Viola Davis says ‘The Help’ is ‘missed opportunity’
Los Angeles: Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis says she considers “The Help” to be a “missed opportunity”.
“Listen, ‘The Help’ changed my life in a lot of different ways. First of all, the friendships that I got – that experience is something I know I’ll never have again. And Tate (Taylor, the director) is a great collaborator,” Davis told theguardian.com.
The actress, who played the part of Aibileen Clark, one of the maids, added: “I don’t want them to feel that I am blasting them in any way. It has nothing to do with the players.”
Instead, she feels uncomfortable that the story is largely told from the viewpoint of a white woman.
“It has something to do with the culture – that I don’t feel that people want to see, want to hear that voice in that time period. Because what it will become is an indictment, and it shouldn’t be. I look back at that movie as a missed opportunity.”
The film is set during the Civil Rights movement and Davis feels it was “just too filtered down”.
The acclaimed actress wishes “The Help”, based on a 2009 novel of the same name by Kathryn Stockett, would have presented a more well-rounded version of history.
