Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, the film The Help explores the troubling race relations of that era and how the courage to speak out can change lives. Oscar-nominated actress Viola Davis shares her thoughts on filming in Mississippi and humanizing her character, Aibileen.–amir shaw
There are funny moments in The Help, but it’s also racially charged. Was it difficult to remove personal feelings when dealing with those uneasy scenes?
I’ve always had a problem with race-related plays and movies. While filming, I feel overwhelming anger. I don’t like to take that home with me. But I decided to do this film, so I try to make peace with it in my life everyday. The playing field is still not leveled, so I bring that to my character. If I can play this character to the best of my ability, her experiences will be illuminated.
Were there any challenges with making sure that your character was not presented in a stereotypical manner?
When I read the book, I thought it was fabulous. But the one thing that I will not give up to anyone is that you can’t describe to me how a black woman looks and who she really is. I know these women. They are my mother, aunts and people who I grew up with. I have a different opinion of how I saw them. For me, I could step on the set and bring an experience that the director, Tate Taylor, can’t bring as a white man growing up in the south. You can’t tell me what Aibileen should look like. The first woman that was beautiful to me was my aunt Joyce. She was stout, but she was stylish and beautiful.
What stuck out most about filming in Mississippi?
We filmed near the Tallahatchie River where Emmett Till’s body was found six miles down the river. You feel the ghost of the past from that city. There was a level of hatred and you still feel the remnants of that and you see it. In Baptist town, which is an all-black community, they have an 85 percent unemployment rate. They have had only one high school graduate in last five years. You see how that past has affected the present.
What do you want people to get from the film The Help?
I want people to be entertained and see the larger issue. Sometimes in movies, they want to present a white savior. But in any great relationship, you save each other. You save each other from yourselves. That’s the beauty of coming together. You never see these kind of relationships in movies.
