Viola Davis Regrets Being In “The Help”

Viola Davis Regrets Being In “The Help”

Viola Davis wishes that she wasn’t in The Help. She was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Aibileen Clark.

Presenting our July/August cover star: @ViolaDavis. The Oscar winner—who’s set to star as Michelle Obama and blues legend Ma Rainey—talks to @SoniaSaraiya about her journey out of poverty and into the deeply troubling Hollywood system. https://t.co/NKm0nGeSbP pic.twitter.com/8QlGbh3OTS

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) July 14, 2020

In a Vanity Fair interview, Davis said The Help was “created in the filter and the cesspool of systemic racism.”

She continued saying, “Not a lot of narratives are also invested in our humanity. They’re invested in the idea of what it means to be Black, but … it’s catering to the white audience.”
Davis went on to say, “There’s no one who’s not entertained by The Help. But 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).”

After George Floyd was killed, @ViolaDavis took to the streets of L.A. to protest police violence with loved ones. Her sign read AHMAUD ARBERY. “We got a few [middle] fingers," she said. "But this was the first time the fingers did not bother me.” https://t.co/izJBKTFrt7

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) July 14, 2020

Do you appreciate her honesty? Do you think the movie helped put light on stories we hadn’t heard? Will more creators have the chance to fully express their visions on screen now?

The cover issue will be out July 21st.