Exclusive: Will Packer And Idris Elba On Putting Black Women First
Executive producer Will Packer’s new film Beast stars Idris Elba as a widowed dad caring for his two daughters (Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries) after his wife dies. While he’s trying to build a stronger bond with his daughters, the doctor encounters a ruthless lion in a South African game reserve and his daughters’ safety becomes his number one priority.
While Idris’ character is fighting to protect his daughters at all costs even if that means putting them before himself, that same thinking also translates into his personal life. Putting Black women first is a theme shared with xoNecole's new She Comes First podcast where we hear from our faves on Black women centering themselves, self-care, and self-love in their lives. In an exclusive interview with xoNecole, Idris and Will also share the importance of putting Black women first.
“My wife, she’s a priority just based on we’re married, and we’re a partnership,” Idris said. “She’s always someone I think about first."
xoNecole Asks Idris Elba & Will Packer: "How do you prioritize Black women in your life?"
He also mentioned his daughter. The Luther actor has two kids, a 20-year-old daughter named Isan Elba and an 8-year-old son named Winston Elba. “In this film, my character is prioritizing those two girls over himself and I worked really hard for a long time but I always think about my daughter, my kids, and my wife.”
Will echoed those same sentiments as he is married as well and has two daughters. “First of all, I love Black women and I try to show that love in my personal life. Married to a Black woman, two Black daughters, that is very important, son of a Black mom,” Will said. “I just realized that Black women don’t get enough appreciation for what they bring to this world to how talented and influential they are so I try to do my part and thank the women that I personally know and show them love but then also in my work.”
“If you look at projects that I’ve been a part of, there is either Black women right at the center or integral parts to the content that I make.”
Will has produced several films starring Black women such as Girls Trip, Little, Breaking In, and many more. “And that audience has shown their appreciation to me by going out and supporting my projects in a really major way and that is not lost on me. So I continue to always showcase my sisters in any chance that I get and they always show me love and I’m appreciative.”
Beast hits theaters on August 19.
xoNecole Asks The Cast Of Beast "How do you prioritize yourself?"
Idris Elba Explains Why Representation In Storytelling Is So Important
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Featured image by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
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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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images