Gabrielle Union discusses homophobic mother on test

Speaking about the film Friday at the PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly Photo and Film Studios at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, Union, 49, talks about how difficult it was for her to play the unidentifiable role. She is also the executive producer of the film.

As an actress, I usually look for roles where I see very little of myself in the character. The homophobic prison guard character struggles to accept the reality that her son, Ellis French-Jeremy Pope, is gay because of her deep religious beliefs. I accept her disapproval and enlist in the Marine Corps.

Eventually she discovered that my darkness was a feature of the vulnerable space we shared with Ines, and I proved capable too. If you focus on your oppressor’s idea of ​​who you must be, everyone is at risk, even if they are not presented in the same way.

From her husband Dwyane Wade’s previous marriages, Union, the mother of Kirby James and stepmother to Xayah, Zaire, 20, and Xavier, 8, says I usually view homophobes as garbage. “Google is free. I’m not doing free labor to find ways for you to appreciate your children.

But as I go through this, I probably start thinking I’m not so clear as to why I got to that point,” she says.

I will never abandon my child. My offspring, not even mine, will not be abandoned. But I understand the strong desire to involve my own children and be seen as worthy, and for some individuals.

Union believes that if a complex film based on the life of writer-director Elegance Bratton can unite and help one family heal, it’s a win.