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Nia Long Talks Producing, Motherhood, New Film ‘The Banker’ + More

Feb 25, 2020
Breakfast Club in the morning, everyone is a DJ, they envy Angela, Charlemagne, the guy we are the Breakfast Club, you have a special guest on the bill and the building, obviously, how beautiful that effect was, then the mayor gave you your own day in New York, oh. Guys, I cried about it for a week, yes, congratulations, it was the greatest honor and I was really impressed, because you don't expect my own 27th, yes, you feel the pressure of having to do something that day. Now I eat in New York as an event, come here every year on that day and I'll talk to you, that's how you are.
nia long talks producing motherhood new film the banker more
I'm fine, I lost my father and oh thank you, he was a great man and it's amazing, I learned

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about him. being in Trenton, you in New Jersey for a week, just putting together everything I ever knew um because you know I'm an adult, my life is in California, he was in Trenton and he was an icon in the community and I did a lot for a lot of those kids that lived there, so I was very proud of him, he was a poet, right, he's a poet, yes, he's a poet, a writer, a photographer like a real, just a Renaissance man, loves music jazz and good. food and he was really like the red state and Liv Jones, but when they're older they get a bad rap and I have to tell you something like I've been back and forth a lot when I was young and you know, being a mother.
nia long talks producing motherhood new film the banker more

More Interesting Facts About,

nia long talks producing motherhood new film the banker more...

Before I was a mother, I've seen the city grow and change and I think, first of all, there's an incredible group of artists that live there, so they're doing spoken word, they're musicians, they're singers. They are educating themselves. I think in the city, every city has its problems, but because Trenton is so small, it is magnified, you know, but I felt that Trenton High School did a beautiful tribute to my father and they talked and all the kids kind of came. his former students couldn't stop crying I was like this it's amazing because sometimes what a person can't do for their own children they do for the world and I'm fine with that if that meant I had to share it oh I think that's it because you know parents learn

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as they get older so when I was parenting I was thinking about that I was thinking I said mommy I looked at my mom during the service I said mommy you were 22 when she had me right now today anything I forgive you for everything because I could have done it at 22 22 I was in the club with puff and heavy and all the guys like we were in the club back then, so I had an intense conversation with my therapist the last two weeks what is All that talk about forgiving your parents?
nia long talks producing motherhood new film the banker more
Well, my father in particular, because the only ones who did the best they could because they didn't know any better when they were younger, you really have to do it for yourself. is that if you do it, if you commit to healing yourself, it will honestly change the way you experience your own life because I think for many years I was disappointed and angry and I wanted you to know that my dad liked to read me a story before sleep and be there and do all the things a dad is supposed to do and I think my father had a very old way of approaching life because black people are raised to survive, that's right, and my mother and my grandmother come From On the Islands they had a different philosophy, so if my parents had stayed together, I may have still been an actress, but I don't think it would have happened as quickly as it happened in my life and I don't think I would have been a part of it.
nia long talks producing motherhood new film the banker more
Many of you know the era that really helped define

film

noir, so when I look at my life and I'll be fifty, you guys get better at becoming black, don't break. Wow, I can't believe it, but my point is. When you get to this age it's a beautiful time in my life because I can really put everything into perspective and now everything makes sense and I feel freer and more alive and I have for the last ten years because I have understanding and I have forgiven myself. for not forgiving people earlier in my own life for forgiving my father for things he couldn't do and it's a good thing to do.
We don't have the luxury of healing. No, this generation like this nation has the luxury of healing the fact. what you just said I taught my therapist about certain things that black people didn't say that 15 or 20 years ago we were like we didn't because because of this, you know the idea was that if you go to therapy, there's something really wrong. with you, but the reality is that you are crazy and the reality is that we have so much information that comes to us 24/7 with our phones, well with the world with a crazy president, you know all the things that are happening, you must be able to sit down and organize your life and your thoughts, that's right, and if you don't, you will be in a constant state of things that you have, yes, well, first there are a lot of incredible things happening and before we get into in the

banker

that you are

producing

now I also did it.
I just produced my first movie, congratulations on that, so when will we see it's called Fatal Affair? It's on Netflix and it's with Omar Epps. I think it will be out in July. Wow, that's what I'm hearing that yes, it will be direct to streaming, it is not a theatrical release. I love Netflix, even though I hate you. I know that they are two pillars of black cinema from the 90s and that is why I chose them. I said marv, it's been a minute since we worked. Overall, he is a very good actor, but the most important thing is that I wanted to work with my friends.
I wanted to work with people I love and respect and nothing against the new generation of actors because there are some beautiful and talented people who are taking the lead right now. and I'm very proud of them, but in this situation I knew that the audience for this

film

was going to be 30 years old and older, so I wanted to give them something that they were familiar with from their childhood or from their youth, no. I wanted to ask, go back to your dad. I just had one question. You know you have two children. Yes, do you do anything different than what your dad did with you?
Because my dad was a police officer and he was very protective. Well, my children I try not to do it. Being so protective because he hated him, is there something you're doing? Do you know what? I make sure to do this because I don't want a father like them. I like that. There is something?. I have to be honest with you. my mother it was probably thank god that I was born a decent human being because my mom didn't intervene in what I think is right, so I was born in Brooklyn, right? I lived in Iowa City for six years and that's when I was super.
When I was young, we moved to Los Angeles, south central Los Angeles, and then every summer I would come back and be with my grandparents in Brooklyn, so I had an interesting childhood. because in Iowa it was like, I mean, we were the only black people there mm-hmm, but my my mother wore her afro I had my afro we were I mean I was qualified she was a hippie really but she was very free and it was just the two of us and remember she was 22 so we were like best friends my parents got divorced when I was super young again, my father's idea of ​​success for me was a job, getting a job, well actually, it was going to college, get your degree, if you want to be an actress, get a job as a waitress and then see how it works out for you.
I was like I'm doing it that way, I don't need to go to college to do what I want to do, so I went, I did a little bit and then I started working because I can, that was during the time when there was, you know , a bunch of brown girls that really worked and I was lucky and it was blessed and it happened to me, so the way I raised my kids I'm super honest, probably too honest, my son, my oldest son, my 19-year-old son years and I talk about everything I want to say, the nitty-gritty that he's dating now and all that, oh my God, I was like, he was a late bloomer, so he didn't do it, he was a late bloomer, the mine was a late bloomer, like he didn't really like being a late bloomer, he was respectful to women, he more or less you know that and then my little one what you said was so that now he's here D comfortable telling mom everything now maybe I've just told you a few things.
I mean, I know I know more than I want to know and I'm okay with that, but this is who I am that I'm most proud of. He's a good guy. I trust him. I trust him with his brother. I trust him with the way he treats other people. I trust you. Where we are now is interesting because we're in a tug of war because he wants to be his own man and he's in college and he's on his way and he plays baseball and he's handsome and smart and all the things. but I'm like, dude, you're not paying any bills yet, so there's a fine line between mom, you don't know what you're talking about, we're going to do it this way absolutely, so I try to give and take because I want him to make those mistakes so that he can learn who he is, what he is?
Did your son not like to watch your movies? I have you telling you that last time he changed, well the little one is like why. You go away all the time as a friend what and I'm not going to lie but he's under his mom he he's like my baby baby and he's he I have to make deals with him like many of us yesterday we had to go to the movies? so it would be nice if I came to New York today because we were casual, that's fine, but you have this movie, the

banker

, yeah, yeah, and it's based on a true story, right, Bernard Garrett, he's a businessman, but this is in the '60s. and back then they were in their 40s and 60s, so basically the whole civil rights era, so at first I was trying to do real estate, but that's hard when you're a black person in that so especially trying to buy into the real estate market as hard as it is for a black person now it's difficult, yes, but I imagine what the rent was like and I could even imagine it and red line it, so we were basically excluded from the process period and we weren't allowed to get loans so these two men came into the game and really changed the laws so that black people could get loans and so we could buy property and we could start investing in our own communities and they really have to get a white person to run your business.
Yes, they played Nicholas. Hoult, so he was a regular middle class white guy and they used him as a leader to trick the banks into selling them the banks and eventually he implodes, but it's a fun ride and it's a great history lesson and I think what we need to start is start having conversations about wealth versus wealth. I think you need to have a rich spirit, but you have to strive to be rich because wealth is absolutely generational and I think we as black people. We're so used to being satisfied with just getting that new pair of sneakers or a nice car or getting that record deal or that job that we think we want and it's not our fault because again we were raised to survive. right not to be not to drive not to thrive and that's why we have to recondition the way we think about our place in the world because at the end of the day I think the heart and soul of culture 100 we control to cool all of that so yeah We are controlling that, why aren't we controlling the money?
Because we're creating the path to make mm-hmm money right and I'm guilty of it too. I'll go buy a Chanel bag instead. many of you know, but then I say, but I need both, as

long

as you know that you can invest in the things that you need to invest in and that you can treat yourself. I think there is nothing wrong with doing so. I have a couple of all this and I have this and a lot left over and I'm fine, I can buy a bag, right mm-hmm, but all the time we would never talk, we would never talk and I think this generation and our children yes, I think it's a change because as you said, I was the first person in my family to go to university, right, my parents work for thirty years, you retire and that's it, there was no generation or anything, but now we are starting to change, we are starting to learn about real estate, we are starting to learn about entrepreneurship.
We are starting to learn about these things. I think the next generation has changed. We are getting new tools. New resources. Everything we talk about, from therapy to real estate. These are all new tools. resourceful with fathoms, oh and there's also a broader path to finding success, as you know, now we can be all things and I think one of the things I love about Jay and Beyoncé is that they're really on the cutting edge and They show young men and women. how to do it, especially J because Jays is involved in a lot of businesses.
I mean, Beyoncé is our queen, we love her, but I love Jay and I think if he can continue to move the way he does and still put out records and still. being on stage of what you were capturing a whole community of people aging from very young to adulthood and I think it's important that we have those heroes like a black man like the best thing about jazz is the growth and the evolution for keep an eye on that. The years show us all that it's okay to grow up, so Cato, wow, that's true and it's okay to be the guy that had to do what you had to do in the corner, but you don't have to stay there, that's right, that's right is.
You don't promote it and promote it, how exhausting the bench was because when you make a movie like that you realize that things aren't reallydifferent in 2020. I will tell you that it was not an easy shoot, mainly because we didn't do it. First of all, I have a lot of money to make the movie, it rained when it wasn't supposed to and when it was supposed to, didn't you know? This is what happens when you're making a movie about history, an important story, and there are very few movies where we can see black people in a heroic position changing history, you want to get it right and obviously it depends on honey director George Nolfi , who was fantastic and gave us a lot of room to be whatever we thought we needed in the role, and Samuel Jackson, who I love so much in Anthony Mackie.
I play Anthony Mackey's wife. We had a good time, but there was just an underlying feeling of intensity because we knew we had a social responsibility to educate and take people on a journey, so it wasn't like filming, you know, The Godfather or Friday, it was a little different. and I'm sure it was educational for you, you like the things you learn while filming, and this was supposed to be the first movie on Apple TV, as well as writing the first one, well, that's when we had a little hiccup, right ? I mean, listen, that has nothing to do with the movie and I'm glad we have a new release date.
I'm very sensitive to women and what they go through and I don't think any woman should be raped, but I'm glad Apple regrouped and gave us a platform to release the movie because I think it's an important movie, no. You know what's important, that was a strange reason for not releasing the film, it's not like anyone. that was in the movie did something, you know, I mean, I know I agree with you, it's almost like they didn't want that story to be told like, let's not bring it up, by black people who felt that, well , women had a reason to feel alienated when they see someone glorified that wasn't glorifying them for what they supposedly went through because well, this is what Bernard Garrett had two wives, he had the wife that I play Eunice, his wife, his first wife and had a white wife.
So I think the story we told was about his experience with Eunice and the woman who showed up was from a second marriage, so I don't know anything about that. I can't say yes or no, but yeah, I mean, I think Apple. I had to go through the process of something we don't know is going to come in and shut us down, but I also think you know you don't need to be too careful, hmm, be careful and respectful. but don't be too careful and eliminate the project that we so desperately need to see and you know it's unfortunate because it knocked us out of the Oscar race the last few Oscars, but that doesn't mean we can't be in the mix. for next year, yeah, there was just a buzz, there was construction and then it was like, oh my god, I got my dress and I got all my stuff and then I got up, but the birth of a nation, what's that burp of a nation?
A lot of black people that I don't know just felt that way, yeah, I think also, unfortunately we don't get to see a lot of movies or we're the hero, yeah, and I think that, and so when you have that project. and it becomes like a start and stop, you're automatically going to wait, is this personal or justified? And I think black people respond to that across the board that way, but they got over the hump and then we got half of us. It's coming out on March 6th March 6th and that's great, what are some of the things you learned that you didn't know before from Phil the Banker?
Well, I didn't know about the two men Joe Wilson and Bernard Garrett. I had no idea that I didn't know his story at all, like a hidden figure situation. What I learn about it makes you even more proud, so I wasn't really aware of the two men, but I was aware of the red lines and the kind of social social. story from that time, but I will tell you how my dad has a house in Trenton that my grandmother bought many years ago mhm and my grandmother's mother was one generation away from slavery, so you know that house was like a surprising target for that for my family everything for them everything like every every everything and we had to put the house on the market and I called the realtor and I said black woman and I said I want you to be very aware of who we are selling this house to because this is Trenton and you can get a nice house for about $85,000, which seems like nothing more than that for that neighborhood and for those working people that live in Trenton, that's a lot of money, all for the right, that's all I said, so please be aware.
Who are you selling this house to and she said well, you know that's illegal. I told him I care, we're going to do what's right for our community because I'm not for gentrification if it doesn't serve the community. yeah, gentrification is not a problem it's the right displacement, it's the right displacement, so she I don't know if she likes me, I'm sure she doesn't, but I'll have to listen carefully, not after you know, but I look. I am militant in my own way and I really try to push things forward and stay firm in my beliefs because I understand that we are the generation that is actually pushing certain things because we are connected to the Freedom Fighters. we're connected to the, you know, the leaders of the civil rights movement, that's us, you're the closest thing to that watching the banker, one of the hardest things must be that Bernard Garrett's character has to continue to be so respectful. when people were so disrespectful to him, imagine biting your tongue when people are blatantly racist and do illegal things to him just because of the color of his skin, yes, and he still had to say yes sir, sorry sir.
Nobody looked down, it was funny, there's a scene in the movie where I have this conversation with Nicholas Hoult and in the movie I basically say to Nicholas Hoult's character, "You don't understand all of this because you." You're not black and I wanted to be hot about it. I wanted to give it to her not in the same way that you would and say Taye Diggs and see, yeah, no, not that, not that, and not even Roxanne Roxanne, but somewhere in the world. in the middle and the director kept saying no, she wasn't that kind of woman, she was more reserved, she was much more selective with her words and it's to your point that she pushed silently, it was her pillow talk, already you know. her husband at home she would be aggressive and pushy and honey, no we can do this, we can be part of this movement, just keep going, but in front of others and especially a white man, she would choose her words carefully and that was difficult for I liked to play because I was not of that generation, so I had to reconfigure my way of thinking and be okay, if I was living during this time knowing that the world around me was not in favor of the color of my skin, then what?
How could I get these deep converts to be almost very passive-aggressive? That's how people operated like nobody was that direct unless you were a civil rights leader, but I'm talking about amplified day-to-day conversations. your own people but you put yourself in front of white people they all die sighs but you have to understand that there is a scene where the police come, but that was yeah, a period in time where they could kill you or something like that a period with The police officers come, he is the owner of the property and they say this woman called and said you are acting like you own the property and he has to take out the paperwork and show it, but that could have gone away for complete if I had said. which I meant well but we still act like that now it's like we still have that trauma we whisper that she's a pain in the ass I mean I like white people.
I have no problem with them, but we have to continue being us. at all times but I will always be myself in the moment and I will always speak about what I believe in and I will always give my opinion if I think it is necessary and no, I will say no and especially in this. Business, what you said is important, sometimes you have to remind them that you don't know what the hell you're talking about because you're not black, period, however, the experience for you

producing

for the first time, what was it like for you being on the other side I like what you said, yes I chose it Omar, oh did I say it like I saw you talking about how you see all these white men getting rich off the movies that you do, and now I'm looking at you producing? inspiration for that and what it was like to be on the other side.
I'll tell you, sometimes you can get a producer credit and it's really just for looks, but on this one I really did the work and it was hard. Sometimes because I'm a very visual person, I see everything in my head before it happens and when PERT not everyone you know, no one can be in my mind, obviously I read my mind, but I was very specific. and deliberate on certain things and to your point, the crew was white, the director was white, the producer was white and they were lovely because they allowed me to correct things that needed to be corrected hmm, but it's still frustrating that you have to explain yourself too much in This business to this day that's hard because I kept feeling like I needed to apologize for wanting to change something, but why am I apologizing?
TRUE? You're trying to make us the best movie possible so that it benefits everyone and that's also a woman in a position of power where there are all the men around you I was literally like there were literally like three women on that set there's a lot of things that they still have to change there are a lot of things that still have to change and I never backed down, I was like no you need to change that, no I don't like that angle, no, move the camera, no, you see that very similar, if you know if that's the type , then they'll say that guy is being a boss, but if he's a woman, he has a history of Divo Behavior because when I started in this business you weren't supposed to say anything except thank you and I said thank you, but I didn't, nor I didn't even realize I was just being myself, I honestly wasn't there.
It was never like a I just don't think you should behave in any situation I think you need to grow and learn mmm I'm not going to be I'll behave no that's kind of the expectation is that you're supposed to be happy to be here do the job keep it simple do what we ask you to do and then go home and I never went into this business with that mind and when and honestly I liked it when I did Alfie with Jude Law that was the best experience of my life because at the actors were given the floor to speak and create and move things and you know well, I don't feel like this really works so there's a difference even in the production mmm when it's a film noir. versus a white film you feel your evolution as a woman you are shown cacti mm-hmm I'm not in rocks and rocks and I don't know that lady she's not part of me yes I know that lady but you I know what I'm saying like no, but I had to know that woman and have some experience like we lived right down the street from the projects when I lived in Brooklyn to understand how to play her correctly.
I thought so, I mean. I would like to do more. I would like to have more diversity in my portfolio and play different roles. Have you played? You haven't played your dream role yet. I don't believe it. I think it's also like the working set. This is what makes me proud, such an impact to this day, thank you, it's like, the body of work is fine, I am and I'm still doing it mm-hmm, eh, you know, I like that they have to having a A

long

career as an artist is every but after every job, I think and there's never much in the making, yeah, do you say to a young actress right now who's watching this and you know and you want to be you one day or something like that ? one day you know, yeah, how did you choose your roles?
How did you say this is good for me? This one might not work for me. What do you say to a young actress? Authenticity doesn't change based on what you see. It changes according to what you see. about what you know you need to do to improve because I think a lot of times young artists come and steal a little bit of this and steal a little bit of that, but if you really start from your authentic self, all the embellishments will come through your experiences and that's what creates and grows what I like when I see when we love Jones, everyone was like, oh my God, this is like modern mahogany and I was like, okay, but that's not that, what art are you? you take from the past and you recreate it and you have to be inspired by what came before you and what's in front of you so when I see I want to go see the photograph yeah all my friends are like that.
She reminds you of Love Jones, but she is very different from Love Jones, but the look of her and I really like the director's Stella, yes she was the writer, she said, she actually said that Love Jones was the inspiration for the movie . I didn't know she's Jamaican. so she's a little island gas monkey, yeah, yeah, I really like her. I really want to see that movie, but my goal is to be a part of seeing Mahogany and to be a part of Love Jones and now to see the photography, all the young artists. I need to step back and look at what came before them, learn from that shit, be who they are in the moment and then recreate, but not imitate, imitate, what do you think was different between them and black people in the '90s, although that is missing now? because black movies don't have that feeling I'm sorry they just don't have it there are no boys in theneighborhood there is no love Jonesy they don't have the same energy I know, I don't know and I and I I have a hard time seeing things because I think: wait a minute, why did they do that?
Either the lighting or the thing. I think one of the things is that we were using real film. Everything is digital now, so the quality is different. Mmm everything. It has to be said: this is very expensive in every house they redo, well, and with film you had to light it, so there was a director of photography who actually lit you, not this big light that lights everything and then they go to the computer and they adjust it, so if I look on the monitor, I say, you need to fix that right now, no, we're the hosts, no, no, no, we're going to fix that right now. because I'm not going to be in the post and I want to see how I look and it's not because I'm vain it's because if I don't have light in my eyes I can't act as well because some people talk with their eyes right, some people have bigger eyes like that They don't need the light in their eyes but I have very almond-shaped eyes so you don't light up my eyes you don't see what I'm doing the emotion of yes like me Don't I think your eyes tell a story?
Yes, as long as you go, I've seen some visually stunning films that will still shock you, although I guess we can say that now. I didn't like Queensland. I did not see. I should be ashamed of myself, but I was actually dealing with my dad during that time and I was like I can't even, I want to see him. I think people had mixed reviews. Visually impressive. I just made everything like the story, so I understand what you're saying about lighting and stuff, but it's two stories. Boys in the Hood was a great story. Love. John was a great story.
The ministerial society was a great story. The story is just a punch, look, here's what you need to create art. You don't need to be sneaky, no, don't slip, the damn story, you don't need to go, oh, what if we do this? No, because there is only what they say to tell stories about a tragedy. If that is not the case. It has to be that hard, yeah I hear what you're saying, that'll make it pointless, like thin and weighty, the woman is a lawyer, a defense lawyer, they shoot you, can you tell? You see and you see and you're always right, well, we and it's your only play, because it's like we tweet because this is what I think we struggle with, we struggle with wanting black people in movies to look professional, to have jobs, to Be educated, but you still want to tell the neighborhood. story, so be true to who they are and it's not like you can't be both because I'm Bo.
I would be in a second, but I'm also a lady. I know how you know what all those things are, but I. Think about your point: If I don't know if the character is an idiot, I didn't see the movie, so it's hard for me to comment on this, but if the character is a lawyer, then what happens? A cop shot you and it was her, let's go to the right like you don't have anyone at the law firm you can make the decision, the cop didn't, they shot him and then that's when the guy grabbed the gun and ended up shooting.
I did not see her. Myself, oh my goodness, well, that being said, whose stories can have that Shakespearean feel? You can't tell me that the neighborhood kids weren't a tragedy at all, but you, but, then you have to have well-developed dynamic characters if not. Don't start with that, then the story's not going to be great mm-hmm and I guess I don't know, I don't know, like I think you know when you have a person like John Singleton put to rest and when he died. that broke my heart really broke my heart because he discovered me, started me, created a lane for people to even care about my name and therefore losing it and then losing my father and I was a Cod like, oh, and they were kind of the same kind of guy, you know, I don't know if they make them like that anymore mm-hmm.
I don't know if they make men so aware of the black struggle smart enough to make changes and then make art. I don't know if my son um can have all those things because many generations away we have to do our job as parents, but I think it's one person right now who is doing that black activism through art at that level. What is this Ava Duvernay like? Yeah, it was what she's doing, that John Singleton level black activist with art, no, no, I agree with you. I think she's a beautiful filmmaker and I also think it's nice to see a woman's perspective because there's a softness to her. all of her movies that I appreciate and I think we're in a place right now where women just have this lane to be fantastic and be heard and do it our way and not have to conform or make ourselves small and it's because of her, so you know , I don't mean, I think it's, I think art is always changing.
I think I'm worried about this generation because I don't think they've paid any respect to the people who have paved the way for them and when I say this generation, I'm talking like they're 20 years old, they just don't have any concept, maybe they just They are young, I don't know, it's not much easier how they can reach their contour and you. You may be a star now, so what does that say to some of Mr. Grandpa's followers, you need followers, yes, stop, you're a star, so you have to produce more and I'll have to come back too, however, I'll tell you I will be grateful, it was a beautiful interview, I appreciate my thanks, that's right, the banker will hit theaters on March 6, yes, and then. an Apple TV plus is after, it's imperative after and I'm going to look for the free date, okay, the 20th, okay, you see, they changed the date in us, in the Soviet Union, I was the one who would make sure they gave you the correct date, the 20th. appletv + wellness The Breakfast Club is Miss Nia Long

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