Marsai Martin Didn't See Many Black Girls In Movies, So She Made Her Own

Several young people have had the experience of their parents showing them their preference movies and shows from as soon as they were younger. Marsai Martin did, also. Only as she made her way through her parents’ catalog, her Hollywood intuitions kicked in big time.


Watching Tom Hanks-starrer Big, Martin had a thought: Why not give this classic film the update it deserves? “It took me a minute to process the entire situation and why we may should make this in an other way, not necessarily a remake, although make it more of a modern and fresh perspective; make it diverse and inclusive, and that's how Little came along,” Martin told MTV News.


Little, which hits theaters April 12, tells the story of a tech mogul with a serious attitude problem (Regina Hall) who is cursed to return to her 13-year-old body (Martin) up until she rediscovers her true self, and the only person who will help her is her rightfully disgruntled assistant (Issa Rae).


The 14-year-old got her first taste of the limelight any time ABC’s Black-ish premiered a month right after her tenth birthday in 2014. She stars as Diane, the way-too-clever youngest daughter nevertheless older twin!) Of Anthony Anderson’s Dre and Tracee Ellis Ross’s Bow. Right now, just four-and-a-half years later, she’s making history because the youngest executive producer in Hollywood soon after launching her very own organization (with her parents, Carol and Joshua, by her side), Genius Productions.


“We wanted this to be something that is more than a movie,” she mentioned. “I feel like each person says that, like, ‘It's more than a movie.’ Nevertheless it's something that's about female empowerment and why there really is a such thing as second chances and ... Just be yourself.”


Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, and Regina Hall at the Little premiere


Martin discussed to MTV News about feeling empowered, the advantages of a good support system, and what she wants to change in Hollywood. Check it out below.


MTV News: As a young person, what makes you feel empowered to go right after what you want?


Martin: it might be in a few ways. One, it's seeing the things that are missing in the industry, you know? I was 10 Whenever I had pitched a film. There weren’t a lot of young black ladies out there — well not a lot of these, nevertheless there were barely none. Like none. Like no black ladies that I would actually visualize. This has been my passion for a long time, and seeing that there was no one like me that is doing this and being a piece of this astonishing industry is... It was sort of hurtful. That empowered me to do something that is out of the ordinary and make something where everybody feels welcome and … they feel comfortable in who they are.


MTV News: On that same note, what were you not seeing in films that you wanted to prepare ensure you included here?


Martin: Oh, the big thing is Black females. It's people who look like me, just seeing representation of each person. I didn't get that any time Whenever I was young. I only saw one Black girl that was on a Disney show, that was known for being the sassy, coocoo, that kind of girl … Even in reality shows, how they look at Black ladies like they're the monsters: snatching wigs, and weaves and wigs, weaves and wigs, basically, and throwing water and stuff. That's how people visualize us often, as we are the enemies of things. I wanted to change that because that's not a good example.


MTV News: Your Black-ish family member was on board with this project, creator Kenya Barris produced and Tracee Ellis Ross voiced the Alexa-like HomeGirl. What was it like having their support on Little?


Martin: It means the world to me. It's very rare to have an astounding cast who supports you and loves you for anything you do in the future. Having their support is staggering. Kenya was with us from the begin. He helped us create this and move forward and gave us the ideal opinions for everything that we required. And Tracee is just, she's the definition of Black girl magic in itself. Certainly I required as much Black girl magic in the film as possible and she was certainly a piece of it! … And it's not just them either. It's the full cast that is rooting for me. We're all rooting for each other in anything that we do. I'm in back of blessed for those kind of relationships in my life that will last forever.


MTV News: In what ways have those relationships been so important?


Martin: they'll actually tell you the truth and tell you their stories and why they really survived this industry … We really are going via same things. We are all excellent Black females — I'm a kid, although Black girls in this industry are just attempting to create a statement for ourselves. We are all really in this with each other and I think having a mentor is really critical because they lead by example.


MTV News: What piece of you do you hope habitually shines through as you continue to build your empire in Hollywood?


Martin: Sense of humor … I've had to learn that not everything is so serious. This is really all just having an excellent time and just playing around. Because I sort of struggled here and there, just stressing over things and having anxiety, however … any time While I begin talking and just being myself and my humorous self, then everything goes well. I think my sense of humor and why I look at life. I feel I'd like to keep moving with that.


This interview has been edited and condensed.