Viola Davis Feels Like She 'Betrayed' Herself & Her 'People' By Starring In The Help

In a time when people are hoping to educate themselves on Black history and experiences, many have turned to watch The Help, the 2011 flick starring Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Emma Stone set in 1960s Mississippi.

However, many online have been outspoken about not turning to such movies which utilize the white savior narrative. Entering the conversation is Miz Davis, who was nominated for Best Actress at the 2011 Academy Awards for her role, and now looks back at the movie in a different light.

But first, take a look at her Vanity Fair cover (below):

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Thrilled to share this cover and interview with @VanityFair. Available now! ・・・ Presenting our July/August cover star: @ViolaDavis. Last month, the Oscar winner took to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd—but she’s no stranger to fighting for what’s right. As a Black woman in Hollywood, she’s spent her career doing it: “My entire life has been a protest,” Davis says. “My production company is my protest. Me not wearing a wig at the Oscars in 2012 was my protest. It is a part of my voice, just like introducing myself to you and saying, ‘Hello, my name is Viola Davis.’” Davis was photographed by @dario.studio—the first Black photographer to shoot a Vanity Fair cover. At the link in bio, Davis speaks with V.F. about her extraordinary journey out of poverty and into the stubbornly unequal Hollywood system. Story by @soniasaraiya Photographed by @dario.studio Styled by @elizabethstewart1 Makeup by @autumnmoultriebeauty Hair by @jamikawilson Coatdress @maxmara Earrings @pomellato ????@vanityfair

A post shared by VIOLA DAVIS (@violadavis) on Jul 14, 2020 at 8:51am PDT

The How To Get Away With Murder star shared:

“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].”

She also added the film was “created in the filter and the cesspool of systemic racism,” and she took the starring role of Aibileen Clark in the hopes it would elevate her career:

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

And while she definitely got recognition for it as well as praise, others saw how the movie portrayed race relations as troubling. Today, the movie is a top viewed film on Netflix, which is likely thanks to an influx of individuals tuning in because of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Despite her feelings of being “betrayed,” she has nothing but love for writer-director Tate Taylor, and the largely female cast:

“I cannot tell you the love I have for these women, and the love they have for me. But with any movie—are people ready for the truth?”

For Davis, she explained movies like The Help do perpetuate a white-savior narrative, and added that “not a lot of narratives are also invested in our humanity.” Viola added:

“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.”

One of the questions the 54-year-old is frequently asked is why she went on to network TV with How To Get Away With Murder if she already had a career in movies. She typically responds:

“I always ask them, What movies? What were those movies? Listen, I got ‘Widows,’ but if I just relied on the Hollywood pipeline… No, there are not those roles.”

What are your thoughts on everything Viola shared, Perezcious movie buffs? You can read more from her HERE. Let us know (below) in the comments.

[Image via WENN/Avalon & DreamWorks Pictures/Reliance Entertainment/Participant Media/Image Nation/1492 Pictures/Harbinger Pictures.]