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Viola Davis Feels Like She 'Betrayed' Herself by Starring in 'The Help'

Viola Davis Feels Like She 'Betrayed' Herself by Starring in 'The Help'

Viola Davis is continuing to explain why she regrets taking on the role of Aibileen Clark in The Help.

During a new interview with Vanity Fair, the 54-year-old Oscar winner said that she took the role just because she was “hoping to pop.”

“I was that journeyman actor, trying to get in,” Viola shared.

“I cannot tell you the love I have for these women, and the love they have for me,” Viola said, referring to director-writer Tate Taylor and her cast. “But with any movie—are people ready for the truth?”

Viola then explained that many movies only cater to white audiences.

“Not a lot of narratives are also invested in our humanity,” Viola explained. “They’re invested in the idea of what it means to be Black, but…it’s catering to the white audience. The white audience at the most can sit and get an academic lesson into how we are. Then they leave the movie theater and they talk about what it meant. They’re not moved by who we were.”

Viola then said that she feels like she “betrayed” herself by starring in The Help.

“There’s no one who’s not entertained by The Help,” Viola said. “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].”

This isn’t the first time Viola has talked about her regret for taking on her role in The Help. Back in a 2018 interview, Viola said the movie didn’t let the voices of the maids be heard.

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Posted to: Viola Davis