Based on Kathryn Stockett’s #1 New York Times best-selling novel, ‘The Help’ stars Emma Stone (Easy A) as Skeeter, Academy Award nominee Viola Davis (Doubt) as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny – three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed – even if it means bringing everyone in town face-to-face with the changing times. ‘The Help’ stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. The film is out December 9th in the US on Blu-ray and DVD.

How much of a dual sense of responsibility do you feel to this material, given that it’s such a well loved novel and comes from such a deeply personal place for both director Tate Taylor and author Kathryn Stockett?

Emma Stone: Did you say pressure (laughs)? I felt from the very beginning that there was a little bit of pressure because it’s my mum’s favourite book, and she made that very clear at the very beginning. So, at home there was pressure. You always figure that your mum would be like, “I’m so proud of you!” But no, she was, “I don’t see you as Skeeter, but maybe you’ll surprise me!” I’m just kidding, just kidding! I like being hard on her in public because she does it to my grandma and I finally have the chance to get her back. But I think you feel the pressure and the responsibility because it’s a beloved book and you love it too. But then you have to kind of put that aside and play the character in the best way you know how and do what you need to do in order to bring that character to life and not worry about the millions of people that you may be disappointing!

We’ve seen you do many other things, but what was it like being in this great ensemble of women and get to dig into a more dramatic character and still get to be funny here and there?

Emma Stone: It was incredible, it was an amazing experience across the board. Life wise, telling a story that I was so proud to be a part of, getting to meet these women and getting to work with these women – I love women! I don’t understand women that they’re afraid you’re not going to get along with women. I always say that women who say they have more guy friends than girlfriends are usually b*tches (laughs). They are, and it’s because you’re not that nice to girls then because girls are great, women are great!

Mary, what was it about ‘The Help’ that made you want to get involved?

Mary J. Blige: Just women banding together period, because I think we need to encourage each other more – this film is about encouraging each other more. And when all of those women stepped into that room and said, “Ok, we’re gonna speak,” I think I probably cried the most at that point. When I saw all the women band together.

Also my personal connection, the fact that my Aunt was a maid. I was raised in New York, but I was also raised in the south – because every summer I would go down south to Savannah, Georgia and visit my Grandmother. And my Aunt was a maid that worked for a very wealthy white family. They loved her to death, she raised their children, their children would come and play with us sometimes. Some of their children weren’t even children, they were teenagers. When my aunt died they came to her funeral, they really loved her, she helped raise them, she gave them encouraging words – I do remember that as a child.

Why do you think Skeeter was inspired to write about the experiences of African American maids and their mistreatments at the hands of their white employers?

Emma Stone: I think Skeeter was unlike a lot of her friends. I don’t think that she was very accepted by her mother. I don’t think that she grew up hearing from her mother that she was beautiful and could, you know, and could live this life. Her mother wanted her to fit in this mould in Jackson, Mississippi – to grow up and have kids and get married young and be in the Junior League and continue on that tradition. She didn’t think it was going to be easy for her, and she didn’t really support her, and she found that support in Constantine. Constantine made her feel worthy, and Constantine told her, “You have a choice. You get to pick your life. I didn’t get to pick mine, you get to pick yours. Pick your life, do what you want to do.” That was the only support she ever had. That was her true mother, you know. So she went off with Constantine’s strength in her, and was living out a life for herself and for Constantine, which she decides to write this book and decides to team with Aibileen who so courageously teams with her because Skeeter’s very idealistic. And is crazy to think that this would be exciting for Aibileen to be a part of. I think her viewpoint is hugely from Constantine. She was lucky enough to have Constantine, whereas Hilly was not.

What do you want the audience to come away with after seeing ‘The Help‘?

Mary J. Blige: The most important message to me….it has to be to walk in love and to be patient, and forgiveness. When you walk in love, you can slow down, you can think about yourself, and how much damage this is gonna cause to you – not just the family you’re trying to have revenge on, or whatever the case may be. When you think like that, you can be strategic, in a postive way, you can get yourself out of a mess. To walk in love.

Emma Stone: I hope they come away with knowledge and with hope. For me, it makes you feel like you’re leaving church, it makes you feel like you learned something, like something changed within you. I know that happened for me because my knowledge wasn’t very extensive before I was involved with this film ‘The Help,’ and now I’ve started watching things like ‘Eyes on the Prize’ and things that taught me about this era and time. From my side I hope that happens with the audience.

How was it getting the word out there about ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ at Comic-Con earlier in the year?

Emma Stone: I was drawn to that part because I really liked what happens between Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker and so I’m excited about that. That’s pretty much what my involvement is, is with Peter. I think Andrew Garfield is incredible so that was really wonderful for me. And then I’m also excited about, and this is kind of weird…well, I guess it’s not weird, but I think it’s really interesting to be a part of something that so many people hold close to their hearts, that so many people grew up with. To get be involved in this world of passionate people.

Comic Con is one of my favourite places in the world. I got to go for ‘Zombieland,’ it is a full convention centre of people who care so much, and that is incredible. I mean, maybe just as an actor passion is so exciting and all that emotion – it literally buzzes, being in those convention rooms with 5,000 people, it’s buzzing. And to be a part of something that has that kind of passion, and that kind of enthusiasm behind it is kind of a cool, exciting thing.

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