fair, Davis revealed that she still regrets accepting the role. “There’s a part of me that feels like I betrayed myself, and my people, because I was in a movie that wasn’t ready to [tell the whole truth],” Davis explained, adding that the film was created in Hollywood's "filter and... cesspool of systemic racism." The oversimplified race relations in the narrative, Davis feels, are not rooted in people of color's humanity. "They’re invested in the idea of what it means to be Black, but… it’s catering to the white audience."
Despite reaffirming her qualms with the flick, Davis was adamant not to bash writer-director Tate or her fellow female costars. “I cannot tell you the love I have for these women, and the love they have for me,” she added. The Help first entered the conversation as the interview veered towards Black actresses' opportunities in the industry - or, more accurately, the lack thereof. Davis expressed frustration with the early years of her career, during which she had won a Tony and been nominated for an Oscar but still struggled to land a breakout role. Taking The Help, she thought, would give her the platform to "pop." Unfortunately, it didn't, and she wound up playing Annalise Keating on How To Get Away With Murder for six seasons (a role which ultimately did win her the Emmy for lead actress in a drama in 2015 - making her the first Black woman to do so).
Although Davis makes an astute and accurate point, she has since managed to land some leading lady slots, including 2018's the Showtime series First Ladies, in which Davis will portray Michelle Obama. Though her production company could be seen as a small step, it's a step in the right direction, and one that Davis hopes will provide young Black actresses a platform on which they can "pop" without having to take films like The Help.
Source: Vanity Fair
