Viola Davis had doubts about Help role

Viola Davis had “trepidations” before signing onto upcoming film The Help.

The American actress is Aibileen in the movie, which is based on the book by Kathryn Stockett. It’s set in Mississippi in the 1960s and follows aspiring journalist Skeeter Phelan as she writes a book about how African American maids are treated in white households.

Viola, who is famed for her roles in Traffic, Solaris, and Doubt, plays one of the women who works as a housekeeper and admits to having reservations before accepting the role.

Despite having doubts about being typecast in the movie, the 45-year-old actress put them aside to tackle the coveted role.

“Of course I had trepidations. Why did I have to play the mammy?” she mused in an interview with Essence magazine.

“But what do you do as an actor if one of the most multifaceted and rich roles you’ve ever been given is a maid in 1962 Mississippi? Do you not take the role because you feel like in some ways it’s not a good message to send to Black people? No. The message is the quality of the work. That is a greater message.”

Viola admits that it has taken years to reach such levels of self-worth. The star, who consulted preachers and therapists to feel comfortable in her skin, is proud of achieving success in Hollywood through adversity.

“I’ve done it all. It’s important because we hold it all in until it implodes,” she revealed.

“As Black women, we’re always given these seemingly devastating experiences – experiences that could absolutely break us. But what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the butterfly.

“What we do as Black women is take the worst situations and create from that point.”

The Help also stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Sissy Spacek and Octavia Spencer and is due for release worldwide from next month.