Viola Davis says she regrets her role in The Help

By Rebecca Fearn.

Viola Davis first caught Hollywood's attention on the big screen in The Help. The 2011 movie saw a group of African American maids share their stories of abuse, struggle and hardship through Emma Stone's character Skeeter and her book. It was a huge hit with audiences, but it sounds as though Viola may have regrets about her lead role as Aibileen.

Speaking to The New York Times, Viola said: "Have I ever done roles that I've regretted? I have, and The Help is on that list."

Explaining why, Viola said she didn't feel like the movie allowed audiences to really get to know the characters and understand their struggles from their point of view:

"I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard," she explained.

"I know Aibileen. I know Minny. They’re my grandma. They’re my mom. And I know that if you do a movie where the whole premise is, I want to know what it feels like to work for white people and to bring up children in 1963, I want to hear how you really feel about it. I never heard that in the course of the movie."

Viola did however go on to stress how her experience filming the movie was completely positive:

"[I did not regret it]... 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."