39-year-old actor Bryce Dallas Howard has become the latest Hollywood superstar to reappraise her role in previous cinematic projects, recently revealing that she would not have starred in 2011’s “The Help” if it were being made today.
The movie, which was based on a 2009 novel of the same name, tells the story of a white female journalist who sets out to write a book based on the lives of black maids in Mississippi in the early 60’s. Despite being warmly received by several critics, the film was also criticized for a white-washing of history and for telling important stories exclusively through the eyes of white storytellers.
In a recent Instagram post, Dallas Howard, who plays the role of Hilly Holbrook in the film, shared a collage of movies and TV shows created by black directors and writers and emphasized the need for more diverse voices in the industry. As she explained:
“I’ve heard that #TheHelp is the most viewed film on @netflix right now! I’m so grateful for the exquisite friendships that came from that film -- our bond is something I treasure deeply and will last a lifetime. This being said, The Help is a fictional story told through the perspective of a white character and was created by predominantly white storytellers. We can all go further.
“Stories are a gateway to radical empathy and the greatest ones are catalysts for action. If you are seeking ways to learn about the Civil Rights Movement, lynchings, segregation, Jim Crow, and all the ways in which those have an impact on us today, here are a handful of powerful, essential, masterful films and shows that center Black lives, stories, creators, and / or performers:
“13th
Eyes on the Prize
I am Not Your Negro
Just Mercy
Malcom X
Say Her Name: The Life And Death Of Sandra Bland
Selma
Watchmen
When They See Us”
Watch the trailer for 'The Help' here:When asked directly whether she would have participated in the project if it were being made today, Dallas Howard replied:
"No. But what I will say is: What I’ve seen is that folks have the courage to say that. 'With all due respect, I love this project, I do not think you could be the filmmaker. That’s a really powerful thing to say. That’s an important stance to take in order to make room for the true authentic storytellers."
When the film was released, many Black critics expressed their disappointment with the way in which the movie handled such a delicate subject. As Ida E. Jones, the national director of the Association of Black Women Historians, explained:
"[d]espite efforts to market the book and the film as a progressive story of triumph over racial injustice, The Help distorts, ignores, and trivializes the experiences of black domestic workers."
Viola Davis, who starred in the movie alongside Dallas Howard, had a similar perspective, telling the New York Times:
"...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."
