Gabrielle Union receives the best reviews of her career in A24’s ‘The Inspection’ – showing that it’s never too late to leave your mark on Hollywood. “I thought it was late for me,” she says VarietyAwards Circuit Podcast. “I’m treated like the ingenue I probably should have been treated to after ‘Bad Boys 2’. Your strength, power, abilities and beauty don’t diminish with age, they change. As long as you don’t fight not change it can be a beautiful second, third, fourth or fifth chapter My grandmother lived to be 110 and was on [Phil] “Donahue. I look at the next 50 to 60 years.
In this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit podcast, we chat with Union, who was recently nominated for Gotham and Independent Spirit Awards thanks to her work in Elegance Bratton’s film “The Inspection.” She discusses her LGBTQ rights work, what’s next for her, and even weighs in on some of the media obsessions, including “The Slap” at last year’s Oscars. Listen below:
“The Inspection” tells the story of Ellis French (Jeremy Pope), a young gay black man, rejected by his mother Inez (Union). With few options for his future, he decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would sideline him.
Standing proudly next to Pope is Union’s greatest career turning point as the mother of French, a homophobic prison guard who can’t accept him for who he is. She’s channeling a bit of Mo’Nique’s Oscar-winning turn in “Precious,” and with the right support and already off to a good start, she’s a candidate to receive her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Union is shameless herself and doesn’t care what her opponents say when she stands up for those she loves. “That group of fanatics who wouldn’t spit in my direction if I was on fire?” These people? I can’t take care of them. ‘Cause I could never live with myself is if I didn’t say anything. And watch my child, and many children, old and young, suffer.
In a divided era of culture and politics, Variety asked Union for his thoughts on how Will Smith and Chris Rock could possibly reconcile after the slap in the face on last year’s telecast. Union has worked with both actors on separate previous films such as “Bad Boys II” and “Top Five.”
“I think Chris and Will are two adults, who had a moment that was public, that probably should have happened 25 years ago, and it just escalated, and it spread,” shares- she. “Unfortunate time. Whatever I say to Will or Chris, I’ll tell them directly. But for the rest of us, there was a lot of hand wringing and opinion pieces about the violence. But then an eerie silence that reminded me of when there was all that justifiable heartache about the gorilla, Harambe, in Cincinnati, but zero said about innocent blacks and browns being slaughtered in the street by the state. This is the same group of people who talk about two very rich men.
Union is ready to take on the world, and a recent trip to Africa with her family has transformed her. “I know I’m just getting started. I believe I have found my superhero origin story.
Also in this episode, actress Claire Foy talks about the complexity of her role and her work with a dynamic cast of women in the emotional drama “Women Talking” by MGM and United Artists Releasing’s Sarah Polley.
Additionally, the panel discusses the latest upheaval at Disney which sees the return of Bob Iger as CEO and the ousting of Bob Chapek after a tumultuous year of scrutiny.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, who also co-hosts with Clayton Davis, is your one-stop-shop for lively conversations about the best in film and TV. Each week, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; And much more. Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you download podcasts. New episodes released every week.