Inside The Atlanta Premiere For 'Little' Starring Marsai Martin, Issa Rae & Regina Hall
At just 14 years old, Black-ish star Marsai Martin is the epitome of black girl magic.
Unapologetically natural and confident, Marsai is the youngest executive producer in Hollywood. Yes, you read that correctly! Not only is she the star of the highly anticipated film Little, she's also the executive producer. Talk about boss moves!
Related: Marsai Martin Is Proof That We're Never Too Old Or Too Young To Pursue Our Wildest Dreams
Thursday night (April 4), hundreds of movie lovers gathered at Regal in Atlantic Station for the blue carpet premiere of Little. Filmed in Atlanta, the film follows the life of an overbearing tech mogul Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall). Scorned by her catastrophic childhood, Jordan has a larger than life attitude. So much so, she treats everyone including her assistant, April (Issa Rae), like trash. Jordan's life gets turned upside down when a spell turns her back into the person she tries so hard to forget -- her 13-year-old self. Now, younger Jordan (Marsai Martin) must depend on the very person she treated poorly to help her navigate life as a tween.
To walk the evening's blue carpet were Marsai Martin, Issa Rae, Regina Hall, Will Packer, Little director Tina Gordon, Star's Luke James, Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, V-103 host Jade Novah, and many more.
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationGetty Images
On the carpet, xoNecole caught up with Marsai to find out what it was like working with such beautiful, talented black women:
"It was amazing! I worked with Gina on 'Black-ish,' so we go way back. It was more of a family reunion with her and most of the people on the crew. But, with Issa, I was actually nervous. I was nervous because she's actually a creator herself. So, I was like do you like the script? But, when I started working with her the chemistry was there, and she's so chill and easy to work with."
Marsai and Issa's chemistry on-screen is simply undeniable! Together, they resemble the female version of Shawn and Marlon Wayans.
INSIDE THE ATLANTA PREMIERE OF LITTLEwww.youtube.com
Brighter than Issa's smile was the glacier sitting gracefully on her ring finger. From the success of her hit HBO show, Insecure, to landing a lead role in the upcoming film The Photograph, it's safe to say Issa is having what I like to a call a "Cardi B year".
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationGetty Images
Issa wasn't the only lady basking in her black girl magic. While most children are concerned about recess and cartoons, Marsai had her eyes on something bigger. She noticed the lack of black characters in the 1988 film Big and thought why not do a modern version, but with a majority black cast. She pitched her idea to producer Will Packer and the rest was history. Will loved the idea so much he enlisted the help of an all-black female crew to bring Marsai's vision to the big screen.
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationGetty Images
To reintegrate the importance of a black woman's perspective in Hollywood Will told xoNecole:
"First of all, it hasn't been told enough. We don't have enough black female storytellers telling their story. So, for me to be able to empower somebody like a Tina Gordon…when you think about black female directors, there are very few, and especially very few in the comedy space. So, I'm just proud to be able to left one up."
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationGetty Images
Uplifting and funny, Little touches on themes of self-empowerment, personal evolution, bullying, and the importance of encouraging those around you. Director Tina Gordon explained to xoNecole why the theme of being authentic really resonated with her:
"People say it as something simple, but a lot of things can get in the way of you being your authentic self. So, the idea of people saying you can't do this or no one has ever done that before—in the case of Marsai. Little negative things that people say along the way sometimes changes who we really are. So, the movie just asks you to take a moment and think about if you've adjusted anything in yourself because of something someone said negatively about you and get back to being authentic."
Do your inner child a favor and be sure to catch Little in theaters everywhere April 12.
Check out some of our favorite celebs that showed up and showed out at the ATL screening by clicking through the gallery below.
Featured image by Getty Images
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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ItGirl In Motion: Paige Shari Addison Shows Us Why She's The Hostess With The Mostess
Paige Shari Addison is the epitome of an ItGirl, which is why she is one of 100 ladies on xoNecole's inaugural ItGirl 100 list in partnership with Hyundai. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Paige started her journey as a host in high school by hosting parties. Since then, she has made a career in hosting, from parties to big-name events, and she launched Strictly RNB, a platform for new artists and R&B lovers. Paige reflects on her creative path in the limited video series "ItGirl in Motion."
“My first curated event at Criminal Records was incredible. It was all for up-and-coming artists,” she says. “I needed a platform for us as a collective to be able to give ourselves the platform instead of asking for it, instead of looking for it. I was like, I want to make sure I let people get this experience that I would give as a performer but enjoy the experience with them. It was a dream come true.”
The Atlanta native also has her own line of acai bowls called Soulfull Bowls. She started it during the pandemic after events and parties shut down. But it was her love for eating acai bowls and the reactions others had to them that made her want to make it her next business move. Being open to creating new ventures in the midst of uncertainty is a bold move and one of the reasons why Paige has the “it” factor.
“Being an ItGirl means you’re just authentic. There’s an air to us. We have confidence that exudes from the way we speak, the way we put our lip gloss on, the way we walk, the way we talk. I show up as myself everytime I walk into a room. I’m hospitable, I make sure everybody’s good,” she says.
Get to know more about the hostess with the mostess in the video above.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of Paige and our partnership with Hyundai.
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production company: @polly___studio
Producer/AD: Samuel Cho @choboi90
Producer/Tech: Paul Nguyen @paul__winn
DP: Cristian Bernal @cristianbernal
Editor: @30inthemorning
2nd Cam: Paul Nguyen
1st AC: AJ Paug @ajpaug Gaffer: Dennis Albert @dennisalbert_
Audio Mixer: Victor Chavez @vic_the__
PA: Rick Carreno @ispeakrick
PA: Tiffany Do @tivani.doee
BTS Photo: Prime @theartofprime
Car Detail: @sud_studs @slugglobal
Creative Director @hellobosco
Team Lead @kevgumbo3000
Project Manager @zakk_jullot
Creative Producer @iamkingsheyla
Designers @miacolemxn @noelspiva
@xoNecole
Director, Integrated Marketing @_vang
Campaign Manager @kingchachiii
Talent Lead @kaylawalker
Feature image by Prime/ @theartof prime