“I Betrayed Myself” Why Viola Davis Regrets Her Oscar-Nominated Role In This $216 Million Box Office Hit

Even though The Help was a critical and commercial success, star Viola Davis has expressed her regret over starring in The Help. As per Vanity Fair, Davis expressed her regret over starring in the Oscar-winning drama that saw her along with co-star Octavia Spencer as maids to affluent White women during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. With star Jessica Chastain interested in The Help 2, the controversial movie could see a theatrical continuation, which would only reignite Davis’s concerns regarding the depictions of race and people of color in Hollywood.

Through The Help‘s cast and characters, racism is analyzed in a way that, while well-meaning, also received criticism from many Black critics for oversimplifying issues pertaining to race in America. Furthermore, The Help‘s reliance on outdated tropes and stereotypes has contributed to the movie aging poorly throughout the years. As such, The Help has developed a reputation as one of the most polarizing movies of the 2010s, despite its box-office success and critical acclaim. Although Davis received praise for her work in The Help, her concerns regarding the movie’s impact and success are valid.

Viola Davis Believes The Help’s Story Catered To A White Audience

The Help’s oversimplified solutions to solving racism cater more to White audiences than to people of color.

Based on the 2009 Kathryn Stockett novel of the same name, The Help centers around an optimistic White novelist named Eugenia who decides to write a book about race relations in America through the perspective of the Black maids who work for various affluent White families during the ’60s. While Eugenia’s heart is in the right place, and her work eventually helps illuminate issues that many White Americans were comfortable ignoring, Eugenia’s efforts still highlight an even bigger issue that many Black people of the day and even today still face when tackling matters of race.

While Eugenia’s work is a conduit for Black voices to be heard regarding their mistreatment by White Americans, it ultimately falls prey to silencing Black voices in favor of amplifying White ones. The Help unintentionally yet essentially tells its Black audience that if they’re enduring mistreatment rooted in race, not to worry because a White person will eventually solve their problems for them. Not only does this narrative approach not work for many Black audiences, as it caters too much to absolving White people of the true horror of racism, but it also leans heavily into the White Savior trope.

The Help’s “White Savior” Controversy Explained

The White Savior narrative has been seen in plenty of Academy Award-winning dramas.

Also known as the White Savior Complex, the White Savior trope is a writing technique that sees its often intelligent, successful, and courageous White protagonists go out of their way to rescue people of color from their problems in unbelievably simplistic ways. In addition to saving people of color from all of their issues, the White Saviors generally never have to deal with the reality that people of color endure, and the movies prominently featuring the trope end on an unrealistically positive note. Some notable examples of White Savior movies include Driving Miss Daisy, Dangerous Minds, and Freedom Writers.

Due to the genuinely strong performances of its leads, The Help handles the trope a little better than most other movies that feature it. However, it still plays into the idea that if Black people are struggling to overcome a monumental amount of adversity, they can’t overcome it without the express help and concern of White people. The White Savior trope is also problematic because it absolves oppressive forces of wrongdoing by presenting simple answers to complex and nuanced issues. While The Help enjoyed praise from critics and made a lot of money, its reputation has diminished through the years.

Why The Help Has Aged So Badly, 13 Years Later

The Help’s exercise in White Savior and Magical Negro tropes doesn’t hold up as well 13 years later.

The Help doesn’t hold up as well 13 years after its theatrical release because of the ever-growing racial tensions in the United States. With increased instances of police brutality against people of color, especially Black people, and issues of discrimination in the workforce still making news headlines, The Help‘s simplified approach to making the world a better place just doesn’t work for most people. While race relations across all nations have improved, there are still many issues that plague society, and when it comes to Hollywood, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Despite Davis’s lauded performance in The Help, it still didn’t do much in the way of advancing her career. While Spencer would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Help, it speaks to an oft-neglected concern regarding the quality of roles Black actors and actresses receive critical acclaim for. The Help also doesn’t hold up as well today, because audiences have grown accustomed to stronger Black representation in the mainstream, as demonstrated by John Boyega’s performance in Star Wars and the success of Black Panther.