When it came time to cast Annalise's mother on How to Get Away with Murder, Viola Davis called on a little help from a friend: her co-star in The Help, Cicely Tyson.
"I just learned that!" Tyson tells TVGuide.com. "I wasn't aware of that when I accepted the role. I was told that she was the one that asked for me. ... I will be eternally indebted to her for giving me the opportunity to just be able to walk out with her in this role, to be able to play her mother ... is a gift that I will treasure. I have so much respect for her, not only for her art, but for her values."