Hitting theaters this week from Universal Pictures is producer Will Packer’s upcoming comedy Little, starring Black-ish star Marsai Martin, Issa Rae and Regina Hall. The movie is based on a pitch by Martin.
Regina Hall and Marsai Martin both star as Jordan Sanders — Hall as the take-no-prisoners tech mogul adult version of Jordan and Martin as the 13-year-old version of her who wakes up in her adult self’s penthouse just before a do-or-die .
Insecure’s Issa Rae plays Jordan’s long-suffering assistant April, the only one in on the secret that her daily tormentor is now trapped in an awkward tween body just as everything is on the line. Little is an irreverent new comedy about the price of success, the power of sisterhood and having a second chance to grow up — and glow up — right.
For Regina Hall, she gets to work along Issa Rae after appearing on Rae’s HBO show Insecure as well as the Black Lives Matter film, The Hate U Give. She recently spoke exclusively with Blackfilm.com regarding her role, being mean or bullied and the message this film brings.
Nicole Granston: How did you enjoy playing the character of Jordan in this movie? It’s not everyday you get to play the mean girl.
Regina Hall: I loved playing Jordan because she was so rotten. You like her because she’s hilarious. I mean, who cuts people while they’re in line, stares them down and then calls them broke? The look she gave them was so rude. Who does that? She was unbearable but I loved playing her. It was so much fun.
NG: We all have a ‘hulk’ impulse. Was there ever a time in life where you were the mean girl or were you ever bullied?
RH: I wasn’t the mean girl and I wasn’t bullied because I would fight. My brothers would make me fight. I hated to see anyone get bullied, so I would stand up for people. I always feel like you can discuss something with people and express how you feel without being demeaning or yelling. Although there’s room for human error, as we can’t live in a state of human perfection. But it is fun to play someone that does not know how to do that and is out of her mind.
NG: What was your favorite scene(s) from the movie?
RH: The one where she’s telling them to come up with ideas and wondering why they can’t in that awful environment. One person is crying and Jordan yells, “this isn’t about you” and then she turns to someone else and says, “you know you need the health benefits”. That scene was fun to do because some of it was improved and they didn’t know what was coming. There’s also the scene at the end where she unveils the new logo. I don’t want to give too much away but you realize Jordan has come a long way, but she’s still not fully there.
NG: In the movie we see Little Jordan being bullied and it shapes the type of adult she becomes. What would you tell your 13-year-old self in regards to how to treat people? What message do you want the young girls who are going to see the movie to understand?
RH: Always have compassion because you have the power to affect someone forever. Lead with how you would want to be treated. Be more celebratory, less judgmental and not mean because those teenagers years are rough. I remember my friend Pia and I were a little tough on this one girl because she was terrible at turning double-dutch. She was double handed and picking teammates for jump rope was important in middle school. For black girls, double-dutch was huge. We would always make a big deal out of it and single her out. I’m not sure if that ever affected her but she couldn’t help how she turned the rope. Maybe I would have been nicer and let her turn. What means so much to you then as a child isn’t as significant as you get older. When you’re younger you don’t necessarily have the capacity to understand the emotional impact of your words or what repercussions it can have on someone later on in life, but I would tell the young girls, to just have compassion and be nice.
NG: There’s a lot of #blackgirlmagic in this movie. The movie was written, directed, produced and co-stars black women. It also highlights an entrepreneurial black woman in tech. What are your thoughts on the importance of being able to portray Jordan?
RH: To be able to portray a successful black female in the field of technology is wonderful. It’s great to show examples. The truth is, there aren’t many women at all in that arena. For Jordan’s company, it was quite diversified. We had a lot of women working there. To be alive at a time when there’s so much opportunity to have examples of diversity on screen and for it to be so well received is remarkable. There’s a lot of #blackgirlmagic but we want people to feel the #girlmagic too. When these young women grow up, they will have an image of what an entrepreneur looks like. It won’t be exclusive to one gender or one race. It will continue to create more diversified pallets on screen and off.
NG: In your Essence Black Women in Hollywood speech, you talked about the psychic you bumped into at the age of 29 that said, “You would be very successful later on in life. Like later, later”. Not only are you an Executive Producer you’re also co-starring in the film. Do you feel this is truly your ‘later’ or is there something even greater on the horizon?
RH: This is definitely a part of later. I don’t know what the next later will be. In your 20’s you think there’s going to be this giant moment, that’s going to define you. It just wasn’t my story. Of course the last thing you want to hear when you feel like you’re ready for your now, is “later”, but I do get it now and I look at success differently. I do understand that everybody is unique so everybody’s road to things is different and special too. I get to co-star and executive produce on this film. I’ve always wanted to produce, so this film and the show Black Monday gave me an incredible opportunity.
NG: How much fun have you had working with Don Cheadle on Black Monday (Showtime)?
RH: I love Don. He’s great. He’s so smart. He’s really funny and so quick. He can say something and you don’t even know it’s a joke, until afterwards when he flashes a smirk. I didn’t know him before but I was a huge Don Cheadle fan. Having gotten to know him, I’ve realized he’s so good that you can’t even tell how good he is until you’ve had a chance to work with him. There’s an effortlessness about him. I said to myself, “I hope I don’t suck and ruin this man’s show”. He’s really just a fun guy to work with.
NG: How was it working with Issa again after The Hate U Give and Insecure?
RH: Issae is incredibly talented. I love watching her create so many things for herself and other people with her production company. She’s wonderful. I actually met Issae years and years ago. We wrote a pitch together. This was after Awkward Black Girl but pre-Insecure. It was such a good concept, but nobody bought it. It was a comedy. We cracked ourselves up writing it. We’re going to revisit it.
NG: Do you prefer Comedies or Dramas?
RH: I love them both. They are both great to me.
NG: The independent comedy film ‘Support the Girls’ was very well received. For that you won the NY Film Critics Best Actress Award and you were the first black woman to win that category in its 83-year existence.
RH: Yes, that was such an honor. The filmmaker, Andrew Bujalski, who wrote the film didn’t say what race Lisa was. I loved the idea that he decided to cast it as a black woman. The New York Times and all the critics were incredibly supportive of that movie. I think the movie had the lifespan that it did because of the critics. From the moment it came out at SXSW, the critics were incredibly supportive.
NG: You’ve been in this business a long time. 20 years after making the Best Man, most of the cast is still working at top level. What would you say is the staying power or the key to success to be in the business?
RH: First of all, I think they are all incredibly talented. I think that happened to be a cast where everyone was just amazing. I think it’s important to pick projects that you hope people will want to see. Also, having the opportunity to pick roles that show you in different capacities so that people are always pleasantly surprised.
Clip – Jordan Demands New Ideas from Her Team
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