Have you ever sat down and really reflected on love, the definition of it, the action behind it, and the feeling you get when you're immersed in it? Love is powerful. It can make you do things you never imagined. But, what happens when love hurts you to your core? Do you build up a hard exterior as a way to ward men or women off, or shake it off and try again?
Unfortunately, most of us have a difficult time with the thought of starting over again, so we build a wall so hard, the mere idea of romance seems insane.
This scenario is a reality for Jordan Sanders, Regina Hall's character in the new film Little.
Like so many men and women, Jordan can't and won't entertain love because she is so guarded. The closest thing to love Jordan has experienced is regular sex from a man she could care less about. It isn't until Jordan is transformed into her 13-year-old self that she realizes her boy toy is more than a disposable penis. He cares for her so deeply, he's willing to knock down her walls and love her the way she deserves to be loved. It takes Jordan being transformed into a tween to realize what she was missing as an adult.
Can you imagine if we all had the opportunity to transform into the younger versions of ourselves and learn something about the love we so desperately needed or missed?
Celebs On Advice They'd Give Their Younger Self Regarding Love
During the Atlanta premiere of Little, we asked attendees if they could go back and give their younger selves advice on love, knowing what they know now, what would they say?
Regina Hall
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationParas Griffin/Getty Images for Universal
"Do not cry over one, there are a million of fish in the sea. Sometimes we have to realize our own worth at a younger age, so we realize we're a blessing. Someone who doesn't appreciate that is not worthy."
Jade Novah
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationParas Griffin/Getty Images for Universal
"Being territorial is not synonymous with love. I think ownership has become synonymous with love, and if I knew that wasn't the case at an early age I wouldn't have taken things so seriously. Love is not ownership. Love is not being territorial."
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationParas Griffin/Getty Images for Universal
"Don't take them so seriously! I met my husband when I was 21, and I'm thankful. We joke and I thank him all the time for saving me from having to be out here in the streets looking for a mate. I would say it's not personal. Sometimes it's about the other person's insecurities, and not about you."
If you could go back and give your younger self advice on love, knowing what you know now, what would you say? Leave your answer in the comments below.
Be sure to catch Little in theaters everywhere April 12th.
Featured image by Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
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 Station
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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 LITTLE www.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 Station
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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 Station
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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 Station
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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.
Marsai Martin
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic Station
Featured image by Getty Images
