Synopsis

The #1 New York Times best seller by Kathryn Stockett comes to vivid life through the powerful performances of a phenomenal ensemble cast. Led by Emma Stone, Academy Awardnominated Viola Davis (Best Supporting Actress, Doubt, 2008), Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help is an inspirational, courageous and empowering story about very different, extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project one that breaks societys rules and puts them all at risk. Filled with poignancy, humor and hope and complete with compelling, never-before-seen bonus features The Help is a timeless, universal and triumphant story about the ability to create change.

DreamWorks Pictures presenta "Criadas y seoras (The Help)", protagonizada por Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer y la nominada al Premio de la Academia Viola Davis (Come, reza, ama). Situada en Mississippi en los aos 60, CRIADAS Y SEORAS (THE HELP) est protagonizada por Skeeter (Emma Stone), una chica de la sociedad surea de Estados Unidos que regresa de la universidad decidida a convertirse en escritora, pero que revoluciona la vida de sus amigos y la de una pequea ciudad de Mississippi cuando se propone entrevistar a las mujeres negras que han pasado su vida cuidando a prominentes familias de la zona. A pesar del peligro que esto significa para las antiguas amistades de Skeeter, la colaboracin entre ella y Aibileen (Viola Davis) contina, y pronto ms mujeres con mucho para decir- se atrevern a contar sus historias. En este camino, se forjarn nuevos lazos y hermandades, pero no sin antes atravesar con esfuerzo y sufrimiento los cambios que llevarn a una nueva poca.

Characters
with poignancy, humor and hope and complete with compelling, never-before-seen tures The Helpis a timeless, universal and triumphant story

Aibileen

Viola Davis

A third-generation housemaid, who at 53 years old has raised 17 children in her care, Aibileen discovers her voice and the courage to defy the conventions of the early 1960s

VIOLA DAVIS (Aibileen) received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for her role as Mrs. Miller inDoubt. Among her other feature film credits are, Eat Pray Love, Knight & Day, State of Play, Madea Goes to Jail, Nights in Rodanthe, Disturbia, Syriana, Get Rich or Die Tryin, Solaris, Antwone Fisher, Far From Heaven, Kate & Leopold, Traffic, and The Substance of Fire, among others. On Broadway, Davis won Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her role in King Hedley II (for which she also won the Drama Desk Award) and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for Fences. OffBroadway, in The Roundabout Theatre Companys production of Intimate Apparel,she won Best Actress awards from the Drama Desk, the Drama League, and received the Obie Award and the Audelco Award. She was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award as well. Davis reprised her role at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles where she won the Ovation Award, The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, and the Garland Award. On television, Davis was seen this year in a six-episode arc in Showtimes hit seriesUnited States of Tara. She also starred in the A&E miniseries The Andromeda Strain,and enjoyed recurring roles on Law & Order: SVU and in the CBS miniseries franchise Jesse Stone. Additionally, her television credits include Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story, Traveler, Century City, Lefty, and City of Angels.She also had roles in Oprah Winfreys Amy and Isabelle, and Hallmark Hall of Fames Grace and Glorie.

Skeeter

Emma Stone

A bright, enthusiastic recent college graduate and aspiring writer, Skeeter bucks the trend for southern women of the time by being more interested in her career than marriage.

EMMA STONE (Skeeter) recently wrapped production on the comedy, Crazy, Stupid, Love in which she stars opposite Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling. In addition, she is currently lending her voice to the DreamWorks Animation SKG comedy The Croods.She was recently seen in the comedy Easy A, and the independent drama Paperman,opposite Jeff Daniels and Ryan Reynolds. Stones other film credits include the animated comedy, Marmaduke (for which she provided the voice for Mazie), Zombieland, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The House Bunny, The Rocker and Superbad. On television, Stones credits include Drive and the VH1 series, In Search of the Partridge Family. She also guest-starred on series such as Malcolm in the Middle,Medium, Lucky Louie and The Suite Life of Zach and Cody.

Minny

Octavia Spencer

Known as much for her sass as her great cooking, Minny wont take much guff from anyone, but her heart is always in the right place

OCTAVIA SPENCER (Minny) was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and graduated from Auburn University with a bachelors degree in Liberal Arts. Spencer made her feature film debut in Joel Schumachers A Time to Kill. Her other film credits include Never Been Kissed, Big Momma's House, Bad Santa, Spider Man, Coach Carter, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! Pretty Ugly People, Seven Pounds, Halloween II, Love at First Hiccup, and Herpes Boy. On television, Spencer has made a number of critically acclaimed guest appearances on shows such as Raising the Bar, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Big Bang Theory, Wizards of Waverly Place, NYPD Blue, Grounded for Life, ER,Titus and Dharma & Greg. However, she is perhaps best known for her starring roles as Serenity Johnson on Comedy Centrals Halfway Home, and as Constance Grady, the amorous INS caseworker on Ugly Betty. Spencer made her stage debut in Los Angeles, in Del Shores award-winning play,The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife. She also starred in Tate Taylors critically lauded and award-winning short feature, Chicken Party. Her own short film The Captain, which she wrote, directed and produced, was honored by the CICFF as a finalist for the coveted REEL Poetry Award. She is the voice of Aibileen on the audio book version of The Help.

Hilly

Bryce Dallas Howard

Pretty, well-groomed Hilly Holbrook is the queen bee of the young mothers social network in Jackson, Miss., and the epitome of southern charm and hospitalityespecially when she is manipulating someone.

BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD (Hilly) is one of Hollywoods most versatile and dynamic talents both on screen and behind the camera. Her feature-film acting credits includeThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Hereafter, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, Terminator Salvation, Spider Man 3, Lady in the Water, The Village, and Manderlay. She recently completed a starring role in Jonathan Levines comedy 50/50, opposite Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Howard also received a 2008 Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance as Rosalind in HBOs adaptation of Shakespeares As You Like It,written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Expanding her creative reach beyond acting, Howard produced Gus Van Sants soon to be released Restless. She made her directorial debut with the short filmOrchids and currently has a feature in development as a screenwriter. After leaving the Tisch School of the Arts program at New York University, Howard immediately began working on the New York stage, including playing the role of Marianne in the Roundabouts Broadway production of Tartuffe, Rosalind in the Public Theatres As You Like It, Sally Platt in the Manhattan Theater Clubs production of Alan Ayckbourns House/Garden, and Emily in the Bay Street Theater Festivals production of Our Town.

Celia

Jessica Chastain

Unpretentious, rough-around-the edges Celia snagged the hottest bachelor in Jackson, Miss., and now is paying the price by being shunned from all the social circles.

JESSICA CHASTAIN (Celia) was born and raised in Northern California. She attended the Juilliard School where she starred in Romeo and Juliet. She went on to receive glowing reviews for her performances in The Cherry Orchard at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, opposite Michelle Williams, and in Richard Nelsons drama Rodneys Wife, opposite David Strathairn, at Playwrights Horizons. Chastain also starred as Desdemona in Othello, opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman, which was directed by Peter Sellars and staged at The Public Theater in New York City. In feature films, Chastain starred in The Debt, with Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington and in the soon to be released The Fields, and Tree of Life, written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. At the senior-class Juilliard showcase, Chastain landed a coveted talent deal with Emmy Awardwinning executive producer and writer John Wells, the show runner of E.R., The West Wing, and producer of White Oleander. After completing a pilot for Wells and director P.J. Hogan, Chastain returned to the stage in the Los Angeles Wadsworth Theatre production of Salome, where Academy Award winners Estelle Parsons (director) and Al Pacino cast Chastain to play the title role of Salome opposite Pacino. Continuing the collaboration, she starred in the film version titledSalomaybe, directed by Al Pacino. Chastains work in Salome received enormous critical attention and led to her being cast in the dynamic title role in Jolene, directed by Dan Ireland, and also starring Rupert Friend, Frances Fisher, Dermot Mulroney and Michael Vartan. Chastain won the Best Actress Award at the 2008 Seattle Film Festival for this role.

Soundtrack
Superstar Mary J. Blige records original song for DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media's THE HELP
BURBANK, Calif. (May 26, 2011) DreamWorks Pictures and Geffen Records announced today that multiple Grammy Awardwinning recording artist Mary J. Blige wrote and recorded an original song for the soundtrack of DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Medias The Help, a film based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, opening in theaters August 12, 2011.The Help soundtrack - music from the Motion picture, will feature the original song from Mary J Blige The Living Proof. The soundtrack, from Interscope Records, will be available Tuesday, July 26 at select Starbucks locations. The song, The Living Proof, was written and recorded by Blige especially for The Help after she saw a screening of the film, which takes place in 1960s-era Mississippi and chronicles the journey of three very different women who come together and embark on a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. The beautiful thing about these women is that they were very smart, says Blige. They chose to walk in love and forgiveness. The film really celebrates the courage to inspire change, To speak to so many women with this song means a lot to me says Blige. I wanted to be involved with this film, because I think we need to encourage each other more, we are here to tell a story. Blige has received 6 Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards as well as recorded seven multi-platinum albums. Mary J. Blige has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and her next album "My Life Too....The Journey Continues" will be released Sept 20, 2011.