 Disillusioned at being typecast as the " sarcastic interest of the guy " , Stone co @-@ starred with Viola Davis in Tate Taylor 's period drama The Help ( 2011 ) , a film she found to be challenging . The film is based on Kathryn Stockett 's 2009 novel of the same name and is set in 1960s Jackson , Mississippi . She met with Taylor to express a desire to work in the film . Taylor said : " Emma was completely awkward and dorky , with her raspy voice , and she sat down and we got a little intoxicated and had a blast , and I just thought , ' God ! God ! This is Skeeter . " He cast her in the role . She portrayed Eugenia " Skeeter " Phelan , an aspiring writer learning about the lives of the African @-@ American maids . In preparation for the part , she trained to speak in a Southern dialect ; in addition , she educated herself on the civil rights movements through literature and film . With a worldwide gross of US $ 216 million against a budget of US $ 25 million , The Help became Stone 's most commercially successful film at that point . The film , and her performance , received positive reviews from critics . Writing for Empire , Anna Smith thought that Stone was " well @-@ meaning and hugely likable " despite finding " flaws " in her character . The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture , and won Best Ensemble Cast from the Women Film Critics Circle and the Broadcast Film Critics Association . 
