The Help is currently the number one movie on Netflix and people are trying to convince viewers to not watch the film – a movie that Viola Davis admits she regrets doing.
Amid the protests around the country following the death of George Floyd, more and more people are streaming the movie and now it’s the most-watched film on Netflix.
The 2011 movie was a big hit at the box office and was even nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, but people are pointing out that it’s a “racial reconciliation” movie and there are other movies about race issues that are more appropriate to watch right now.
In a 2018 interview with The New York Times, Viola explained that she regrets starring in the film. She was asked if she ever passed on a role and regretted it. She replied, “Almost a better question is, have I ever done roles that I’ve regretted? I have, and The Help is on that list.”
“But not in terms of the experience and the people involved because they were all great. The friendships that I formed are ones that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. I had a great experience with these other actresses, who are extraordinary human beings. And I could not ask for a better collaborator than Tate Taylor,” she added. “I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard. I know Aibileen. I know Minny. They’re my grandma. They’re my mom. And I know that if you do a movie where the whole premise is, I want to know what it feels like to work for white people and to bring up children in 1963, I want to hear how you really feel about it. I never heard that in the course of the movie.”
For her performance in the movie, Viola was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award. She also won two SAG Awards, a BET Award, and two Critics’ Choice Awards.
