00:00Hey, Essence family, it's Gia Peppers here
00:03at the Los Angeles film premiere of Netflix's
00:06highly anticipated remake, The Harder They Fall.
00:09Now, we all know this cast is star-studded
00:12and black A-list Hollywood is in the building
00:15to celebrate tonight.
00:17You're looking good, Sam.
00:24You gotta stay tuned because we're about to have so much fun.
00:27Let's go.
00:30Here with the icon, the legend herself, Regina King,
00:48who is starring in The Harder They Fall.
00:51You know, there's so much to be said about the history
00:53of the missing black cowboy
00:54that we're really reinterpreting here.
00:57So, what was your favorite fact,
00:59or anything that you found out while you were preparing for
01:02or getting to be a part of this film?
01:03Was there any story that you loved
01:04that really inspired your character?
01:06I think that it was just more than anything
01:09my surprise that I didn't consider
01:11that that many of us existed as black cowboys,
01:14just because we've been omitted from that part of history
01:20in such a blatant way.
01:22And at the end of the day, you know, we all kind of subscribe
01:26to the construct that's been placed before us.
01:28And I've never been a fan of Westerns.
01:31So, to have this opportunity to be educated by James Samuel
01:38of our presence during this time of history.
01:43And he's not even American, you know what I mean?
01:46I mean, yeah, yeah.
01:48But that's the thing that goes to show, like, the importance
01:51of reminding ourselves that it's not who's delivering the knowledge.
01:59The beautiful thing about this is what James has done is he's taken
02:03all of these real people that have existed and has created a story
02:09where they can all cross paths together so that we can meet them at once
02:14and that we can do our job to find out more about them.
02:18I love that.
02:18Yeah.
02:19You know, you have been no stranger to the Essence pages.
02:22I'm sure you have countless covers.
02:23But there are so many women that are watching and are maybe intimidated
02:27and walking into boardrooms with all men, walking into sets with all men,
02:30and you just handle it so beautifully, it seems like.
02:33So, if there was any advice for any women who might be suffering imposter syndrome
02:36or anything about working with these all-male spaces,
02:39what would you say to black women about just owning their presence on screen or whatever?
02:44I would say that you can be strong with a smile.
02:51You know, I think this is so often that we think that we have to be,
02:55and then we get this really, which I think is unfair,
02:59when women are strong and we're bossing up, we're considered a bitch.
03:04Well, when men are doing it, they're considered bosses, right?
03:07Yeah.
03:07And I do feel like there's a, if you want to call us a bitch, we could be a bitch with a smile.
03:15Period.
03:17Alright, we are here with Richard and Tina Lawson.
03:19It's a family affair tonight.
03:24So, what were some of the conversations that were happening when they decided to come onto this project,
03:28especially Jay-Z?
03:29Well, I was excited about it, because we've been discussing cowboys,
03:35because a really good friend of ours, Glenn Turman, is a real-life cowboy,
03:38and he's involved in the Jim Pickett rodeo.
03:41And we always talk about black cowboys' roles in movies have been so small,
03:48and it's like they've been like hands, you know?
03:50And so, to see them to be kick-ass cowboys, I'm so excited.
03:56So, you know, they've been talking about this project, and I've never seen Jay and the people involved.
04:01The director, the producer, James Lasseter, James the director, they have all been so passionate
04:08about this project.
04:09So, I knew it was going to be awesome.
04:10Yeah, yeah.
04:11I have to ask, because you have an acting school that is so well-renowned,
04:15to have this story retold with a cast of black actors, what is the power in that decision?
04:21And especially within the history of this film in itself, to retell it with a black cast,
04:26what does that mean for Hollywood?
04:28Well, it means the world, because, you know, we as young people, as kids, grew up
04:33watching white people portray others.
04:37Charlie Chan.
04:39You look at one of my favorite films as a kid, Things of Soul.
04:44Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:44I forgot the name.
04:46Imitation of Life.
04:46Imitation of Life.
04:47There you go.
04:48Imitation of Life.
04:49The black girl was played by a white girl, you know, the fair-skinned black girl.
04:53So, now we're telling our stories.
04:58We're the ones that's putting the people who are those people on the screen.
05:03We write it.
05:04I've come through 50 years of other people telling our stories.
05:09In the days of, you know, in all the comedies, That's My Mama, Good Times, all of those,
05:16the Jeffersons, were white writers writing black comedy.
05:20And so, to see us at the helm in all areas is ultimately important.
05:26Yeah.
05:27We are here at the Heart of the Fall premiere with Tiana Taylor and Miss Coco.
05:31The aunties, okay?
05:32Um, so, you know, this is such an incredible film, obviously, that we're about to see.
05:36But what I love is it's men and women kicking cowboy butt.
05:40Tell me about how powerful it is to see both black men and women retelling this story.
05:45Man, I think it's amazing.
05:47Honestly, I'm excited to see it.
05:48I've just seen it previews and got hyped.
05:50Like, this took it back to when previews used to be really, really good.
05:53You feel me?
05:54So, it's like, I'm up in here.
05:56You know, I'm in there.
05:57So, I can't wait to see.
05:58You know what I'm saying?
05:58I'm excited to see it.
06:00Lil Rel is here today at the Heart of the Fall premiere.
06:04Tell me how excited you are to see this film, because are you as excited as I am is the question.
06:08I'm extremely excited to see this film.
06:10A lot of my friends are in this movie.
06:12The Carters are producing, which is family, too.
06:15So, this is a beautiful moment with this whole movie.
06:18I cannot wait to see it.
06:20I came basically straight off a plane, changed and came straight up here.
06:23So, that's how excited I am.
06:25It means no introduction tonight, but James Samuel, film directorial debut.
06:30Like, this is incredible.
06:31So, how does tonight feel right now?
06:33Like, are you having an outer body experience?
06:35Not really.
06:36A very in-body experience, but I just feel like it's awesome.
06:41It's a really great thing.
06:46It's an experience that is long overdue, right?
06:50So, I'm more like, as opposed to like, oh my god.
06:53I'm just like, we're here.
06:54We're here.
06:55There's nothing otherworldly about it.
06:57We're here because we deserve to be here.
06:59We're in this story because we deserve to be in this story.
07:02And people could stop telling us we were subservient.
07:04Every time they show us in a period piece, they're showing us subservience and weak.
07:09And the women, like, less than human.
07:11And the men, women of all colors in westerns, right?
07:14Just always subservient.
07:15And I love the genre so much, I just needed to broaden the narrative.
07:19But we're here because we deserve to be here.
07:21You know what I mean?
07:22I love that.
07:22And I have to ask you, as Essence is representing on the carpet,
07:26you really made an equal opportunity to have black women in the lead as well as black men.
07:30Tell me about that decision to intentionally have black women as A-list, like Regina, as well.
07:36Because every single person here comes from a woman.
07:39The strongest people I've ever met in my life were black women.
07:44If you take this out of the narrative, firstly, on a basic root level,
07:50you've actually ruined the swag.
07:53You can have so much more if you just obey the truth.
07:56I don't know what people are trying to run from.
07:58Like, black women.
08:01Like, Lauryn Hill.
08:02Like, what the hell?
08:03Like, Queen Lativa.
08:05MC, like, I'm just saying black women.
08:07You can't, you can't, it's just such a powerful, um, addition.
08:13That I want to make the best movie possible.
08:15In order to make the best movie possible,
08:18we need to stray away from the narratives and the habits that we have.
08:21Met male man.
08:24It's BS.
08:24Like, we want to, we need to broaden that narrative and show how dope women are in general,
08:30and how women are, like.
08:31Oh, I love it.
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