Kathryn Stockett described the novel as fiction, but that she based The Help off her early years growing up in Jackson, Mississippi where many of the families around her had Black women working in households, cooking, cleaning, and raising their children. Kathryn Stockett wanted to focus on the relationships she cultivated with these individuals in her younger years and bring their stories to the masses. While Kathryn Stockett’s book is a poignant story filled with hope, the star-studded cast helped bring the characters to life in the 2011 film adaptation. The Help full cast is mostly women, includeing actresses Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, and