Studios expect more from Black films before investing, putting undue pressure on creators.
Bailey advocates for Black creators like Nina Lee, who are determined to share their stories.
Despite racist backlash, Bailey feels empowered by the support of fellow Black women in Hollywood.
Halle Bailey has no problem calling out the entertainment industry for how much harder it is to get Black films made.
Source: Gary Gershoff / Getty
Fans are waiting anxiously to see Bailey’s upcoming rom-com opposite Regé-Jean Page, You, Me & Tuscany, when it hits theaters this Friday.
While there are a lot of people who are just excited to see the film because of its stars, others have some more skin in the game. Late last month, writer and director Nina Lee revealed that she’s anxiously waiting to see the film’s box office success in hopes it will lead studios to greenlight other Black rom-coms, including her own.
“1. Met with a studio about my already shot romcom and they won’t buy it until they see how You, Me & Tuscany does,” she revealed in a tweet on March 25. “2. Met with an exec about a romance script I have, they won’t buy it until they see how You, Me & Tuscany does.”
In a recent interview with Complex, Bailey was asked about this discourse and the fact that studios expect so much more from Black films. During that conversation, the singer and actress voiced her support for Lee and other Black creators who have received such 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,” she said. “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.”
Bailey 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.”
In another interview, the actress talked to The Independent about the significance of seeing a Black-led rom-com in theaters.
“It’s weird that it is so rare,” she told the outlet. “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.”
In that same interview, Bailey opened up about her time after being cast in The Little Mermaid, which caused racist trolls to voice their outrage at Disney for casting a Black actor as Ariel. Despite all of the backlash she faces, Halle said the film was “a beautiful experience for me — and I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside. I learned how to block out the noise.”
“How do I explain it…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,” she continued. “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.’”
While facing so much racist backlash, Bailey says she felt supported from fellow stars, revealing, “Zendaya also reached out, and Ariana Grande was so nice.”
“As women, I think we form a little protective bubble around each other, especially when we see a peer going through lots of opinions. Rachel [Zegler] was definitely one of those people. I love her,” Bailey said. “We all understand what a vulnerable place it is to be, and at the end of the day, we are young women… we’re self-conscious… we’re insecure. I’m insecure at times, and sometimes the opinions of people can muddy your own thoughts. So it’s special to have a community who’s there to say, ‘You’re amazing. We’re here for you.’”
