BeatBoxBetty Interviews Gina Prince Bythewood!

BETTY: Since “Love and Basketball” was your very first film, did you encounter any hesitation from the studio (New Line Cinema)?
GINA: It was actually a little scary because I had so much control during the whole filmmaking and editing process. And New Line really spoiled me on this. They gave me more money than I asked for and complete autonomy. They didn’t come to the set and they didn’t force anything on me during editing. It’s been pretty amazing. I’m just wondering if it’s ever going to get this good again.

BETTY: And with the recent success of the WNBA, women’s soccer and other women’s sports, the timing of this film couldn’t be any better.
GINA: Coming off of the huge world-wide audience for the World’s Cup and the WNBA in its third season, it’s definitely the perfect time for this movie to come out. The awareness is so high right now and the stigma attached to women’s sports is starting to fade.

BETTY: Were you a jock?
GINA: Yeah. Ever since I was 7 years old. My sisters and I were always in soccer leagues and on softball teams - and we were always the only girls on the teams. Which I actually think has helped me today because this business is so male dominated, that it doesn’t phase me. I’ve always had to fight my way into games because I was a girl.

BETTY: The stigma associated with women playing sports is definitely still out there. Do you think your film will help raise awareness of the athletic talent available on high school and college courts?
GINA: Definitely. I hear the way men still talk about women’s ball if they’re watching it on TV and how they crack up. It pisses me off. Women may not be dunking and it’s at an earlier stage than men’s ball but it is growing and getting better. And most men automatically assume that if a woman plays ball and she doesn’t do her nails or wear make-up that she’s not attractive. I hope this movie helps change that perception.

BETTY: As a filmmaker, who were your role models?
GINA: He’s not technically a role model, but the filmmaker I respect the most is Martin Scorsese. Because I think he’s brilliant and you look at his movies and they don’t make a ton of money but they’re so respected. He has a point of view and he sticks with it. I’d love to have a career like that. I’ll always go back to my roots – with black film – but also I’d like to do something totally different and surprise people.

BETTY: What was it like working with Spike Lee as the film’s Producer?
GINA: It was great. He left me completely alone. He loved the script and he let me make the movie my way.

BETTY: What’s up next for you?
GINA: I’m shooting “Disappearing Acts” with Wesley Snipes and Sanaa Lathan, which will be coming out on HBO this December. It’s a deep and tragic love story…a bit more adult than “Love and Basketball”.

BETTY: We hear there’s plenty of ageism, racism, sexism in Hollywood. How do you cope as a young, black woman?
GINA: All three exist in Hollywood, constantly. But personally, I’ve been fortunate in the opportunities that I’ve had. I’ve faced more problems in TV than I have in film. There were those dramas…like “Sweet Justice”, which I had a script canned by the network because they said it was, “too black”. And then when I joined the show “Courthouse” it had two black leads (Jeffrey Sams and Robin Givens) and a new regime came in and said, “You can’t have a drama with black leads.” So they recast the show with two white leads. Dealing with that stuff was really frustrating. That’s why I like film.

But there’s so little diversity in black film. That’s why I’m glad films like “The Best Man” and “Love and Basketball” got made and I hope that the trend can continue. It’s so disheartening that in all the preview audiences we’ve had, one of the biggest reasons people applaud the film is because no one gets shot and no one is on drugs. How sad is that? I mean, there’s nothing wrong with a little “Booty Call” if we can get our own “Braveheart” once in awhile.

Photos come courtesy of New Line Productions

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