Regina Hall doesn’t want taken inclusive change to be for ‘granted’ in Hollywood
As Hollywood embraces the wave of inclusivity via stories, starcast, and different aspects of filmmaking, actor Regina Hall has one thing that worries her deeply: People taking these changes “for granted”. “[When it comes to representation and change of attitude], there has been a change. But you know, sometimes because people think change exists [naturally], they are like, ‘Oh, we’re done!’ [and stop working towards the goal]. However, I feel there will always be room for change and inclusivity, and [it has to be an ongoing process],” adds the actor, who rose to prominence with projects such as Scary Movie 4 (2006), Grandfathered, Vacation, Girls Trip (2017), and Support the Girls (2018).
Giving an example of her recent outing, she says, “Look at what Mariama Diallo (writer-director) did with her (debut) film Master.”
The movie, which blurs lines between horror, institutionalised racism and oppression, features Hall along with Zoe Renee and Amber Gray. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year and was released on a streaming platform.
Hall goes on to say that there are so many aspects of racism that still remain untouched, which makes it even more important that topics such as “openness and inclusivity” always remain a “work in progress”. “There are so many ways to explore the story. If we take it outside of race, then we can explore what it feels like to be an outsider, or what it feels like to be different and sometimes treated harsher than others because of that difference,” she says.