The Help, based on the bestselling book of the same name by Kathryn Stockett, was released this week to theaters nationwide. In the film, a young aspiring writer (Emma Stone) returns home to a small Mississippi town and decides to interview the African American maids who have worked for the wealthy white families of the town for decades. The friendships and trials of the film take place against a backdrop of 1960s America and the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement.

Kenyon alumna Allison Janney '82 stars as the mother of Stone's character. What is interesting about the film?
It … [takes] place during a very volatile time in our American history with the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. What character do you play?
The character I play [Charlotte] is the mother of Emma Stone, who plays this character named "Skeeter." I play [a character] who's very afraid of change. I kind of understand [the culture and time period] just from watching films, over the years, of that time.