Gabrielle Union can be my mommy rep in Hollywood any day.
The 46-year-old actress/ momma of 9-month-old Kaavia told Harper’s Bazaar magazine she isn’t interested in playing a mom on screen unless she can bring the “full experience” of parenthood to the role.
Union shares a child with NBA star and husband Dwyane Wade. She’s also the stepmother of Wade’s other children who recently realized just how much TV and Hollywood have been failing mothers with inaccurate portrayals of them.
“Watching television now, I can absolutely tell when a man wrote the role of a woman being a mother,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “It’s either she’s Madonna Mary perfect, or has some super-human strength, or she is just one long-a*s f**king sacrifice. But there is no nuance.”
Union said she wants to portray the “good enough” mother.
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“All moms are not created equal, and all moms do not enjoy every aspect of parenting,” Union told the magazine “Resources, privilege, race, region, and support all play a role in how we experience parenting.
“Playing a black mom, if I’m not going to bring that full experience to the table, I’m not interested.”
Union’s interview with the magazine followed an incident involving British filmmaker Greta Bellamacina, who tried to bring her 4-month-old son with her to the screening of her new film at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was denied access.
She was told to pay a fee for the baby and wait two days for it to be processed. according to The Guardian.
Such treatment is hardly the case on the set of L.A.’s Finest, which Union executive produces with Jessica Alba, Union told Harper’s Bazaar.
Kaavia’s there daily, and her mom credits Alba for that.
“When Jessica was negotiating, she had just given birth and was just very clear about what she needed and that she understood her value, and it paved the way for all of us to have access to our kids,” Union said.
Union has said in multiple interviews that she struggled with infertility for years before being able to give birth to Kaavia with the help of a surrogate.
“When I came back from maternity leave, Jess made sure my trailer had everything that hers had so Kaav could come right to set,” Union said. “No one’s had to make that crazy, crazy sacrifice of going back to work and just, like, leaving your kid. Jess was like, f*** that. I’m going to create the Hollywood that I’ve dreamed of and that I need.”
Union is currently running a production company with seven shows and five films in development, she told Harper’s Bazaar.
“I try to empower as many marginalized voices as possible,” she said.
