The Help The Movie in Xian, China

• Info
• Cast & Crew

• Genre: Drama
  
  Synopsis:
  Determined to become a writer, a 1960s Mississippi society girl (Emma Stone) turns her small town on its ear by interviewing black women who work for prominent white families.
  
  Release Date: 08/10/2011
  Running Time: 146
  
  Rating: PG-13 - Parents Strongly Cautioned
  
  http://thehelpmovie.com/#/splash
  
• Cast:
  Aibileen: Viola Davis,Skeeter: Emma Stone,Hilly: Bryce Howard Dallas,Minny: Octavia Spencer,Celia Foote: Jessica Chastain,Charlotte Phelan: Allison Janney,Missus Walters: Sissy Spacek,Elizabeth Leefolt: Ahna O'Reilly,Jolene French: Anna Camp,Constantine: Cicely Tyson,Stuart Whitworth: Chris Lowell,Johnny Foote: Mike Vogel,Yule Mae: Aunjanue Ellis,Elaine Stein: Mary Steenburgen
  
  Crew:
  Director: Tate Taylor,Screenwriter: Tate Taylor,Producer: Brunson Green,Producer: Chris Columbus,Producer: Michael Barnathan,Executive Producer: Mark Radcliffe,Executive Producer: Tate Taylor,Executive Producer: L. Dean Jones Jr.,Executive Producer: Nate Berkus,Executive Producer: Jennifer Blum,Executive Producer: John Norris,Executive Producer: Mohamed Al Mazrouei Mubarak,Executive Producer: Jeff Skoll,Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt,Production Design: Mark Ricker,Costume Designer: Sharen Davis,Original Music: Thomas Newman
  
  Production Companies:
  1492 Pictures,Harbinger Pictures
  
  Distributors:
  Walt Disney
  
  Notes:
  Production Notes - Notes provided by DreamWorks - This summer DreamWorks Pictures invites you to meet three extraordinary women and discover what it takes to find your voice. F rom DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment, in association with Participant Media and Imagenation Abu Dhabi, comes the inspiring and poignant drama ``The Help. Based on the critically acclaimed No. 1 New York Times best-selling debut novel by Kathryn Stockett, ``The Help boasts an illustrious cast, including, in alphabetical order, Jessica Chastain, Academy Award(R) nominee Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Emmy(R) Award winner Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Oscar(R) winner Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Academy Award(R) nominee Cicely Tyson and Mike Vogel. The film is written for the screen and directed by Tate Taylor, with Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan producing. Executive producers are Mark Radcliffe, Tate Taylor, L. Dean Jones Jr., Nate Berkus, Jennifer Blum, John Norris, Jeff Skoll and Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei. Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s, ``The Help chronicles the relationship between three different and extraordinary women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. Eugenia ``Skeeter Phelan just graduated from Ole Miss and is intent on getting a job as a writer. Unlike the girls she grew up with in Jackson, Mississippi, Skeeter wants a career and is quite content to put marriage and children on hold-much to her married friends', and her mother's, constant consternation. When she lands a job writing the Miss Myrna cleaning-hints column for the local newspaper, she seeks help from Aibileen, her best friend's maid and finds herself embarking on a clandestine project, spurred on by a book editor in New York and inspired by the moving stories she uncovers. Aibileen Clark has been a housekeeper all her life, working in the white homes of Jackson, Miss. She has raised 17 children for her employers and one son of her own, who was tragically, and unnecessarily, killed in an accident. Saddened by the loss of her only child, Aibileen draws strength from both her faith and her best friend Minny. With quiet courage and dignity, Aibileen fulfills her duties as the Leefolt family's maid, caring for their little girl, Mae Mobley. When Skeeter enters her life, Aibileen finds herself opening up and telling her stories for the first time in her life-even though the seemingly simple act brings with it the great risk of retaliation. Out-spoken Minny Jackson is a 33-year-old housekeeper who has a reputation as the best cook in Mississippi. She works for Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), but an act of defiance finds her fired and traveling to the outskirts of Jackson to work for lonely, fish-out-of-water Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain). Minny is Aibileen's best friend and helped her get through her grief over losing her only son. Though strong and independent, Minny nonetheless is the voice of reason, as well as a healthy skeptic, when it comes to Skeeter's project. A remarkable sisterhood emerges from their improbable alliance, 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. Deeply moving, filled with humor, hope and heart, ``The Help is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change. The film is both inspirational and empowering, featuring relatable, funny, courageous characters, who by finding their unique voices triumph and become the heroes of their own lives. Celebrate the courage to inspire change. FROM THE PAGE TO THE SCREEN As friendship is so vital to the story of ``The Help, so was friendship vital to how the film became a reality. Director/Screenwriter Tate Taylor and Kathryn Stockett, author of the book ``The Help, were childhood friends who grew up together in Jackson, Miss., in the 1970s. Taylor and Stockett's longtime, trusting friendship formed the basis of the film's journey and along the way they added another friend, Jackson native Brunson Green, to their mix, who Taylor had met at a blues festival in Jackson some 18 years prior. Then another friend, Octavia Spencer, joined their pack. Taylor met Octavia Spencer in 1996 when they were both production assistants on ``A Time to Kill. After the movie wrapped, Taylor and Spencer packed up and moved to Los Angeles together. Taylor, Green and Spencer all hung out in Los Angeles, with frequent visits from Stockett, who was off getting married, having a baby and living in New York City. After taking five years to write the novel, which Stockett started right after 9/11 when she was in New York, and facing over 60 rejections from literary agents, Stockett was close to giving up when she gave it to Taylor for a read. As Taylor recalls, ``I started reading the manuscript and was blown away. I was moved by the truth of the story, about these unlikely women coming together to create change in Mississippi in 1963. I called Kathryn and just said, 'This is fantastic. You cannot give up...this will be published. If it doesn't, I'll make it into a movie.' The authenticity of the story of ``The Help resonated with Taylor from the moment he opened the manuscript. ``This was our childhood. Kathryn and I weren't quite raised like the characters in the book because we were raised in the '70s. But our mothers were single moms who had to work. And they, like the women in the story, needed to get help with the children. Kathryn and I like to refer to the women who raised us as our co-mothers. Mine was Carol Lee and hers was Demitri. Excited by the prospect of making ``The Help into a film, Taylor started the ball rolling by sending the manuscript to their mutual friend, producer Brunson Green. Green recalls, ``I was in New York and Tate said 'I am going to send you this book. Read it immediately. We need to make it into a movie.' I read it on the flight home and I was crying on the plane. It reminded me of my Grandmother's housekeeper Mary and their rich, lifelong yet complex relationship. With Stockett's blessing, Taylor, with the help of Green, acquired the film rights to ``The Help and Taylor began to adapt the novel into a screenplay. Taylor definitely had a feel for the material as he committed himself to bringing the complex, inspiring and surprisingly humorous novel to the big screen. ``These women would not be allies at that time for reasons of race and class, says Taylor. ``It's easy to be quiet. You think that there is no benefit from speaking up, or maybe you are just lazy and want to go with the status quo. But, I think what this book shows people, and I hope the movie will show people, is that the smallest thing can affect change. The challenge for Taylor in writing the screenplay was to be honest to the voice of the novel and condense it into a two hour movie. As Taylor comments, ``The technical issue for me was getting the first 200 pages of the novel into 20-25 minutes of the script. But, I know this material. I read the book about 13 times and I would circle the things I really liked in the novel. ``Once I starting writing, it just began to flow. Kitty [Kathryn Stockett] and I have the same sense of humor and we tell stories the same way. She was generous enough to let me run things by her. About a year later, in 2009, ``The Help was published by Penguin Books. Spurred by passionate word-of-mouth from readers, ``The Help stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 103 weeks, six of which were in the No. 1 spot. Tate Taylor happened to be traveling through Alabama with Kathryn Stockett and Brunson Green following a book signing in Jackson, Miss., and en route to Atlanta, the last stop on the book tour, when Stockett received a call from her publisher. They quickly pulled over at a truck stop to hear the news from the publisher-``The Help was debuting on the New York Times bestseller list. Green recalls, ``I snapped a photo of them celebrating in front of the truck stop with their Smirnoff Ices. Kathryn was literally on the phone with her publisher and very excited. At that point, Taylor and Green worked actively to find a veteran producer to partner with them on ``The Help. They realized that their primary filmmaking experience had been in the world of independent film, so they looked at bringing in another producing partner with studio credibility. ``We started with baby steps, in the development of the script, in getting the right partners. We really needed someone who had the legs, someone who had done huge movies like 'Harry Potter' and that was Chris Columbus and 1492, explains Taylor. And it was only natural that Taylor would take the project to Producer Chris Columbus as he had known him for some time. When Taylor asked him to read the book, Columbus agreed. ``I read the book and it was phenomenal, Columbus says. ``It was so complex and socially relevant for our time. Columbus was also impressed with Taylor's screenplay and felt strongly that Taylor was the best choice to direct the project. As he explains, ``Tate's the only guy who could have directed this movie because he lived in this world; he grew up with these people. He understands every detail, every nuance. And that's what you look for in a director. The next step was to find a studio that would support the filmmakers' vision of turning ``The Help into a feature film. This was not an easy process as Taylor and the producers found themselves also meeting rejection, just as Kathryn Stockett had with the book. Then what they all worked and hoped for happened. ``DreamWorks came in and really supported Tate directing the film and that really was the kick off, says Columbus. ``DreamWorks' Stacey Snider [Partner, Co-Chairman, CEO] said, 'I can't let this go,' Columbus recalls. ``And it was because of Stacey and Steven Spielberg, who stepped in and agreed to make the movie, that we were able to fulfill Tate's vision. Green adds, ``DreamWorks came on board, which was phenomenal. They care about the filmmakers and they don't want them to feel compromised in any way. They give the director the freedom to tell his story. Just as the novel attracted millions of readers around the world, the filmmakers are hopeful that the novel's universal themes will resonate with moviegoers. ``I think the key to the book's success is that the subject matter is finally being told from the point of view of the most obvious people, which are these women. I think it takes us back to a time and place that has been forgotten and that is still really important to us, says Taylor. A seemingly simple act can make a difference to so many. CASTING ``THE HELP One of the biggest responsibilities in casting ``The Help was living up to the book readers' expectations. Everyone who loves the book loves the characters, and the filmmakers felt a great obligation to the readers to bring them to life in an authentic way, while at the same time casting with an eye for reaching the audience who had never read the book and bringing them into the world of ``The Help. They searched for actors who could transcend who they are as a personality and become the real, honest characters that were in the novel. Director Taylor says, ``When we were looking for actors, I was looking at how they talked, the way they moved...and these actresses just have such great body language that I swear they could be in Jackson, Mississippi. That really guided me a lot of the way. It's just a regional authenticity. Producer Michael Barnathan confirms, ``Tate didn't want a 'Hollywoodized' version of the South. He wanted to have it feel authentic. So that was his gauge for assessing the actresses. In many ways the character Aibileen is the heart and soul of ``The Help. She is also perhaps the most complex and conflicted of the women. For this all-important role, the filmmakers were thrilled when two-time Tony Award(R) winner and Academy Award(R) nominee Viola Davis (``Doubt, ``Eat Pray Love) read Tate Taylor's screenplay and accepted the role. However, it wasn't an easy process to lock her down. As producer Brunson Green recalls, ``We loved Viola and rightfully so. She subtlely conveys the strength of the character, which made her the perfect Aibileen. We weren't certain that we could get her for the role, since she was committed to her Tony Award(R)-winning role on Broadway's 'Fences,' but timing was on our side and everything fell into place. ``Viola is just power. She brings such truthfulness to the role. The role of Aibileen with the wrong actress could turn into a cliché, but Viola brings a bravery to this role that will break your heart. -Tate Taylor, director ``For me it felt like a movie where it wasn't just a chance for me to create a character that was interesting and complicated but it was also a chance for me to be in a movie that illuminated a part of our history that we have a tendency to be silent about, says Viola Davis of her heart-rending portrayal of Aibileen, the maid who agrees to tell novice writer Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone) the painful and potentially incendiary stories about her life. ``I see Aibileen as being a reluctant hero, continues Davis. ``She is just getting by after her son dies, just being invisible, until Skeeter enters the picture. And what Skeeter stimulates in her is the excitement of having a purpose; something else to drive her life, which is telling her story. I want to honor Aibileen. Emma Stone (``Easy A, ``Zombieland) was a hands-down favorite to portray Skeeter Phelan primarily due to her scene stealing vulnerability in a series of comedic movies. As Skeeter, Stone portrays an Ole Miss graduate who has come back home, is living with her parents, unmarried and desperately in search of a career in journalism. ``No one else could be playing Skeeter except for Emma Stone. Kathryn, the author, feels the same way. I met Emma and saw some of her work and it was just so obvious. She is so smart and she brings to the character of Skeeter this intelligence, a healthy naiveté and you just root for her. You want her to win. She is the perfect underdog in so many ways. She is the swan waiting to mature, says Taylor. Columbus adds, ``The character of Skeeter represents someone who, although she comes from a narrow-minded small town, has the ability to leave and go on and have a career. She is fighting two things in her life. She is fighting her family and her town for acceptance. Emma brings the character of Skeeter to life. Emma has a real, strong sense of naturalism and for what feels right for this character. Emma Stone describes Skeeter as ``a bit of a misfit. Someone who has never been rebellious, she has always conformed to the laws of her society, her family, her friends. But, when it comes to writing, as time goes on, and as the story unfolds she begins to understand that her way of thinking is more progressive than the people in her town. In a way, it's a coming-of-age story for Skeeter. One of the most difficult roles to cast was that of the antagonist Hilly Holbrook. ``Hilly is that type of villain who has no idea that she is doing anything wrong, says Brunson Green. Chris Columbus agrees, ``I always thought of Hilly as probably one of the most important characters to cast in the film. When I read the book and the script, she reminded me very much of Louise Fletcher's portrayal of Nurse Ratched in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' someone who wholeheartedly believes that what they are doing is absolutely right, absolutely moral. She believes in her own self righteousness. Bryce Dallas Howard (``Hereafter, ``Terminator Salvation) isn't necessarily the first person you think of to portray an iconic villain, but the filmmakers all agreed that she was the right actress to portray Hilly Holbrook. ``Bryce Dallas Howard did a fantastic job. Bryce has the charisma that Hilly needs to lead. She has the positivity. But, she can also turn on the ice cold B-word like you can't believe. It's like she is a cult leader. The audience gets to see both sides, says Taylor. Howard was first introduced to ``The Help through her mother who had read the novel. However, it was Tate Taylor's screenplay that captured her attention. ``I read the script first and just thought, oh my gosh, this is wonderful. I auditioned for it immediately. Only then did I go back and read the book, she says. ``What I find so remarkable about this story is that it really holistically depicts the time period, Howard continues. ``It's not necessarily vilifying anyone, but rather vilifying certain mentalities and belief systems that were evil at their core. Playing Hilly has been a journey for me to understand her ignorance. She's extraordinarily self-righteous and really believes that she knows what's best for her family and community and preserving certain old values. Hilly believes that her cruel actions are justified even though she's deeply and devastatingly misguided. ``My hope is that the audience will see a fully expressed character. I don't think they need to relate to her and they should never agree with her but I hope we can also see these women in this period of time in an honest way, concludes Howard. Viola Davis adds, ``We really root for Aibileen and Minny. We all want to defeat the Darth Vaders, whoever that person is in our lives who is cruel to us. But at the end of the day, I don't know how much you can blame Hilly. I don't think that she knows what a terrible person she is. Aibileen doesn't like her, but Hilly actually helps her because she is the cause for Aibileen going to Skeeter and telling her stories. Versatile, talented actress Octavia Spencer (``Dinner for Schmucks, ``Seven Pounds) was Tate Taylor's first choice for the dauntless Minny. ``Octavia and I were roommates for four years, and Brunson, Octavia and I all ran around, says Tate Taylor. ``And since Kathryn modeled some of Minny's traits after Octavia, we felt no one else could play her but Octavia. Spencer comments laughingly, ``I think that Kathryn created Minny on the part of me that doesn't have a problem speaking up. It's not always a good thing. But Spencer points out that playing the character of Minny is much more complex than just displaying her own personality. ``A lot of playing Minny was stripping away what is inherently me and leaving what is inherently Minny-a strong woman who lives in an oppressive environment, an abused wife and mother of five...and a good cook, says Spencer. Celia Foote is played by relative newcomer Jessica Chastain (``Tree of Life, ``The Debt). ``One of the most satisfying discoveries in the casting process for us has been finding Jessica Chastain. She has been in 4 or 5 movies this year, but none had been released when she auditioned. She keeps booking roles because she is such an amazing actress. She brings this heart and sympathy to a bombshell, which is difficult to pull off because when you are that gorgeous, with a handsome husband living in a mansion, it could be a little hard to relate to, says Green. Allison Janney (``Juno, ``Hairspray) portrays Charlotte Phelan, a proper southern woman who has to learn to contend with her progressive daughter. Charlotte spends most of the movie getting her daughter groomed and coiffed in an effort to marry her off. ``Allison is fantastic. She is a master at bridging comedy with drama and taking you back and forth. It is a constant visual joyride, says Taylor. Rounding out the cast are Academy Award(R)-winner Sissy Spacek (``In the Bedroom, ``Coal Miner's Daughter) as Hilly Holbrook's outspoken mother; Ahna O'Reilly (``Forgetting Sarah Marshall) as Elizabeth Leefolt, Aibileen's employer; Anna Camp (``True Blood, ``Mad Men) as Jolene French, one of the young mothers in Hilly Holbrook's circle; Cicely Tyson (``Sounder, ``Fried Green Tomatoes) as Constantine, the Phelan family's longtime maid; Chris Lowell (``Private Practice, ``Up in the Air) as Stuart Whitworth, Skeeter's suitor; Mike Vogel (``Blue Valentine, ``She's Out of My League) as Johnny Foote, Celia's handsome husband; and Aunjanue Ellis (``Ray, ``The Mentalist) as Yule Mae, the Holbrook's family new maid. The power of one person with one idea can create change. MISSISSIPPI AS A CHARACTER ``The Help is set in Mississippi, and although a fictional story, it takes place during one of the most important eras in our country's cultural history-the changing times of the 1960s. Director and screenwriter Tate Taylor knew from the beginning that ``The Help had to be filmed on location in Mississippi. He wanted to capture the period of time in a very honest and entertaining way and that could not be accomplished on a movie studio back lot. Taylor explains, ``Mississippi is a character itself. Everyone here has some eccentric, eclectic characteristic to them. It's a fun place. Just look at the storytellers who have come from the South. A lot of their fame and accolades are just because they were writing about what life is like here. They didn't invent anything. They are commenting on the South. There is no other place quite like it. The producers agreed with Taylor's premise that Mississippi itself is a character in the film, and though filming in the heat of a southern summer would be challenging, they set out to find the perfect representation of what the South looked like in 1963. When they discovered the small town of Greenwood, Miss., they knew that they had the ideal setting. Producer Brunson Green recalls, ``Tate and I are Mississippi natives, so we knew we could accomplish a complete and genuine look there. Along with our production designer, Mark Ricker, we set out on a road trip across Mississippi and searched for five days for the perfect spot. When we finally arrived in Greenwood, we saw that the 1960s Jackson has remained intact. Everything fit-we saw Skeeter's and Hilly's houses, and the abandoned ballroom where we could hold the benefit. It was at that point we knew Greenwood was the right place, and the town opened their homes and their hearts to the entire production. Producer Michael Barnathan comments, ``Greenwood is an interesting place. It is like stepping back in time. It affected the movie in a big way and I don't think we could have made the same movie if we were shooting it somewhere else. It was inspiring to be there. Equal distance between Jackson, Miss. and Memphis, Tenn., Greenwood provided the filmmakers exactly the authenticity of time and place they were looking for. Production designer Mark Ricker (``Conviction, ``Julie and Julia) searched the local area for the perfect exterior locations for the characters' homes and then created interiors that represented the feel and look of the '60s and were true to the characters' personalities and lifestyles. Commenting on the benefits of shooting in Greenwood from a production-design point of view, Ricker says, ``It's my job and my department's job to become the expert on 1963 Mississippi and when you are trying to create a period film about such a specific place and can be in that place with the people who live there, you get to eat their food, you can go into their houses that are historically accurate and amazing and it does enrich the production design. Mississippi is nothing like the neighboring state of Louisiana either. The architecture changes when one crosses the Mississippi River. ``You can drive around and see the cotton fields here, but they are just cotton fields. The real difference I noticed was in the houses. You can't find Mississippi houses in Louisiana. They are just different, says Ricker. The filmmakers found practical locations for the Phelan Farm, Hilly's House, Elizabeth's House, the Foote Mansion, the Robert E. Lee Hotel and Aibileen and Minny's houses all in Greenwood or neighboring towns. For the actors, shooting in Mississippi gave them a different perspective, which helped in building their characters. ``Mississippi's another character, says Viola Davis. ``You feel the ghosts of the past. You feel the ghosts of all the people who died with unrealized hopes and dreams. You feel it in every fiber, in the heat, in the homes and in the faces of people who live here. It informs your character in a way that wouldn't have been informed if you were shooting in L.A. And, I hope that people see that when they see the film. ``The South is an oppressive, complicated, beautiful, tragic, loving place all in one bundle. And being there as a group, like we were in summer camp, really bled into these performances and into the film.-Tate Taylor, director ``It's about taking the audience to a time and place, sums up Chris Columbus. ``All the films that have done it well have made it feel real. And that's what I think Tate did so beautifully. Finding your voice is empowering. CREATING THE LOOK OF ``THE HELP It was important that Tate Taylor be surrounded not only by a cast that would support his vision, but also that he have a really talented crew to create the authenticity he wanted. Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe had worked with Director of Photography Stephen Goldblatt (``Batman Forever, ``Closer) on ``Percy Jackson who in turn had worked with Tate Taylor's choice for a Production Designer Mark Ricker on ``Julie and Julia. For costume design they chose Sharen Davis, who had been nominated for an Academy Award(R) for her work on ``Dreamgirls. Taylor was thrilled to be working with both Ricker and Goldblatt. ``Since Mark Ricker is from the South, I knew he was the perfect choice, says Taylor. ``Then luckily I got Stephen Goldblatt as my DP, who is just phenomenal and whose body of work speaks for itself. But what I loved most about those two as a team is what they did together on 'Julie and Julia,' turning Brooklyn into Paris in the '50s. Production Designer Mark Ricker also appreciated having the chance to work with Tate Taylor, whom he has known for years. ``Tate was an immediate ally. He was open to my ideas and that comes from friendship and familiarity...and trusting each other. It was great, says Ricker. Ricker found that shooting in Mississippi was a little like shooting on a back lot. ``Everything is so close together, that I can be physically and emotionally in one space. If someone needs me I will be on set in one environment, and in 45 seconds I can be two blocks away, and then run off to another location that is another three blocks away, says Ricker. Creating interior sets that honestly reflected the characters and paid homage to the book was an important element in the production design for Ricker. ``Because Skeeter is so different from Hilly and Hilly is so different from Aibileen and they are all so different from Elizabeth that you see it in the sets. That is the way we are supporting the characters...in the details. The details, aside from the classic elements of furniture and draperies are injected with contemporary elements from 1963 and back into the '50s, says Ricker. ``I think there is a responsibility to the readers to get it right, continues Ricker. ``I do take that seriously. I want to put visuals in the film that are going to be as rich as what anyone can imagine. That's one of the things that was so unbelievably perfect about the locations in Mississippi. Skeeter's house, for example. We rolled up to the location for the first time and I thought, that's exactly what I imagined when I read the book. Things being what they are, Ricker had to completely redecorate the interior of another home to become the Skeeter's family home as only the exterior worked for the film. The same was true for Aibileen's house where the exterior worked, but the interior had to be designed from scratch and built on a stage. Director of Photography Stephen Goldblatt felt strongly about the look of the film. ``I don't like a period film to be cloaked in the cliché of romanticism or desaturation, Goldblatt says. ``It's nonsense to think that people didn't live as fully thirty or forty years ago. These were the Kennedy years and everything is bright and colorful and I didn't want to take that away. If anything, we've gone to saturated colors. It was a time in America where color was vibrant and saying something about America. Costume Designer Sharen Davis had deep feeling for the project as well. Davis says, ``There is something in this story that is deeper than the help or the domestic; it's something about the relationships of these women, in the South at this time for some people that lived it and for some it's a secret that has been let out. For Davis honoring these women and the book was of utmost importance. ``I don't want the wardrobe to ever pop out, or for someone to say 'oh, that's a cute dress,' Davis explains. ``I want you to believe that is Hilly; that is Skeeter. It's really important to me that the wardrobe plays the character and not the clothing playing the character. And, I want all these girls' clothes to read different personalities. ``Sharen brought the characters to life. It's so true. This is how people dressed and carried on in Mississippi back then, says Taylor. Another attention to southern detail was the responsibility of the Prop Master Chris Ubick. Southern cooking plays a big part in the film and it had to be authentic. As Ubick elaborates: ``To a certain extent, with the food, it was more about creating an era than a location, but it's the way people cooked. We had three chefs that we worked with: Martha Foose, who is a cookbook author and a wonderful lady; Lee Ann Fleming who is a local chef, cookbook author and writes a column in the local newspaper; and another local chef Mary Hoover. Along with creating the congealed salads, deviled eggs and caramel cakes of the day, the chefs had to also deal with two of the actresses food requirements. Jessica Chastain, a vegan, had to eat fried chicken in a scene and Bryce Dallas Howard, who doesn't eat wheat or sugar, had to eat Minny's infamous chocolate pie. Ubick explains, ``For Jessica, Martha Foose took soy hot dogs, put them on a stick, wrapped vegan turkey slices around it, rolled it in vegan flour and almond milk and fried it up in vegetable oil. You could not tell the fried chicken from the vegan fried chicken! ``For Minny's pie, it was a little bit more difficult because when you use sugar, wheat and butter it browns up beautifully. And, when you take all those things away it is not quite as pretty. So we cut a slice of Bryce's pie and put it into the other pie, so that when she cut it out she could eat it. The way the camera was angled you can't see that her piece is hidden in the pie. ``I would suggest people come to the movie having had dinner or lunch because they are going to be starving about ten minutes into the film. Fried chicken, okra, black eyed peas, cakes and pies. Great pies. -Tate Taylor, director Taylor was also excited about all the period details, including the automobiles. Taylor comments, ``I have been the most excited about the period buses. One of the buses we have for the maids to travel to and from work in was actually a bus from Selma, Alabama from that time. Everything is authentic. We have 70 period cars pulling up in front of the Robert E Lee. Director of Photography Stephen Goldblatt sums it up, ``This film has been blessed with great luck and great actors and great