Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Tate Taylor Dish Up 'The Help'

When Kathryn Stockett published "The Help" in 2009, the novel's premise caused some reviewers to pause. The story's heroine, Skeeter, is a young white woman in 1960s Mississippi who wants to write a book of the stories of the African-American maids working in her friends' homes.

But "The Help" became a publishing sensation — it still remains on the New York Times bestseller lists today.

This weekend, the film adaptation opens in theaters. Tate Taylor, a childhood friend of author Kathryn Stockett, adapted the novel and directs the new film. The project allowed him to explore his memories of growing up in segregated Jackson, Miss., in the 1970s with an African-American maid. Emma Stone stars as the aspiring writer Skeeter and Octavia Spencer plays Minnie, one of the maids who works with Skeeter on her book.