Soul of a Nation (2021–…): Season 0, Episode 0 - Screen Queens Rising - full transcript

Exploring how Black actresses, a historically overlooked and under-valued group in Hollywood, have in recent years begun to ascend to the top echelons of entertainment and American culture; Linsey Davis and Deborah Roberts host.

JENEE OSTERHELDT: Black actresses
are Black women before anything else.

Behind the scenes we know
you fight like we fight for equity.

They debate your hair,
your skin, your Black girl energy.

You walk into a room
and carry us in your sway.

You make them say our names.

Hattie, Viola, Lupita, Taraji,

Yara, Loretta, Sanaa, Birgundi.

You make them say a Black girl's name
with respect and that "oh-la-la."

Do we read 'em like Gabby girl?

Or do we hurt him with a little
Zendaya slay and twirl?

Black women in Hollywood.



It's more nuanced than bad or good.

You are our Julia, our Foxy Cleopatra,
our Cookie, our Carmen.

You are the lights,
the camera, the action.

Good evening, everyone.

Tonight, we invite you
to take a journey with us

through Hollywood's historied
and sometimes harrowed past.

From the days when Dorothy Dandridge,
Hattie McDaniel, and Ethel Waters

first stepped in front of a camera.

While every journey begins,
there is a turning point,

and you can't look forward
without looking back.

Ever mindful of the trail blazed
by some of the most iconic women

to ever grace the screen,
Black women, Black actresses,

legends, pioneers struggling
to break through,

or sometimes simply to be seen.



One generation of trailblazers
opening doors for the next.

Their experiences
both frustrating and rewarding.

At times, infuriating and humbling.
And it is never easy.

Even for some of the biggest stars
in Hollywood like Halle Berry.

Just mentioning her name will get you
an instant reaction.

Now, you may think that she has no trouble
making herself seen and heard,

but she will tell you
that it is a fight from start to finish.

Here's T.J. Holmes.

(soft music playing)

That word, "beautiful,"

has been a hard word to get around for me.

Because when someone is beautiful,

that's also aligned
with maybe not so intelligent,

-maybe not so talented.
-Hmm.

How I look, I had nothing to do with.

-I came here this way.
-(Holmes chuckles)

I love when someone says,
"You're a great mother.

You are a talented actor."

But the physical part has become a bit,

"Okay. What else is out there for me?"

You have an Oscar. (chuckles)

-I know this.
-(both laugh)

See? This is why I don't talk
about this much,

because people really can't wrap
their brain around

the feeling that I have.

And when I say how this translated
into my directorial debut,

I believe, on some level,

that part of who I am played a part.

(photographers calling her name)

T.J. HOLMES: Oh, we think we know
Halle Berry,

I mean, she's been on movie screens
and in our living rooms for 30 years.

The girl from Ohio who'd become
a Hollywood legend.

Who could forget her breaking the mold
as Bond girl Jinx in Die Another Day?

She was advertising exec Angela Lewis
in Boomerang.

You know, I'm sick and tired
of men using love

like it's some kind of disease
you just catch.

T.J. HOLMES: She portrayed
a Hollywood trailblazer

in the biopic
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

After my daddy left, she had to feed us.

T.J. HOLMES: She was Storm,
the weather controlling mutant in X-Men.

But it was her role as Leticia Musgrove
in Monster's Ball,

that was her breakthrough.

It won her an Oscar for best actress,

making her the first and still
the only Black woman to ever do so.

He was-- he really loved me.

When did it click for you that,
"Oh, maybe I can do this"?

I think when I got my first job.

I got a job on a television show
called Living Dolls.

So it was a typical shoot.

Posing, changing, watching Caroline
kiss up to the photographer.

That's when I realized that work
should be being paid for something

that you absolutely love.

-And you still love it? Still enjoy it?
-I do. I do.

T.J. HOLMES: Halle Berry is now hoping
for another breakthrough,

in front of, but this time also
behind the camera.

She stars in, produced,
and directed Bruised.

So if that's the case,
you might stop us back here.

T.J. HOLMES: Stripping herself down
to play Jackie Justice,

a disgraced MMA fighter and mother.

Did you fight harder
to get into the industry,

or are you having to fight harder
to stay in it?

HALLE BERRY: The fight
has been consistent.

It just changes its face, you know?

But the fight is as hard as it was
to get in the industry,

and now to stay in the industry
for 30 years,

and find a way to stay relevant,

and still do things that I love
is a constant fight.

You said that the fight is always there,
it changes its face.

What's the current face?

Well, now I'm fighting to be a director

and tell stories from my point of view.

And as a woman, as a Black woman,
it's not the norm.

It's something we still have to fight
to get the right to do.

Twenty years ago, I didn't even dream
that I could do this.

I didn't think that opportunity
would come my way in my lifetime.

T.J. HOLMES: You're a Black woman
trying to get a film made

in a world dominated by white men.

How did that play into your difficulty?

That had everything to do with it.

Everything.

(applause)

T.J. HOLMES: Halle, like so many of us,

thought things would change for her
and others once she got that Oscar.

This moment is so much bigger than me.

"This is for every nameless,
faceless woman of color."

...that now has a chance,
because this door tonight has been opened.

T.J. HOLMES: You said that 20 years ago.

Has that come to fruition?

You know, I've been asked
this question so many times.

And um...

as if I should have the answer,
but I don't. But I will say this.

I do feel completely heartbroken

that there's no other woman
standing next to me in 20 years.

True, I thought, like everybody else,

that night meant
a lot of things would change.

That there would be other women.

I thought I would have the
script truck back up to my front door

and I'd have an opportunity
to play any role I wanted.

That didn't happen.
But what I do know happened that night

is that so many people
of color got inspired.

We didn't have Ava DuVernay
20 years ago, and Lena Waithe.

But when I look around
and I see my brothers and sisters working,

and thriving, and telling their own
stories from their point of view,

I'm proud of that.
And I see the movement forward.

And I think that night inspired
so many of those people

to dream those dreams.

Who was that for you?

Who was it that opened the doors

for you to be sitting here?
Who was it for you?

It was Dorothy. It was Lena.
It was Diahann Carroll.

It was Diana Ross, Pam Grier.

Eartha Kitt.

You know? These are the women
that paved the way for my generation

to come through.

REPORTER: Sidney!

T.J. HOLMES: She also counts
the legendary Sidney Poitier as a mentor,

a man who shared the honor
and perhaps the burden of being the first.

HALLE BERRY: He reminded me
of my responsibility,

being a woman of color.

He let me know how hard
this journey would continue to be.

And he also let me know
that he was proud of me.

Um, and he saw my efforts.

Is there one, over the past ten years,
20 years I guess,

that felt like, "Wow, I really am shocked
she didn't win it"?

Well, I was shocked last year,
when you had two nominated,

Viola and Andra Day,
and neither one of them won.

I would have bet my life and my kids
and my home and everything

that one of them would have walked away
with the award last year.

That-- that was pretty shocking.

I decided the answer is--
is to stop coveting this.

Because neither one
of these performers won this award,

it doesn't take anything away
from those performances,

or who they are as artists.

(soft music playing)

HALLE BERRY: I think we have to start
to change our perspective

because it's clear that we may not change
how the awards are handed out.

That's clear.

But in lieu of changing that,
what can we change?

We can change our participation
within the industry.

We can change how hard we fight
to tell our stories, the scripts we write.

(soft music continues)

T.J. HOLMES: I see tears in your eyes now.

It's not just a labor of love.
You went through it, Halle.

I did, I did.

I did, but...

the good thing is I'm a fighter.

And my hope is for the Tessa Thompsons,
and the Zendayas

that because I lived through my journey,

and I fought all the fights
that I had to fight and continue to fight,

that their fight will be indelibly easier.

(soft music continues)

I think we are definitely going
in the right direction.

I don't see us going backwards.

-That won't happen.
-T.J. HOLMES: Right.

How fast we'll go forward, well, that's--

that remains to be seen.

But I do think we're going forward,
for sure.

(soft music ends)

Cut!

Tonight, we are pulling back the curtain
and taking a look at what it meant

and what it means to be
a Black woman in Hollywood,

and the hard, winding path
to get to this moment.

Being a Black woman--

-Being a Black--
-...woman in Hollywood is rewarding.

Amazing.

We are in demand.

It can also be frustrating.
And it can also be lucrative.

Such a wonderful thing.

Right now.

(upbeat music)

Diana Ross.

Taraji P. Henson.

All right, everybody out.

Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, Eartha Kitt.

(purring)

There's so many!

We're talking about women who
have made work that just stays with you.

Being a Black woman in Hollywood
is wonderful for me, but it's hard.

The evolution of Black women
in Hollywood is complex,

just like our own history.

DEBBIE ALLEN: Nina Mae McKinney,
Ethel Waters, Louise Beavers,

Hattie McDaniel.

Let me tell you something
about the "Golden Age" of Hollywood.

It was not the "Golden Age" of Hollywood
for Black women.

I has told you and told you

that you can always tell a lady by the way
she eats in front of folks like a bird.

MARCELLAS REYNOLDS: We cannot
underestimate the importance

of Hattie McDaniel winning
the best supporting actress Oscar.

I sincerely hope I shall always be
a credit to my race

and to the motion picture industry.

I mean, we were maids, we did that.

The real issue is
that we weren't just that.

REGINA HALL: I think Lena Horne
and Dorothy Dandridge

really helped to have Black women seen.

Dorothy Dandridge triumphs
in Carmen Jones.

♪ We had ourselves some fun, didn't we? ♪

♪ And now it's done ♪

She's the first Black actress
to receive a best actress nomination.

Of course, she doesn't win.

KELLEY CARTER: We weren't getting
the same opportunities

that other people were getting, period.

By the time we get into the '70s,
we're really starting to see

the empowerment of Black women.

MARCELLAS REYNOLDS: Everyone knows
I'm a Pam Grier fan.

First of all, she's sexy.

She kicks ass.

(groaning) What are you trying to do,
kill me?

I damn well ought to, you rotten bastard!

CLAYTON DAVIS: And someone
like Diahann Carroll.

I mean the pearls, the hair,
the nails, the makeup, the style.

Hands down, one of the most
iconic scenes in television history

is that slap in Dynasty.

(gasps)

That was, like,
the slap heard 'round the world.

(gasps)

CLAYTON DAVIS: I look at the Clair
Huxtables that have really made a mark.

You see I am not serving
Dr. Huxtable, okay?

Phylicia Rashad brought her to life.

♪ There's no place like home ♪

MARCELLAS REYNOLDS: One of my favorite
shows from the '80s has to be 227.

You've got Marla Gibbs.

You've got Regina King in her first role.

Are you sure nothing's wrong?

Nothing.

MARLA GIBBS: I wanted Regina. "Well, no,
the network has somebody else."

I said, "No, we have to have Regina."

But you also have Jackée Harry.

I got in there, and I did my thing,
auditioned, and I knew I was fire.

And I only had two lines, you know:
"Who? What's your name? Mary?"

(chuckles) That was it.

Oh, this is fabulous!

I had the right dress on.
I had my little red dress on.

I wonder if I'll get paid
more money for this.

Thank you!

But I never thought about the fact
that I would be the only one

still to this day.

MARCELLAS REYNOLDS: If you think about how
few Black women have won awards,

when you think about their contemporaries,

their white contemporaries,
the numbers are astounding.

CLAYTON DAVIS: There have been 3140,
give or take, Oscar statuettes

that have been given out since 1929.

17 have gone to Black women.

Oh, my God, there's so many obstacles
to still overcome.

You know, we're gonna still
be singing that song.

♪ We shall overcome ♪

(funky music)

REGINA HALL: There is no different world
as we know it without Debbie Allen.

DEBBIE ALLEN: Oh, my God, we tripled the
enrollment of historically Black colleges.

Whitley!

What is this?

Mammy!

We did shows, "Mammy Dearest,"
date rape, voter registration.

We did the first show about AIDS.

MARCELLAS REYNOLDS: For me,
the first Black renaissance in Hollywood

has to be the '90s.

Molly, you in danger, girl.

MARCELLAS REYNOLDS: Whoopi Goldberg
winning the Oscar for Ghost

has to be one of the greatest moments
in Black Hollywood history.

♪ Oh, what's love got to do
got to do with it? ♪

MARCELLAS REYNOLDS: And to this day,
if you ask me who got robbed ever

for an Oscar, it was Angela Bassett

playing Tina Turner
in What's Love Got To Do With It.

Sorry.

KELLEY CARTER: I'm honestly getting chills
just thinking about

Halle Berry's Oscar acceptance speech.

It's for the women that stand beside me,

Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox.

KELLEY CARTER: We knew that what she was
saying was it took too long to get here.

It's one of the best,
greatest moments of sisterhood

I've ever seen in Hollywood.

REPORTER: Regina!

KELLEY CARTER: What I love
seeing happen right now

is all of the work that's happening
behind the camera.

Because here's a little-known secret,
America.

The real power in Hollywood is not this.

It's the money makers and the creatives
who work behind the camera.

We have so many great directors,
and executive producers,

from Shonda Rhimes, Mara Brock,
Lena Waithe.

CLAYTON DAVIS: Ava DuVernay.

The future for Black women in Hollywood
is whatever they want their future to be.

REGINA HALL: I love the idea of community.

I think the habit

of lifting each other up also creates room

for us to know that there's enough.

It's just an exciting time, I think,
to be a Black woman in Hollywood.

Welcome back.

For many, The Color Purple,
more than 35 years after its premiere,

remains as relevant now
as it was nearly four decades ago.

A story of sisterhood and struggle,
strength and survival.

Now, two defining roles are being
re-imagined in a powerful new production.

Tonight, for the first time,

we reveal the two actresses ready
to meet the challenge.

DANIELLE BROOKS: There she is! (laughing)

LINSEY DAVIS: "Kindred Spirits."

-DANIELLE BROOKS: Oh, my God!
-Hi, baby.

I've been wanting to meet you for so long.

LINSEY DAVIS: Danielle Brooks and Fantasia
are about to embark on a journey together.

I'm so excited to take
this journey with you.

LINSEY DAVIS: Two powerhouse performers
who brought down the house

in separate runs of The Color Purple
on Broadway.

Now, nearly 40 years after we first met
Celie and Sofia on the big screen,

these two iconic characters
are about to reintroduce themselves

to a whole new generation
in a musical remake of the 1985 classic.

It feels like a lot to take in, right?

BOTH: Yes.

That's sort of how God's blessings
kind of--

-Come on, now.
-You know, they come through.

In stepping into the part of Sofia,
it's-- it's-- it's very special.

How did you first hear
about The Color Purple?

Did you see the movie?
Did you read the book?

Oh, yeah, I saw the movie.

Um, being singers, of course,
the Shug Avery and the...

♪ Sister ♪

And the last, like,
I think I kind of connected

with Celie as well, as a young girl.

Hmm. In what ways do you relate to Celie?

The color of my skin, the-- the, my--

When I was younger, I would--
my lips were always bigger,

the biggest thing on my body.

I remember being on Idol, and
we had to come up with this little thing,

and I said uh, "My lips are big,
but my talent is bigger."

Uh, I had started accepting who I was
at that age, but when I was younger,

it was things that I'd dealt with.

Just feeling beautiful.
Uh, wanting a certain kind of love.

Uh, so I-- I-- We relate in a lot of ways.

LINSEY DAVIS: Dismissed and diminished,
Celie is married to an abusive husband.

Originally played by Whoopi Goldberg,

Celie's transformation and quiet strength
resonate with so many.

Everything you done to me,

already done to you.

LINSEY DAVIS: And then, there was Sofia,
strong and spirited.

I love Harpo.

God knows I do.

But I'll kill him dead
before I let him beat me.

LINSEY DAVIS: Oprah Winfrey
and Whoopi Goldberg

shined in two roles that showed the world
the enduring strength of Black women.

Celie is... How would you finish that?

Strength.

Celie is strong, bold, and beautiful.

Celie has purpose, and she's necessary.

I'm poor, Black,

I may even be ugly,

but dear God, I'm here.

LINSEY DAVIS: We asked the same question
to Whoopi Goldberg,

whose celebrated performance
was actually her first film.

How do you describe Celie?

She's uh... kind of like a coffee bean.

You have to really take the time
to watch her.

You have to see all the changes
that she goes through

as she's coming to fruition.

And then there she is.

This very powerful,

amazing flavor in the world.

But you have to pay attention.

You have to see,
you have to listen to her,

'cause she's so many women.

What did you feel that The Color Purple
did as far as the strength

of Black women on the big screen?

It reminds people that we are the backbone

of a lot of this country.

Do people still talk about Celie to you?

People yell it from trucks.

(both laughing)

People put their hands out the window.

-You know, people, all--
-LINSEY DAVIS: They do the fingers?

They do the fingers to me.

LINSEY DAVIS: More than 30 years
after the original film hit theaters,

we asked these new cast members
how they learned they'd landed the roles.

DANIELLE BROOKS: They were saying,
"Danielle, you have one more meeting

with the director, Blitz."

And then, all of a sudden,

this beautiful Black woman in purple
comes up on the screen.

-And it's Miss Oprah Winfrey.
-(meows)

It was Mama O!

LINSEY DAVIS: This was Danielle's
first time seeing a video of that call.

Hey.

-(screaming)
-Danielle.

Hey. How you doing?

-Look at my face.
-(all laughing)

I was like...

I am here,

representing all things purple

to tell you that you are our Sofia, Sofia.

Sofia, Sofia!

Such a pretty name. Sofia, Sofia!

Yes, it is.

(laughs)

I am so happy to pass whatever baton
from...

-I got a baton passed by Oprah!
-(all laughing)

LINSEY DAVIS: In her short career,
Danielle has played

a Shakespeare character
in Much Ado About Nothing,

an inmate in Orange is the New Black,

and an action hero in Peacemaker.

(screaming)

But she says it was The Color Purple
that inspired her to act.

DANIELLE BROOKS: When I was 15, my dad
and I had won this trip to New York.

And the only Broadway show,
besides The Lion King,

that was full of Black people
was The Color Purple. (laughs)

And I remember, like, seeing
all of these beautiful array

of different skin tones and voices,

and the story, and I just sat
like this and I cried.

-Mm.
-And I saw that it was possible,

like, I could do this thing
that I've been doing in my small town

of South Carolina.
I could do this for a living.

You got a Tony nomination for this role,

and yet you said that it took you
more than 400 times

of playing the role of Sofia
for you finally to say, "I can do this."

-Yes.
-LINSEY DAVIS: And I love it.

You say at some point that your purpose
became greater than your fears.

-Woo!
-Oh, yes. Definitely. 'Cause there--

-There's a sermon in there.
-Yes, there is.

But how did you get that shift
to come about?

It comes with time. It comes with failing.

-Oh.
-And getting up again.

And then also, like, knowing that the part
that is greater than me,

this is greater than me.

This is for my ancestors,
even my ancestors in this industry.

When I first entered into this industry,

I had a hard time navigating it,

because I didn't know how to find my feet.

I was so worried about, "Am I enough?
Do I look right?

Am I small enough? Am I big enough?"

Oh, man.

-"I can't change my skin color."
-Oh, man.

"Do I do straight hair?
I don't know how I fit."

Because the only blueprint that I have,
that box looks like this.

-And my box is supposed to be like this.
-Yes!

Come on, now you just preached
a whole sermon.

-I'm about to go through my pocketbook--
-Now, I am sitting in a pew...

...on Sunday morning
listening to the two of you.

Who was your inspiration, role models,
on screen, or on stage?

Of course I'm gonna say Aretha Franklin.
That was my girl.

For me, I get a kick off people who say,
"That door closed, that door closed,

that door closed, and I never stopped."

Because it lets me know that same spark
is in-- is within me.

All the doors closed,
but there was a window.

-Come on. Come on.
-(all laughing)

And I'm curious, now,
for the young girls who are watching,

and see themselves,
and see that representation and say,

"I can do it too."

Are you able to kind of see what you're
then providing for the next generation?

-That's my motivation.
-Yeah.

DANIELLE BROOKS: That is what gets me up
in the morning.

I think the one thing
that we have to accept,

-that even if it doesn't change...
-DANIELLE BROOKS: Right.

we continue to stand strong

-and bust the door wide open.
-DANIELLE BROOKS: Yeah.

Welcome back.

Her star is rising fast.

Actress Tessa Thompson has been appearing
in movies and TV for nearly two decades.

She's becoming one of the most
versatile actresses in Hollywood.

And like the Black pioneers
who came before her,

she feels a calling to open doors
for all women in Hollywood.

(upbeat music playing)

DEBORAH ROBERTS: In every Hollywood
success story, there's a starting point.

Where it all began.

TESSA THOMPSON: I really love theater.
It feels like home to me,

just 'cause it's sort of where
I come from.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: For actress
Tessa Thompson, that would be here,

the Barnum Hall Theater at Santa Monica
high school in southern California.

I had been performing
when I was a young girl in plays

and sort of as a hobbyist.
And high school was the first time

that I felt like I took it
with real seriousness,

that I started to understand
that it was a craft.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: A craft that became
a burning passion,

later leading to breakthrough roles
in films like For Colored Girls.

(in singsong) We was dancing.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: The action hero franchise
Thor.

The romantic drama Sylvie's Love.

And hit TV series Westworld.

TESSA THOMPSON (in character): Most people
don't wanna see the predator inside.

You are one of the most versatile
and visible actresses out there.

Not Black actresses. Actresses out there.

Did you always see this for yourself?
That you would be in this moment?

Goodness, no. Absolutely not.

Especially being here
at my high school in this auditorium.

I think I always wanted
to make a difference in some way.

I sort of had the hubris of youth,

thinking that you could, you know,
make a contribution.

-That you could do what you wanted.
-TESSA THOMPSON: Exactly.

So I was always connected to that,
but not necessarily through storytelling.

And even as I started to think
about acting as something

that I might like to pursue,
it was more in the theater.

I hadn't thought about television or film.

I didn't necessarily see it
as a career path.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: So far, Tessa's created
a wide-ranging body of work

with memorable portrayals of strong women,

like civil rights legend Diane Nash
in Selma.

-Ms. Nash.
-Mr. Bevel.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: A determined
hearing-impaired musician

in the Creed franchise.

I'll beat him.

You better.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: And a conflicted
bi-racial woman in Passing.

Is it by design that these characters
that you pick are so different?

It is at this point.

I mean, I think certainly
in the beginning of your career,

you are just hoping to get a job.

But I think, you know, at a certain point,

I started to feel like I don't know
how long I can stay in this industry,

'cause it feels very narrow.

It seems to me, from what I've seen,
that you don't want to be put in a box,

you do not want to be pigeon-holed,
whether it's sexually, racially,

when you're playing roles,

I mean, because you've talked about
your attraction to men and women.

-TESSA THOMPSON: Mm-hmm.
-Is that important to you,

not to be boxed
in any kind of a stereotype?

Yes, hugely.

I would feel bored
with not being able to really play,

and also stretch outside of myself.

I think the gift of acting
is you get to, you know,

express, and get beyond
who you are, in a way.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: She remembers a quote
from one of her teachers,

"To love the art in you
and not you in the art."

At 38, Tessa Thompson is keenly aware
of the importance of her art,

and its power to influence and inspire.

TESSA THOMPSON: I remember being young
and the first time I could see,

you know, myself projected
on screen in some way.

Was there anybody that you saw
growing up who just, for you,

that was a moment where you thought,
"Wow, I can do this?"

I remember the first time
I saw Eartha Kitt in Anna Lucasta,

and something about her spirit in that,

I mean, her spirit in general
has always been something

that really appeals to me,
this idea of invention.

Sorry I'm rushing,
but uh, I got to get out of town.

I remember seeing Lisa Bonet
early in her career.

And thinking, "Oh, wow."

So many women, Diahann Carroll
was huge for me,

and Angela Bassett.

I remember being very young and seeing her

in What's Love Got To Do With It?
And it just blew me away.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: Tessa Thompson
grew up mainly in California,

the bi-racial daughter of free-spirited
parents who encouraged her to dream.

Her mom, an artist,
is part white and Mexican.

Her dad, a Black Panamanian musician.

TESSA THOMPSON: School was tricky for me
when I was young, definitely.

My sister is,
for all intents and purposes, white,

and we were in school together,
only two years apart.

So there was a lot of confusion
as to how we related to each other.

Which is a part of the reason
why we moved here to Santa Monica.

My mom was intent on getting us
into a better school district,

and into schools where I wasn't, you know,
"one of the only ones."

(indistinct conversation)

So this is pretty vast. I mean,
this is like a college campus.

How long has it been
since you've set foot on this campus?

I think almost since I graduated.

I'm embarrassed to say, like, maybe,
at least at this point, a decade.

You are standing on some broad shoulders.

Hattie McDaniel, Dorothy Dandridge,

Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson,

Ruby Dee. We could go on and on and on.

Are you conscious of that regularly?

Yes, hugely.

I had a very surreal moment recently.

I was at um, a luncheon,
and Halle Berry was speaking.

Someone who I've watched,
you know, my entire life.

And she said something,
she said my name on stage,

and she said Ruth Negga's name,

who was my costar, of course, in Passing.

And Jennifer Hudson's name,
who was across the table from me.

And there was this real sense
of us being linked,

that we were always linked.

I look at so many of my contemporaries
that have a tremendous amount of power

and ownership, that have their companies,
that are making opportunities,

that are doing it their way.

DEBORAH ROBERTS: And Tessa's now working
to do things her way too

with her own production company
called Viva Maude.

Her goal, to create roles
for a variety of women

of all races, ethnicities, and all colors.

DEBORAH ROBERTS:
Let's talk about something for a second

that our community doesn't like
to talk about a lot, colorism.

Is there a different journey for women
depending on the tone of your skin,

would you say, in Hollywood?

Absolutely.

Absolutely. It's undeniable.

If you just look at Hollywood iconography,
by and large, you can see it.

It's clear as day.

And I think that's a part of the design
of my company,

with Viva Maude, is really wanting,

you know, looking at Hollywood,
looking at this problem of colorism,

going, "Sometimes I contribute to that.

I'm certainly the benefactor of that,
in some ways." Right?

Like, what can I do? What is actionable?

And I think one thing is just
to be able, in whatever way I can,

to foster projects that actually allow
for a wealth of Black women

to be on screen that are all shades,
that are all colors.

Are there roles that you wouldn't take?

Would you play a maid, or a slave?

That's interesting. I mean...

I wouldn't be inclined to say no.

But I think the kind of storytelling
that I'm interested in is can we--

can we talk about an old idea in new ways?

You've gained so much
from those who came before you.

What do you want to leave
to those who now are being inspired

by Tessa Thompson?

I think freedom to show up

more authentically

as the fullest expression of yourself,
whatever that means.

To feel that you can also be of service

to your community, to your race,

by being free to be who you are.

I think that's something
that matters to me.

That's something I'd like to offer.

Finally tonight,
there is so much more to Hollywood

than what you see in front of the camera.

So we gathered together
a new generation of power brokers,

producers, directors, artists

who are just beginning
to wield their influence.

Sunny Hostin is "in the Kitchen."

It's my pleasure to introduce everyone

to Marsai, to Robi, to Carla, to Alana.

And they're joining me today
"in the Kitchen" at the Getty Center.

Let's talk about,
sort of, the elephant in the room,

because, I think, for a long time,
we haven't had representation.

Especially as Black women,
even though we're so powerful.

Do you consider, now, being a Black woman,
I'll start with you, Carla,

you're a superpower?

I have to be honest.

The way I was raised
and the women that were around me,

I always knew I was powerful.

And I never saw anyone
in my life who really wasn't.

SUNNY HOSTIN: Wow.

CARLA FARMER: So, I knew about this power.

ROBI REED: I always had,
you know, a confidence,

because I really, truly, believed
I was doing what I was born to do.

But I remember, years later, once
I was established as a casting director,

and there was a very established
white producer, showrunner,

on a show that I was casting.

And a comment he made
to some other of the um, co-workers

was that I didn't act
like I needed the job.

And I had that attitude.

You were lucky to be there.

Basically.

But I was like,
"What does that even mean?"

Why is confidence seen as arrogance?

CARLA FARMER: My impression is
you don't know your place.

In your mind, I should be humbled,

which I do,
I do consider myself a humble person.

But you should operate in a way
that makes me comfortable with you.

(all agreeing)

ROBI REED: I just think back, too,
as you-- when you asked that question,

Eddie Murphy, and he was directing
his first film,

and he wanted me to cast it.

And I had, you know,
only done a few things.

School Daze, I think,
was the only film at the time.

So, true, I didn't have
a lot of experience.

SUNNY HOSTIN: Pretty good film.

ROBI REED: And there were
many doubting Thomases.

But it was really Eddie who stood up
and said, "This is who I want.

And she is more than capable."

SUNNY HOSTIN: I just wanna talk to you
a little bit about your journeys,

because they're such impressive ones.

Um, let me start with you, Marsai.

The youngest person,
also African American,

to produce a movie.

MARSAI MARTIN: I guess for the most part
it's been fun. It's been exciting.

It's been surreal.

I feel like, uh, the reason why I started
in the industry in the first place

was because I didn't see no one
who even looked like me,

um, or anyone that was a young Black girl
would just be in act one.

Or be like, um, some-- somebody
that doesn't get a lot of shine,

or presented in the right ways.

Speaking of journeys, Miss Robi Reed,

what gave you what it took

to be the person
to give people like Marsai

an opportunity to be
in front of the camera?

With casting, it's something
that I believed I was born to do.

That I'm walking in my purpose
and that God gave me an eye for talent.

SUNNY HOSTIN: That's so powerful.
You're helping people attain their dreams.

In this industry, I think our beauty
has never been lauded

in the way that, you know,
white beauty has been.

Um, and what I see when you work
is I see, you know, afro puffs

and I see this glorification
of our beauty.

Did you get a lot of pushback
in the industry?

There have been a few times
where they wanted

a different kind of look where it's like,

"No, they're poor,
so they have to look dirty,

or they have to look broke."

And I said, um, "Can I just explain
to you about my culture?"

Yeah.

CARLA FARMER: So when they trust to hire
someone as myself, it does help.

It helps to portray
what needs to be portrayed.

SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah.

And representation, we know,
Alana, is so important, right?

Yeah.

-How do you decide now...
-ALANA MAYO: Yeah.

...which projects deserve to be elevated?

I look at my job as giving money
and resources to talented people.

And I wanted to do that for women.
I wanted to do that for people of color.

And I wanted to do that for queer folks.

Because we do not see
nearly enough stories...

No, we don't.

ALANA MAYO: From one, this brilliant
community of people,

or communities of people

or that represent
those stories authentically.

SUNNY HOSTIN: What do you hope Hollywood
will look like in the future?

What I wanna do,
and my whole team knows this,

is I wanna spread more Black joy.

Spread more, um, of us in different
genres that you don't see.

-Like, I wanna be a robot.
-Yeah.

You know, like what's wrong with that?

I say this story often, but after,

like, season one of Black-ish,

we were at our agency, and I was like,
"All right, what's next?"

And there was, like, stacks of scripts.

Like, we were thinking
we were gonna get some stuff.

Like, oh, shoot,
we about to audition again. Let's go.

And they were just going through
each script saying,

"Well, there's no little Black girls here.

There's none here, there's none here,
there's none here."

So, basically, just trying
to prove their point

that I can't be in, in uh, in these areas.

In terms of change, yes,

with, you know,
the Alanas running studios?

I mean, and you're not 40 yet.

My God, that's huge.

On the systemic level,

there's still so much more
that needs to change.

So, I would love to see, you know,
the studios, television,

film, streamers,
all our concentration of power

and where decisions are made.

And I would love to see different people
with green light power.

I mean, Marsai, the producer,
gets to hire people on her movies.

There's nothing
like that green light power.

A lot of people don't know that.

No movies get done, unless it's green lit
from the right people.

-Yes.
-SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes.

So, thank you all so much
for sharing your wisdom,

and your power, most importantly,
with me and with our viewers.

Let's keep the conversation going.

Use the hashtag, #inthekitchen,

to voice your opinions
on the topics we discussed today.

Thank you.

JENEE OSTERHELDT: Regina King
has always seen us.

She walked into our lives as Brenda on 227

and never did she stop
giving us reflections.

She's given us protection.

In a world that weighs us down
with lies about ourselves,

honest representation
can be a silver screen salvation.

She's the magic behind
that One Night in Miami,

and she did that with Trudy.

Oh sister night, Regina King,

you are the sun,
and we reflect your light.

You are ours, and we are yours.

We don't know you, but we know you.

A sisterhood of Black women grows you.

Regina King, you have loved us
the way Black women love each other

and hug each other so deep
our souls soar right up in the air.

You are loved.

You are loved.

You

are

love.