Regina King opens up about Hollywood to Gina Prince-Bythewood
The actress is on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter this month
In an exclusive interview from her Hollywood Reporter cover, Regina King opens up about Hollywood to filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Regina King keeps winning, and we love to see it. From historic Emmy wins, an acclaimed feature directorial debut, to her first time hosting SNL, King is nonstop, and apparently, The Hollywood Reporter has noticed.
King is featured on the latest cover in a white ensemble, which features a candid conversation between her and Gina Prince-Bythewood, famed writer-director of Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees, and more.
Read More: Netflix dominates Golden Globe nominations; Regina King grabs best director nom
In the conversation, Prince-Bythewood asked King about her “Black female lens,” a common question presented to Black female filmmakers.
King responded saying, “I’ve been asked that question as well, Gina, and you know how I’ve answered it? ‘Absolutely. But what my Black female brings to it is different than what Gina’s Black female lens brings to it.’ We could tell a story that could be about the same subject matter but be a different perspective.”
She explained how she addresses the common question when asked and highlights the contradiction between herself and her white counterparts. King shared, “So, when I get hit with that question, I challenge that person to understand that: one, you would never ask a white male director that question; and two, that that is the reason why we need more [of us].”
She continues, “So many stories are told through the white male gaze — they feel so familiar all the time because we’ve gotten all of their different perspectives. We’ve gotten more different white male perspectives than we’ve gotten different Black female perspectives or different Asian male perspectives.”
The two film titans also shared their feelings on paving the way in the industry.
Prince-Bythewood explained, “I feel like I’ve been in a sustained fight for 25 years in this industry,” to which King replied, “I find myself constantly thinking as I’m talking to make sure I’m choosing my words wisely and still being honest to myself.”
“Because I understand that in order for us to actually witness a change in our lifetime, we have to express how we feel, who we are, but also do it with grace so that we can receive all of the different people who are needed to truly make that shift happen,” King shared.
King, whose film One Night in Miami is earning tons of awards recognition, recently sat down with theGrio and opened up about her new movie.
She hopes the project is “a call to action,” saying, “I have to believe that the universe has no– there’s no mistaking that this and other pieces of art that are out there are going to motivate people in some way… Hopefully, some life will imitate art.”
You can read Regina King and Gina Prince-Bythewood’s conversation in full here.
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