'The Help': Emma Stone Hits Roadblock In New Clip (VIDEO)

Emma Stone is from the southwest -- Arizona to be exact -- but in her latest film, she tries on the accent and affectations of the Deep South.

Stone stars in the big screen adaptation of "The Help," the best selling novel by Kathryn Sockett. She plays Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, an enlightened college girl who comes back to her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi and sees old, dark traditions in a whole new light. Grabbing a columnist job at the local paper, she works to convince the discriminated-against maids of her home town to talk anonymously about the unfair conditions and treatment to which they're subjected.

The film, which is set for an August release, is ramping up its promotion, and has unveiled a new clip of Stone and Viola Davis in the awkward stages of the project. Idealism and reality don't always meet so easily, it seems.

"The Help" hits theaters on August 12th, and, along with Stone and Davis, co-stars Bryce Dallas Howard and "The Tree of Life Star" Jessica Chastain.

WATCH:

Tags: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Comments

[noudidnt]

10:05 AM on 06/06/2011

Another "Y T saves the day" movie. Not watching it.

[Clemgo3165]

10:43 AM on 06/23/2011

Have you read the book? It's different from that and a great read.

[weebles48]

01:53 PM on 06/05/2011

i cringe when i hear actors doing a southern accent. it's usually a hodge podge of various places all in one or two sentences.
makes me ill to listen to it.

[Bandit29]

11:58 AM on 06/05/2011

I grew up in this environment. We had a maid. It was part of the culture. I found the book to be somewhat accurate and somewhat fanciful. I also lived in California and there we had a Mexican housekeeper. There was no difference. Prejudice has no regional boundary.

[4Rationalthought]

02:35 PM on 06/04/2011

Really not that bad of a job. There is alot of diversity in southern accents. She sounds like someone that has a pure southern accent that was exposed to other accents and her's weakened a bit from that interaction. It doesn't sound "fake" at least......

[Sara Janmaat]

02:09 PM on 06/04/2011

The Southern Accent is NOT that difficult to mimic. Easier for most than a genuine Australian accent! Because I have to tell you, we DO NOT sound like Paul Hogan. Really enjoy Emma Stone as an actress!

[OhDear]

03:22 PM on 06/04/2011

Actually it is. Which is why so many accents sound fake -- see Kyra Sedgwick for one of the worst -- but you can almost always tell a fake one.

[skymuffin]

11:58 PM on 06/04/2011

Susan Sarandon...

[zest]

10:14 AM on 06/05/2011

Dialects and accents are similar to singing; you either have an ear for them or you don't.

[MaybeMilo]

12:53 PM on 06/04/2011

What's the problem, here? I'm from the South, and though she sounded less twangy than some, I thought her characterization sounded appropriate for an "enlightened college girl" that spent a significant and formative time away from her home.

[Pryorchef]

11:01 PM on 06/04/2011

In the book, she went to college at Ole Miss -- also in Mississippi. Doubtful she was exposed to other accents.

[tiredofthesameoldstuff]

07:07 AM on 06/05/2011

Well just being educated makes you sound less Southern.

Even growing up in Florida most people either never develop or lose the Southern accent.

[njpm77]

09:56 AM on 06/04/2011

Unlike most "making fun of" versions of a Southern accent put out by Hollywood, Ms. Stone's accent more closely represents that of the gracious sound and flow of the Southern accent.
Southern accents, just like Northern accents (believe it or not) cannot be lumped into one category, as so many Hollywood types are prone to do.
However, I thought this article was about accents, not race. I guess I was wrong considering those who once again want to pit the white South against the black South. Although slavery (which so many want to talk about) was horribly wrong, I must say to those who want to turn this into a racist diatribe, "look to your own house before you point your finger at anyone."

[leofarnsworth]

09:20 AM on 06/04/2011

It doesn't have to be perfect. the point is she went off to school and has gotten educated and most people who go off to other places, will loose some of their native accent. I grew up in the Bronx, NY. My dad was an English teacher in NYC public school and he had almost a solemn vow, that his kids wouldn't have the dees dem and dos Bronx accent. going off to school in upstate NY (who have no accent) and Boston (wicked accent), I don't have typical NY'r accent. Some people hear a little bit of it- especially if they're from places with heavy dialect like the south. I'm native NYC boy through and through, but not sounding like deNiro from a Bronx Tale, doesn't make me less NY'r. I think her accent is just fine for the movie- she doesn't have to sound like Scarlett O'Hara. This is 2011 hillbillies people have advanced some, even in the south. I've even lived in Mississippi and not everyone sounds like they came out of a Deliverance movie. Anyway this was a waste of my time, I'd never see this movie anyway. Just think it's a ridiculous topic to discuss.

[Cricketmk3]

10:04 AM on 06/04/2011

Well...you were making intelligent sense until you got to the "even in the south" comment. Why do you say "even in the south"? Are our hillbillies not as intelligent as yours?

[weebles48]

02:01 PM on 06/05/2011

gak! where to start. of course the accent sounds ok to you, you're from the north.
and hillbillies live in the hills, not mississippi. deliverance was set in n. georgia not mississippi.

you made my point really. just as ppl in mass. don't sound like ppl in r.i. or conn., southerners from southern miss. sound different than richmond va. and all of them are different from central tenn. which is different than n. carolina which is different from southern alabama.
see?

[Dax baxter]

09:00 AM on 06/04/2011

Born and raised in Alabama..............Her accent is laughable.

[ln6320]

06:54 AM on 06/04/2011

You go Laurie Partridge II , You rock as an actress and I think your accent is right on!! GO back to RED!!!

[McHale Ann Haiman]

02:02 AM on 06/04/2011

I don't think it is the best accent I have ever heard, not the worst either, but she is trying, and that's what counts. At least she gave it her all. I think in general the only way to truly sound southern though is to be from the south. And also, southern accents change from region to region do there, so it can be difficult to perfect one, even with a vocal coach, or so I have heard. I can't wait to see this movie. I have enjoyed everything I have seem her in.

[Jean Knox]

12:21 AM on 06/04/2011

I like her. I think she's really pretty and a really talented actress. :) She's my favorite actress right now. Tell me what you think about her.
http://leanmusclexreviews.wordpress.com/

[Gracey28]

10:16 PM on 06/03/2011

I am a huge fan of Emmas. She is so talented. I loved Easy A.

[lilly091]

09:53 PM on 06/03/2011

When I first heard that Emma would be playing Skeeter, I was really surprised. She normally plays really quirky characters. And her accent here seems a little forced but thats ok. I think it's hard to capture a southern accent without it sounding too cheesy or fake. But I will give her the benefit of the doubt and cross my fingers that she captures the magic that "The Help" had.

It's a great book and as a southerner, I really connect to it even though it takes place in a time setting 40 years ago. It's a great summer read!

[Pryorchef]

09:45 PM on 06/03/2011

As a recovering former Mississippian, I have to say that this book perfectly captured the "look the other way" attitude white people to this day have of racial problems in the state as well as the sometimes not-so-passive-aggressive racism there. Excellent book. I hope the movie does it justice.