viola davis regrets playing maid in ‘the help’

Much has changed for Viola Davis and culture since her performance as Aibileen Clark in the 2011 film, The Help. And the Academy Award-winning actresses got real about her feelings on playing a Jim Crow-era maid in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi. Answering reader questions in the New York Times, Davis said she had “passed on a lot of roles” over the years, and revealed that there are a few roles she regrets taking in the first place.

“As I’m growing older, I pass on roles because of my experience of knowing once the movie’s out, I’m going to have to promote it. And I don’t want to promote anything that I don’t believe in,” Davis said.

“Almost a better question is, have I ever done roles that I’ve regretted? I have, and The Help is on that list,” she said, perhaps surprising its fans. “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.”

What are your thinks on The Help, in hindsight?