“Nothing can stop us” Halle Bailey voices her support for Black director who was told her film depended on the success of “You, Me & Tuscany.”
The countdown to the premiere of “You, Me & Tuscany” is underway, and as fans excitedly await the film’s release, Black creatives like writer and director Nina Lee are anxiously waiting to see the film’s box office success in hopes it will lead studios to greenlight other Black rom-coms. Last month, Lee revealed just how closely entertainment studios and executives are watching Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page’s new rom-com.
In a recent interview with Complex, Bailey chimed in on the viral discourse, echoing her support for Lee and other Black creators who have received similar ultimatums.
“I feel like it almost isn’t fair for us to have to [hear], you know, ‘oh, well, we’re gonna watch how this one does. And then we’ll green light you.’ Like, it shouldn’t be like that at all,” the actress shared. “It’s amazing to be a Black creator, and I think Nina is doing something so wonderful in the art that she’s creating. We are known for breaking barriers and not letting anything stop us as a community, and I think that even when the goalposts may be moved every single time, we still will persevere, no matter what.”
She continued: “I love that about being Black…being a young Black woman. I think that nothing can stop us, nothing can stop that girl, Nina. Like, her movie is gonna do great, and it’s gonna get greenlit because people want to see our stories on screen.”
Will Packer, the producer behind “You, Me & Tuscany” even chimed in on the discourse Lee’s tweets sparked. In a series of quoted retweets, the award-winning producer co-signed some social media users’ comments before directly responding to Lee’s tweet.
In a separate interview with The Independent, the actress didn’t ignore the significance of seeing a Black-led rom-com in theaters.
“It’s weird that it is so rare,” she said. “I feel honored that I’m able to show other young Black girls and women and men that we deserve to see ourselves on screen. It’s a theme that’s been very prominent in the projects that I choose, or at least I try to choose.”
When Bailey made her lead acting debut in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” her casting sparked mixed reactions, with some social media users taking issue with the historically white Disney princess being portrayed by a Black girl with locs. Despite the trending “#NotMyAriel” conversations, Bailey describes her time as “The Little Mermaid” as “beautiful.”
“I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside. I learned how to block out the noise,” she explained. “It was actually freeing to be in the middle of this conversation where so many different opinions were coming in, and they were so opposite from one another… I felt like I was watching myself inside a cup, seeing how people react to it… Growing up in the industry can really develop your sense of self, and for me, it keeps me grounded in a way. I know for some people it’s the opposite, but I just always think to myself, ‘None of this is real.’”
“[I love] realizing that the world is so big and beautiful and I’m just a tiny, tiny part of it. The fact I’m here is a blessing, and I’m grateful [to be doing music and acting], but at the same time, this is not what matters in life. What matters is keeping our feet on the ground and holding the people we love,” she concluded.
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