Video interview: Hot women expected to see The Help, say director and star

by John P. Meyer

Tate Taylor and Octavia Spencer answer a few questions about this "Upstairs Downstairs" flavored, civil rights-themed drama set in the Deep South.

The Help — Tate Taylor's labor-of-love film treatment of the best-selling novel written by his friend Kathryn Stockett — opens in wide release this Wednesday. (Click here to read my review of the film.) The movie centers on the lives of a group of African American maids working in white households in 1960s-era Jackson, Mississippi, and the tumult that results when a young woman named Skeeter decides to write a book about their behind-the-scenes experiences.

Taylor brought his good friend and fellow Southerner Octavia Spencer along on a promotional tour for the film; I had a chance to sit down with Tate and Octavia (who plays outspoken maid Minny Jackson in the film) for a little Q-and-A.

In Part 1 of our interview, we cut to the chase: Tate and Octavia tell us why you ought to get out and see their new movie. (Guys: Listen up!)

Two great reasons to see The Help

"If you are a single man, there are gonna be some hot women of all ages going to this movie." - Octavia Spencer

In Part 2 we get down to the meat of the interview, with Octavia telling us what special challenges are involved in acting in a role that was written expressly for her. Tate talks about a particular scene in the novel that simply could not be put on film; and the dominant role of women in Southern families is discussed.

Plus, is Bryce Dallas Howard as terrifying and nasty in real life as her character in the film? (Hint: She's a really good actress.)