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
- Issa Rae Joining Marsai Martin in Universal's 'Little' | Hollywood ... ›
- Regina Hall, Issa Rae & Marsai Martin On Their Film, "Little" - YouTube ›
- Marsai Martin on New Movie 'Little' - Marsai Martin Youngest ... ›
- Issa Rae and Marsai Martin talk new comedy 'Little' | GMA - YouTube ›
- 'Black-Ish' Star Marsai Martin's Comedy 'Little' in Development ... ›
- Little Star Marsai Martin Is the Definition of Black Girl Magic (and the ... ›
- Marsai Martin Set to Become Youngest Producer in Hollywood History ›
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.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images