Actress Viola Davis was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of the maid Aibileen in the film The Help, set in 1960s Mississippi. But not everyone has applauded the film, which has been criticized for its portrayal of black domestic servants in the civil rights era.
Some blogs called Davis a sellout for taking the sort of role that was once the only kind black actresses could get. Tulane University Professor Melissa Harris-Perry, the author of an upcoming book on racial stereotypes, told MSNBC that “what killed me was that in 2011, Viola Davis was reduced to playing a maid.”
Even Tate Taylor, the film’s director, has said that “the role of Aibileen, in the hands of the wrong actress, could turn into a cliche.”
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