Regret About "The Help" as told by Viola Davis – Variety

Viola Davis revealed that she had regrets about one of her Oscar nominated roles.

"Have I ever played roles that I regret? I have, and help is on this list, "said Viola Davis at the New York Times at the Toronto Film Festival on Tuesday. As part of a series of questions submitted by readers of The Times, Davis shared personal ruminations about his career, including the constant pressure of being a glimmer of hope for women of color . "It has been difficult to be a model and take over when you struggle in your own life," she said, but "I choose to be the leader."

What weighs on her conscience, she says, is her role in "The Help," which has been criticized for over-crediting white women for improving their race relations, rather than putting more emphasis on black heroes. like the character of Davis Aibileen.

A question from a Chicago woman, who wondered if Davis had ever regretted having shot a Burt Reynolds by passing on to her a vital role, became a platform for Davis to discuss his thoughts on "The Help".

"I just felt that at the end of the day it was not the voices of the maids that were heard," she said. "I know Aibileen. I know Minny. They are my grandmother. They are my mother. And I know that if you make a film where everything is done, I want to know what it's like to work for whites and raise children in 1963, I want to know what you really think. I have never heard that during the movie.

She was however convinced that it was a good experience and that she always thought of all those with whom she was working.

"The friendships I've formed are the ones I'm going to have for the rest of my life," she told The Times. "I've had great experience with these other actresses, who are extraordinary human beings. And I could not ask for a better collaborator than [director] Tate Taylor.