Black excellence within the film industry has inspired us for over a century. Due to the pandemic of 2020, so many people spent their free time enjoying and appreciating television, movies, and the arts. Now more than ever, it seems like an opportune time to honor those who’ve lent us their talents, and these Black A-listers are showing us how.
Number One on the Call Sheet is a new documentary doing just that by spotlighting the artistry and achievements of Black actors and actresses by exploring what it takes for Black actors to be successful in Hollywood.
Veteran actor Jamie Foxx, comedian Kevin Hart, and film producers Datari Turner and Dan Cogan have partnered to create the documentary coming to Apple TV+ soon. Black Hollywood fixtures Angela Bassett and Halle Berry, screenwriter Reginald Hudlin, and Hart Beat Studios president Bryan Smiley also serve as executive producers.
The documentary will investigate how Black actors have navigated, overcome, and shined in Hollywood. It will be split into two parts, one focusing on the legacies of Black women and the other, Black men.
According to the press release, “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood” is aptly executive produced by Bassett and Berry and directed by award-winning filmmaker Shola Lynch. Lynch directed the documentaries “Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed” (2004) and “Free Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners” (2012) Its twin, “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood” is helmed by Hudlin. Hudlin also directed Marshall (2017) and “The Black Godfather” (2019).
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On Wednesday, Hart shared his enthusiasm for the documentary in an Instagram post, saying, “HartBeat Productions couldn’t be happier about this opportunity…Can’t wait to tell these amazing stories of the ups and downs that come with being #1 on the call sheet.”
Foxx also said in an Instagram post that it will hopefully serve as “case studies for generations to come”.
Foxx, who voiced the protagonist of Pixar’s overwhelmingly successful Soul, has raked in award nominations from the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes, and NAACP this award season.
After another year of scene-stealing performances by luminaries like Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield’s in Judas and the Black Messiah, the need for proper recognition and investment in Black entertainers remains unmistakably clear.
Both films have also been nominated for Oscars at the 93rd Academy Awards, which airs this Sunday, April 25th.
Read More: Oscars 2021: Black winners from the last ten years
Number One on the Call Sheet is set to debut with other award-nominated Apple Original documentaries like Boys State, Beastie Boys Story, and The Banker. There is no release date yet.
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