Up next in 10
Are you ready to fall in love with Italy all over again? Join Halle Bailey and legendary producer Will Packer as they dive deep into their stunning new romantic comedy, You, Me, and Tuscany. This exclusive town hall captures the heart and soul behind a film that is all about taking leaps of faith and finding yourself in the most unexpected places.
In this engaging discussion, Halle Bailey opens up about her transition into more mature roles and the relatability of her character, Anna. You will hear firsthand accounts of the incredible chemistry on set with co-star Rege-Jean Page and the hilarious reality of filming those perfectly romantic scenes. Will Packer explains his vision for bringing a universal story to life with melanated leads in a setting as breathtaking as the Italian countryside.
The conversation goes beyond the script to explore the importance of representation, the value of family—both biological and chosen—and why everyone needs to get their passport and experience the world. From the authentic food of small Italian villages to the challenges of filming with a toddler on set, this interview is packed with inspiration and behind-the-scenes magic.
Chapters
0:00 Welcome to the Town Hall
2:15 Introducing Halle Bailey and Will Packer
5:30 The Inspiration Behind You, Me, and Tuscany
8:45 Character Deep Dive: Anna’s Leap of Faith
12:00 Following Your Dreams and Overcoming Grief
15:30 Working with Rege-Jean Page and On-Screen Chemistry
19:00 Behind the Scenes: Sprinklers and Green Screens
23:15 Discovering the Magic of the Tuscan Region
27:00 The Importance of Family and Human Connection
30:30 Representation and Black Love in Rom-Coms
33:45 Halle Bailey as a Next Generation Trailblazer
35:30 Culinary Lessons and Final Thoughts
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Welcome to our town hall for you, me,
0:03
and Tuscany.
0:04
>> Toscana.
0:05
>> Okay, Toscana. Toscana.
0:07
>> Toscana. With passion. Toscana.
0:10
>> Toscana. Yeah, give it a round of
0:12
applause. Coming out April [laughter]
0:13
10th.
0:14
Uh, what an amazing movie. We got two
0:17
special guests that's going to join us
0:18
right now. Who should I bring out first,
0:20
Heather B? Ladies first.
0:22
>> Ladies first. Oh, man. Uh, listen, I've
0:24
known this young lady before she signed
0:26
a record deal, before she was in Little
0:28
Mermaid. Give her uh, before she was in
0:31
Grown-ish, uh, before she was
0:33
Grammy-nominated, and before she was the
0:35
star of You, Me, and
0:37
>> Toscana.
0:38
>> Give it up for the ONE AND ONLY HALLE
0:40
BAILEY!
0:42
>> [cheering]
0:46
[applause]
0:47
>> HALLE BAILEY! LOOK AT HER. THERE SHE
0:50
GOES.
0:50
>> [cheering]
0:52
[applause]
0:53
>> AW.
0:53
>> YES. YES. YES. YES. HOW YOU FEELING,
0:55
HALLE? We got a seat you want. You want
0:57
that?
0:57
>> I'm so good. Yeah.
0:58
>> Okay, let me get on my side. Okay.
1:00
Great. Great. Doesn't she look amazing?
1:02
Amazing. She She looks just like she did
1:04
on the big screen.
1:06
>> [applause]
1:06
>> Next man that's coming up, I owe him a
1:08
lot. My my acting career. Um,
1:12
>> [clears throat]
1:12
[laughter]
1:14
>> I owe it to this man. He put me in my
1:16
first big movie, Heather. You know I've
1:17
done a few since. Who'd you play? I
1:20
played me in the movie.
1:21
>> [laughter]
1:22
>> It was a challenging role. The movie was
1:24
called Stomp the Yard. How many people
1:25
saw that movie?
1:28
>> [cheering]
1:28
>> Remember the most important line? "I
1:30
never seen stepping like this before."
1:33
Y'all remember that? Yes.
1:35
Okay. This man went on to make movies
1:38
like Think Like a Man, Ride Along, Girls
1:40
Trip, which have grossed over $1 billion
1:43
worldwide.
1:45
One of the most successful black film
1:47
producers. He's done it all. He's a
1:49
powerhouse. He has Will Packer
1:51
Productions and Will Packer Media. Bring
1:54
him into the stage right now. Y'all make
1:55
some noise for the ONE AND ONLY WILL
1:58
PACKER!
1:59
>> [cheering]
2:04
>> I LOVE IT.
2:05
>> [cheering]
2:06
[applause]
2:07
>> I LOVE IT. Every time, Will. Go ahead.
2:10
Here you go, Will. Every time, man.
2:12
>> What up, family?
2:13
>> doing, sir? Wait, let's just get a
2:15
picture of us all all of us standing
2:16
like this. Yep. This is it, guys. This
2:19
is your town hall right here. You, me,
2:21
and Tuscany. Toscana.
2:23
>> Okay. Yeah.
2:26
All right. Cool, man. Have a seat, man.
2:27
>> But black people will [ __ ] up a word,
2:29
won't they? Y'ALL DO.
2:30
>> [laughter]
2:31
>> THERE'S A Y AT THE END OF THAT WORD.
2:33
WHERE'D Y'ALL GET THAT FROM? I've been
2:35
losing sleep over saying the title of
2:37
the movie cuz, you know, you know, it's
2:39
just we we don't
2:40
>> brother. Tuscany.
2:41
>> Tuscany. [laughter]
2:43
Let me tell y'all something.
2:44
>> say Tuscany first?
2:45
>> Sway was so amazing in Stomp the Yard
2:47
playing himself. [laughter]
2:49
Talk to him, Will.
2:50
>> He rehearsed, Heather B. He had his
2:53
lines. There was no messing up at all.
2:57
When it was time and action, "You never
3:01
seen stepping like this before."
3:02
[laughter] Literally, seven words, done.
3:05
Nailed it.
3:07
To and y'all made me do it again for no
3:09
reason. I didn't understand that. I
3:11
nailed it the first time.
3:12
>> that we had to get multiple angles. So,
3:14
you know, you have to shoot, you know,
3:16
like and then but you know how it is
3:18
when you're not dealing with people that
3:19
were acting as their first language.
3:21
>> true, right?
3:22
>> Then they're like, "Bro, I said it.
3:23
What's the problem?" Like, you know,
3:25
Sway was ready to get back on the jet,
3:27
go to New York. I'm like, "My guy." I
3:28
was working at that time. Will Packer
3:31
hasn't put me in another movie since,
3:32
guys. Let me
3:34
>> [laughter]
3:35
>> I haven't been in another movie
3:37
>> You, Me, and Tuscany 2, but since you
3:39
can't pronounce it,
3:40
>> [laughter]
3:41
>> I think that might not go well. This is
3:44
Heather's fault. Somehow this is
3:45
Heather's fault.
3:46
>> No, I was just trying to get you to say
3:48
with some passion. Okay. Okay. Well, let
3:50
me say this. This is an amazing movie
3:52
for so many reasons. Um, it's a
3:55
beautifully shot movie. It's a movie
3:57
that's honest and authentic to the
3:59
environment that it's shot in.
4:01
Uh, I did mention I've been to Italy a
4:03
few times. I've been to Milan. I've been
4:05
to Rome. I've never been to Tuscany.
4:08
Right? Uh, but one of the things I think
4:10
all of these places share for those
4:12
who've been there is is rooted in
4:13
culture and tradition. And this movie
4:16
captures all of that. When I was
4:18
watching it in the screening, you know,
4:20
and I was seeing you all go through
4:22
villages and and how important the
4:24
family ties were in this movie and how
4:27
it was displayed, I knew that was on
4:28
purpose. Uh, but I want to ask you
4:31
first, uh, Will Packer and Halle, what
4:34
drew you all to this movie to make this
4:37
movie?
4:38
I'll go first because I got this script
4:41
and it was it was a it was a script
4:44
about a young girl who, uh, had lost her
4:46
way. She was, you know, a mess. Be
4:49
honest with you, right? This young girl,
4:51
she was a mess living in New York and
4:53
she just took this leap of faith when
4:56
she had no business doing it. She's got
4:57
no money in her account. She's got no
4:59
plan. And she's just like, "You know
5:00
what? Eff it. I'mma do it." And I read
5:03
that before I even got to the Italy
5:04
part, I was like, "Yo, this is so
5:05
relatable." This is so much especially
5:08
when you think about like Gen X and
5:10
millennials who feel like, "You know
5:11
what? This world is not designed for me
5:14
to succeed. I have to just take chances
5:17
and just do stuff." And I felt like I'm
5:18
such a relatable character. And then she
5:21
takes this leap and then obviously you
5:23
see the twist in the movie is that
5:27
she ends up having to lie to this whole
5:29
Italian family and pretend that she's a
5:31
part of the family, pretend that she's
5:33
engaged to their son-in-law who's a
5:34
strange. But she takes this journey
5:37
where she really finds herself and finds
5:38
her voice. And I thought like that is
5:40
such a relatable concept that a lot of
5:44
people have not found their way and a
5:47
lot of people don't have a plan and a
5:48
lot of people don't know how to be
5:49
successful in this world. And sometimes
5:51
you got to just do it, Yeah.
5:52
>> y'all. Sometimes you got to just take
5:54
the leap and just have faith and see
5:56
what happens.
5:56
>> Yeah. Don't do it like She built on a
5:59
lie, y'all. She was lying. She was
6:00
supposed to go to prison. I was lying.
6:03
Broken lying. Yeah. Little thirsty, too,
6:06
it would seem.
6:07
Anna is very thirsty, yeah. But it's fun
6:10
I was so grateful to be a part of this
6:13
movie. When Will called me about the
6:15
film, I was over the moon after I read
6:18
the script because I mean, I'm 25. I
6:21
still feel like I'm finding my way every
6:23
single day. So, I felt like I could
6:25
relate to Anna's character immediately.
6:28
And the fact that you're watching her
6:29
make mistakes and go on this up-and-down
6:32
journey, it's funny, but it's also real.
6:35
Yeah.
6:35
>> And it makes you feel like, "Okay. Like,
6:38
maybe what I'm doing is not so bad.
6:40
Maybe my life is not so bad. I'm you
6:41
know, I'll try, too." You try, you get
6:43
knocked down, you get back up. That's
6:45
like the way it goes. And the love was
6:49
nice
6:50
>> Yeah. as well and experiencing that. But
6:53
also not just that outwardly love that
6:56
she received, but the love that she
6:58
ended up giving to herself and
7:01
realizing, you know,
7:03
her confidence and things that she had
7:05
to pour back into herself and her
7:06
passion and it's just very nice. It's a
7:09
nice journey that you go on. I hope that
7:11
wasn't too much of spoilers, but, you
7:13
know, I was I was really grateful to be
7:15
a part of it. Aw, that was beautiful. No
7:17
spoilers. KIND OF CRYPTIC.
7:21
>> [laughter]
7:24
>> UM, I'M I'M THINKING ABOUT, you know,
7:26
they say when love is built on a lie, it
7:29
can never last, right?
7:32
The love you find is built on a lie. It
7:34
is. Right? You know, um,
7:37
but that wasn't necessarily I want to
7:39
give it all up, but that wasn't
7:41
necessarily the ending, right?
7:43
Lying is an interesting concept, isn't
7:46
it?
7:47
How many people been in love and lied to
7:49
their uh, their their lover?
7:50
>> Oh, damn, Sway. Just show show
7:52
everybody.
7:54
Literally everyone. Everybody.
7:56
>> Yeah. So,
7:58
how many people lied to their lover
7:59
before but the love still became a
8:01
success?
8:02
>> Oh, damn, Sway. Just show everybody.
8:05
So, I guess we could debunk that whole
8:07
idea that love built on a lie can't
8:09
last. Would you guys agree?
8:12
I
8:13
>> [laughter]
8:13
>> Here's what I would say. I I don't
8:16
I don't know that we want to encourage a
8:18
bunch of dysfunctionality across
8:20
[laughter] the
8:21
I feel like the way you're saying it is
8:22
is
8:23
>> It's messy. Messy.
8:24
>> It's very messy. Messy. Messy.
8:26
>> Just Lie to them and you can fall in
8:28
love. No, Sway. That's not exactly what
8:30
I'm trying to
8:31
That ain't that ain't the that's not
8:32
what you're trying to get across.
8:33
>> Here's what I would say. Halle's
8:35
character, one of the reasons it's
8:37
relatable cuz she finds herself caught
8:39
up in a situation that gets out of
8:40
control. So, she takes this leap of
8:42
faith and then she ends up in a
8:44
situation where she's like, "What else
8:47
am I going to do?" And we've all been
8:49
there where it's like in the moment
8:51
she's stuck. So, she's not like setting
8:53
out to go out and like create this whole
8:55
lie, this persona, but you know how it
8:56
is. Sometimes you tell a little white
8:58
lie, it turns into a bigger one, a
8:59
bigger one, and then it snowballs. And
9:00
that's that's the fun of this movie is
9:03
the journey when you see Halle's
9:05
character, Anna, and she gets caught up
9:07
in some crazy situations. When you see
9:10
her hanging outside the side of a villa
9:13
trying to hide from people that are you
9:16
know, looking for her and she's hanging
9:18
on the villa and in another country with
9:21
$500 to her name trying to figure out
9:23
how not to get arrested. Like, it's fun.
9:25
It goes It's like a throwback to like
9:27
the classic rom-com
9:28
>> Yeah. that a lot of us have seen before
9:31
but that they they, you know, aren't in
9:33
theaters as much like they used to be.
9:35
The big rom-coms with the sweeping
9:36
romance and the funny situations people
9:38
get caught up. I don't think we make
9:39
enough of those now. That's one of the
9:41
main reasons I wanted to be a part of
9:42
this one. That's dope. Uh, one of the
9:44
things that I got from what Y'all can
9:46
clap for that. I heard somebody
9:47
clapping.
9:48
>> [applause]
9:48
>> One of the things, Will, Halle, that I
9:51
got from the film, like a underlying
9:54
tone, was about not being brave enough
9:58
to follow your dreams.
10:00
And just keep making excuses not to
10:03
follow your dreams. This young lady
10:05
wanted to go to Italy forever. You know,
10:08
it was something that you put on your
10:09
vision board or your journal or your
10:11
wish list or even in your prayers, you
10:13
know? And it took this unusual
10:16
circumstance to get there. You know,
10:19
when you when I looked at it, I was
10:20
like, "Wow, so many of us are walking
10:23
around with so many unfulfilled dreams."
10:26
You know, and it's as simple as getting
10:28
a passport.
10:30
You know, maybe you can only go with
10:32
$500 and you might have to stay in a
10:34
hostel or Airbnb and move around, but
10:37
guess what? You're fulfilling your
10:38
dream. You know, was that the goal in
10:42
the movie somewhat too? Cuz I felt like
10:44
that was part of the messaging the
10:46
messaging. I mean, I would definitely
10:48
say so. I For me, my character Anna, I
10:52
mean, I think she was using her grief in
10:56
a way as a way to just give up on her
10:59
dreams. And I think sometimes
11:01
that happens to a lot of us. We're like,
11:03
"Oh, this bad thing happened to me, so I
11:06
don't even have the energy to go after
11:08
what I was pursuing." Like and I'm just
11:10
going to take it easy and and go coast
11:13
to coast cuz I just I can't get up from
11:15
my grief. And I think that what was
11:17
what was really powerful in her story
11:20
that you got to see were the people
11:22
around her trying to lift her up like
11:24
out of herself and pull her out of
11:26
herself. And it took like, you know,
11:30
Mateo, the guy at the bar. Like that
11:32
moment to spark that again in her. And I
11:35
really enjoyed seeing that because it it
11:38
has the theme of faith and hope and
11:42
>> Yeah. getting back up again. Like and
11:43
it's hard. Our lives like everybody is
11:46
dealing with something. We We always
11:48
feel, you know, maybe I'm Am I doing
11:51
good enough? We We got to try try
11:53
harder. And everybody can relate to that
11:55
feeling. So, I think watching it with
11:57
her, you feel inspired. Like, "Oh, maybe
12:01
I can, you know, if she got through her
12:03
grief and pushed through and
12:04
everything." Well, was that your
12:06
intention?
12:07
>> You touched on something that is so
12:09
apropos because like you talked about
12:12
how how many of us get locked into a
12:15
circumstance, right? And sometimes you
12:19
just got to just get a passport. You got
12:21
to just do it. You might have to stay at
12:22
a hostel. You might Like there's so much
12:25
that we can do. It's It's It's a crazy
12:27
tough world in a lot of ways, but it's
12:29
also an amazing world because we have
12:30
opportunities that now that generations
12:33
before us did not have. And so, what
12:36
Halley's talking about is really the
12:38
underlying deep theme of what we wanted
12:40
to do. This movie is fun. It's
12:41
entertaining. But without a doubt, it is
12:44
absolutely about you not getting locked
12:46
into your present circumstances.
12:48
Whatever that might be. And there are so
12:50
many people who can relate to that. And
12:53
it may be something because you're
12:54
dealing with grief, right? You may be
12:55
dealing with a loss. You may be dealing
12:57
with a breakup. You may be dealing with
12:58
circumstances outside of your control.
13:00
But Halley, you just said it. You can't
13:01
get locked into those circumstances.
13:03
Like really, underneath the surface,
13:05
that is what this movie is about. Is
13:08
that you cannot be afraid. You There's a
13:11
whole world out there. Literally and
13:14
figuratively. If you are not afraid to
13:17
take the leap. And so, we see somebody
13:20
who takes the leap, is not a straight
13:21
line. It goes all kind of, you know,
13:23
crazy ups and downs, ebbs and flows. But
13:26
at the end of the day, if she does not
13:28
take that leap, and so many of us can
13:30
relate to that. Don't get locked into
13:31
your circumstances. There's a world out
13:33
there waiting for you. But you got to be
13:35
willing to take that leap. You got to be
13:36
willing to get out of your comfort zone.
13:37
You got to be willing to do something
13:38
that maybe you've never done before.
13:40
That's really the underlying theme of
13:41
this movie.
13:42
>> Wow, I love this, man. Big round of
13:43
applause for that.
13:44
>> Love it. Love it. Yes.
13:46
It's a love story. We obviously are
13:48
talking about a love story here. You
13:50
know, I'm a I'm a I'm a lover. Aw.
13:54
When? When? Like now. Nah. Nah, yo.
13:57
When you loved, yo? Tell me Tell us.
14:00
>> Heavy beats. Wait a minute. Do you love
14:02
vibes? Like you just
14:03
>> lover.
14:04
>> [laughter]
14:05
>> Like love Man, I'm a lover. I'm not in
14:07
that business. To I To these folks who
14:10
showed up with us today, I love y'all.
14:12
>> YOU LOVED THEM.
14:13
>> [cheering]
14:14
[applause]
14:15
>> WHATEVER.
14:18
>> [laughter]
14:19
>> I GOT A DAUGHTER. Somebody got loved.
14:23
I ain't even Go ahead, y'all. I ain't
14:25
messing with that.
14:26
>> [laughter]
14:27
>> I'mma get my cup.
14:31
>> [laughter]
14:31
>> That's the problem, that cup right
14:33
there.
14:34
Um
14:35
this young man that co-stars in this
14:38
movie uh Regé-Jean Page. Baby.
14:42
>> Well, come on.
14:44
>> [laughter]
14:45
>> Well, cuz I got a question.
14:46
>> Okay. You want to jump mine?
14:48
>> [laughter]
14:48
>> No, cuz you sway Your name is like
14:51
important.
14:51
>> That doesn't mean that my name your
14:53
name. It doesn't matter. Go ahead.
14:54
>> real talk. Like Okay, so [laughter] you
14:56
have to study and everything and like
14:58
Will is a professional. He's billion
15:00
dollars behind his movies and stuff.
15:01
When he took his shirt off, like where
15:03
was you at? Like in your mind, though,
15:06
girl. It's me and you. In your mind. I
15:09
was a fan of Regé. I watched him on
15:11
Bridgerton. So, I think we all
15:14
>> [laughter]
15:14
>> We all were like, "He is handsome."
15:17
>> Yes.
15:17
>> Yeah, that's
15:18
not even a question. Yeah. But who
15:21
sprinkled the water? Like whose idea was
15:23
to put the water on them? Will?
15:25
>> [laughter]
15:26
>> HALLEY, BE I FEEL LIKE YOU you're
15:29
applying for the job in the next
15:30
[laughter]
15:31
in the sequel.
15:32
>> You had to want to be Regé's shiner. His
15:34
chest shiner. [laughter] I just was like
15:36
>> Shiner, come in. We need a shiner.
15:38
>> BE QUIET. SWAYZE, I JUST DIDN'T
15:40
UNDERSTAND HOW YOU KEPT your composure,
15:42
girl. I was proud of you or through the
15:44
screen. Well, Anna I don't think Anna
15:47
kind of didn't really keep her composure
15:48
that well. You could see through her a
15:51
lot Yeah.
15:53
I I would tell you, though, and I got to
15:55
give props to Halley because, you know,
15:57
when you all you see scenes like that,
15:59
right? So, going off and water's coming
16:01
down. Like that's real water, right?
16:06
This is not like CGI effects or nothing.
16:09
We That was real. So, remember they have
16:12
to act. And just like with Stop the
16:15
Yard, we got to do multiple takes, sir,
16:17
right?
16:18
So, it's not like it's just one take and
16:20
done. So, there definitely is a
16:23
challenge because for actors, the people
16:26
really I have such respect for actors
16:28
because nobody appreciates everything
16:30
you have to do. Because you got two
16:32
incredibly beautiful people and the
16:34
chemistry there is real. They had such a
16:37
great time working together. Which you
16:39
can see. You can't fake that on screen.
16:41
You can see it. When you watch the
16:42
movie, you're going to see there was
16:43
amazing energy between them. What I will
16:45
say, though, is that after about that
16:47
third take Yeah. it was not about the
16:49
abs.
16:51
>> [laughter]
16:51
>> Halley was like, "Okay, how many more?"
16:54
Cuz she's drenched. We got to dry her
16:56
off. We got to reset the hair, you know
16:58
what I mean? We got My lashes are coming
16:59
off now cuz the rain the sprinklers. I'm
17:02
like, "My eyes are burning. I can't even
17:04
see abs at this point anymore. It's just
17:06
>> [laughter]
17:06
>> blurry, you know?"
17:09
>> it's very, you know, you get through it.
17:11
It was still sexy, but it definitely
17:13
worked. It's still like, you know, yeah.
17:14
First three takes was very sexy. That's
17:16
what I'm saying.
17:17
>> [laughter]
17:17
>> Takes three through 10 was like
17:19
>> Y'all going to love it. Nah, it's great.
17:21
He I I really I think he's an
17:24
outstanding actor. I don't know if if
17:25
you watched Bridgerton, you know, and to
17:28
see you um share the screen with him
17:31
>> Mhm. you it it you both were evenly
17:34
yoked as thespians, you know? And I want
17:36
to commend you for that. That was
17:38
Was that your first time in a in a
17:41
in that deep of a love love interest
17:43
story?
17:44
>> Yes. And I talked about this. This is my
17:46
first This is like my first movie where
17:49
I'm a grown woman.
17:50
>> Yeah.
17:51
>> Like everyone has seen me, you know, do
17:53
mermaid, do Disney. And then before that
17:55
even Grown-ish, I was kind of you know,
17:57
I play younger. So, it's it was really
17:59
nice to play like someone my age. Like
18:02
I'm I'm 25 now. I have a baby. Like I'm
18:05
a whole I feel like I'm
18:06
>> You're a whole woman, huh?
18:07
>> [laughter]
18:09
>> You know, it was nice to play somebody
18:11
in that mindset, too. I could just be
18:13
myself.
18:14
>> he there?
18:14
>> He was there. We had a blast. Oh my
18:17
gosh, it's so funny, too, because Will
18:20
allowed me to like They would put him in
18:23
certain scenes. Like there's a scene
18:25
where I'm driving the Was it the
18:27
Ferrari? The Maserati. Yeah. And we're
18:30
on like a
18:31
It's a screen set. So, like a screen
18:33
behind us that makes it look really cool
18:35
like I'm actually driving. But they
18:38
would like allow me to pop Halo in like
18:40
in the car. So, I have all these really
18:42
good pictures of him like in the movie.
18:45
Yeah. But he's not in the movie, but
18:47
>> [laughter]
18:48
>> You could not tell Halo that he was not
18:50
in the movie. Cuz it is
18:52
Like imagine a green screen. So, you put
18:53
the car in the middle and like
18:55
everything around is moving really fast,
18:57
right? And so, we did the the scene. And
19:00
so, when you see the movie, there is a
19:01
scene where, you know, Halley's
19:03
character is driving crazy through the
19:05
Italian countryside, right? And we're
19:07
shooting that scene and all of a sudden
19:08
the camera pans over and there is Halo.
19:11
>> [laughter]
19:12
>> 1-year-old, 18 months at the time. He's
19:15
like hanging out the window. I'm like,
19:16
"HALO, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE. GET BACK IN.
19:17
[laughter]
19:18
WE'RE GOING 90 MILES AN HOUR. YOU CAN'T
19:19
JUST HANG OUT THE WINDOW, HALO."
19:21
He was having so much fun. He ran Italy.
19:24
Italy was his playground.
19:25
>> Wow. [laughter] Wow. What What So, what
19:27
region is where you actually in? Did you
19:28
you were on the Amalfi Coast or No, we
19:30
were actually we shot in Rome.
19:32
>> Okay. And then the Tuscan region, we
19:35
shot a lot in a small town called
19:37
Pienza. So, if you've never been to to
19:39
Tuscany, it's a full it's a region. And
19:42
they're all these little towns. And
19:44
these towns are literally so
19:45
picturesque. It is, you know, it's it's
19:49
vineyards as far as you can see. Like
19:51
literally just wild grapes. Like one day
19:54
I just had the the driver stop. We're on
19:56
our way to set. I was like, I just got
19:57
to stop and get out and like just look
20:00
at this. Like just run down because you
20:02
don't see this in the states. And so as
20:04
far as the eye can see is these rolling
20:06
Italian hills and vineyards. And so we
20:08
shot in one of the small towns and a lot
20:11
of this is interesting the culture there
20:13
is people who have lived there their
20:14
entire lives. Never lived anybody else
20:17
and they own a restaurant and that
20:19
restaurant you come in and you're not
20:21
just getting served by like a waiter or
20:22
somebody that's working part-time. No,
20:23
you're getting served by mom and dad,
20:25
right? And grandma might be in the back
20:27
doing the bread and dad will come out
20:29
and say, "Okay, what do you want?" Okay,
20:31
got it. Got your order. Then he goes
20:32
back and cooks it, right? And then his
20:34
wife comes out and brings you the wine.
20:35
It's very family oriented. It is just
20:38
this beautiful culture of family and you
20:41
get a sense that
20:43
they have a different understanding of
20:45
what's important to them. Food is
20:47
important. Family is important. Culture.
20:50
Conversation. There's no rush. Don't
20:53
show up at a Tuscan restaurant like
20:55
saying, "Oh yeah, I got a reservation at
20:57
7:00. I need to be out by 8:00." No, no,
20:58
no, no, no, no. Sit down, have your
21:00
wine, get some bread, get some pasta,
21:03
talk. Talk. Get to know the people
21:05
around you. Like it's that kind of
21:07
community environment that I think we
21:09
don't have enough of anymore.
21:10
>> But you captured this and that's and
21:11
that is what appealed to me. That's one
21:14
of the biggest things that appealed to
21:15
me is you were able to capture that, you
21:17
know, with the characters in this movie
21:19
with Michael family, you know, and Anna
21:21
got a chance to experience. They
21:23
received her open arms. That's so
21:25
important right now when we look at the
21:27
world today, right? Who do you lean on
21:29
most? It's time to lean on family. And
21:31
if you haven't leaned on family, this is
21:33
the kind of movie you'll watch and that
21:35
family member that gets on your nerves
21:36
or you really don't like talking to,
21:38
you'll dial phone and go, "Hey Heather,
21:40
I just wanted to say hi."
21:41
>> Why my name come up?
21:43
>> [laughter]
21:44
>> What was I DOING JUST NOW? I WAS JUST
21:45
GIVING them an example.
21:47
Wow.
21:47
>> I was just giving them an example.
21:49
Where's my cup? Okay.
21:50
>> [laughter]
21:51
>> I see why she says you're not a lover,
21:53
Sway. I'm not going to lie to you,
21:55
brother. I can't
21:55
>> Thank you, Will. do that, Will. But but
21:57
but [laughter] what you know, you So I'm
21:59
curious to the research that was done
22:01
because everything you described about
22:03
what you saw in that that that small
22:05
village, we see in the characters. We
22:08
see in the storyline. What kind of
22:10
research did you do? Well, we went over
22:11
there. I mean, it was it was the script
22:13
was
22:15
was done by a husband and wife team who
22:18
this was like their ode to Italy and to
22:22
these regions. And one of the things you
22:24
hit on is like we live in such a divided
22:26
world right now and Halle's character
22:29
Anna goes over there and she meets this
22:30
family she does not know, right? It's
22:32
under false pretenses but they
22:34
immediately just embrace her.
22:36
She's a human. It doesn't matter who she
22:38
is, where she's from. They don't care
22:40
you know, who she voted for. They don't
22:41
care about any of that. There is a human
22:43
who is here who needs our love. It is
22:46
clear she doesn't have a family of her
22:47
own and they immediately just take her
22:49
in, right? Now, there's some
22:50
complications that come along with that
22:52
because, you know, she's she's presented
22:54
herself in one way and now she's got to
22:55
figure out how to get how to get out of
22:57
that but that's part of the fun. But it
23:00
is very much about family and very much
23:03
about family is not just the people
23:04
you're related to. It is also the people
23:07
who you choose to show love to. Yeah.
23:10
Family [clears throat] can be anybody.
23:12
Right? So again, that was one of our
23:14
Y'all tap touching on all the underlying
23:15
messages in the movie. That was one of
23:17
them. Family is what you make it. Family
23:20
is who you embrace. Yeah.
23:23
Man, can we get him a round of applause?
23:24
Every time I talk to Will, this is my
23:26
brother, man. I
23:27
feel like I'm educated.
23:29
>> [applause]
23:32
>> What?
23:33
>> [laughter]
23:33
>> I didn't know if it was cuz
23:35
I think we
23:36
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I
23:39
did I I jokingly I said I'm a rom-com
23:41
fan but I am a rom-com fan.
23:44
I watched rom-coms growing up as
23:46
escapism, right? And and and most of
23:50
them like You've Got Mail and some of
23:52
those old ones
23:54
Sleepless in Seattle, all these
23:56
different rom-coms that I watched
23:58
growing up and then I consider Love
24:00
Jones a rom-com.
24:03
It I utilized it as escapism. But the
24:06
reason why I like Love Jones is because
24:08
I saw people who look like me in it,
24:10
right? And
24:11
we don't we don't always see that. We
24:13
rarely see that in lead roles
24:16
of melanated people playing the key
24:18
characters. Y'all like how I put that,
24:20
right? Y'all could go ahead and use
24:22
that.
24:23
>> [laughter]
24:23
>> You ain't even got to give me credit.
24:25
How important is it
24:28
to have
24:29
melanated people play these lead roles
24:32
and that the public receives it and
24:34
accepts it?
24:35
I'll give my opinion you can give yours.
24:37
I think for me it is it's essential.
24:39
This is not a movie for one particular
24:41
audience. It's a movie for every
24:42
audience and because the leads happen to
24:45
be Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page, that
24:47
doesn't mean it's not for everybody.
24:49
That's what's important. And so the fact
24:51
that you had these two beautiful brown
24:52
people in, you know, the Tuscan
24:54
hillsides in a backdrop you don't always
24:57
see people that look like Halle and like
24:59
Regé in those environments. That's why I
25:01
had to do it. That's why I wanted to do
25:03
it. It's a universal story. It is a
25:04
story that a lot of people can relate
25:06
to. And romantic comedies, they are
25:09
great. Usually they're universally
25:11
themed. They're things that anybody can
25:13
relate to. And so it felt it was very
25:15
important for me to have these people
25:19
to bring us into a world that perhaps
25:21
you haven't been to, haven't seen before
25:22
but they're our POV into the world
25:24
because that's what tells people.
25:26
Imagery is so important. It's one of the
25:27
reasons I'm a filmmaker. It tells people
25:29
how you should feel when you meet
25:31
people, how you should judge people, how
25:33
you should not judge people, not
25:34
prejudge people. So these were just two
25:36
humans who like a lot of humans
25:40
hopefully will fall in love and have an
25:42
incredible journey. And why not have
25:44
somebody that looks like our two leads.
25:46
That was what was important to me.
25:48
Saying it without saying it.
25:50
>> [applause]
25:51
[cheering]
25:53
>> I couldn't agree more and it's a big
25:55
part of what I what I feel like I choose
25:58
to do now in my career. I just I want to
26:01
be a part of projects where
26:03
I see myself. Like it's so important for
26:05
us to see ourselves especially as
26:09
beautiful black people. Like we need to
26:12
know that I can do that. I can be there.
26:14
I can pursue this and I'm welcome here
26:17
and I'm here to stay, you know, and I
26:20
think it was a part of maybe it's
26:22
started from mermaid where it's like
26:24
this spark of like, okay,
26:26
even if you necessarily don't think I'm
26:29
supposed to be in this position or this
26:31
role, like I am supposed to be here and
26:33
I'm going to show you and I'm and we are
26:36
important and I don't know. It like
26:38
heals something in the little girl in me
26:40
and also it's fun to watch us experience
26:44
love and joy and be happy and not
26:46
suffering and like just
26:49
fun. Um so that's why I was I was
26:52
grateful to be a part of it and it's
26:53
it's definitely a big part of what I
26:56
choose to do now especially cuz I
26:59
realize the impact that it has on us
27:01
especially children. Like it's really
27:04
cool. And and Sway, I know you know
27:06
this. Please.
27:08
Halle is such a trailblazer, right? When
27:11
you think about as a Disney princess,
27:13
she is a trailblazer and all the little
27:15
girls who saw it's it's
27:18
Halle is so representative of all the
27:20
Halles, all the Halle Baileys out there.
27:23
And you know, she said like, "I deserve
27:25
to be here." You deserve to be
27:26
everywhere. They deserve to be
27:28
everywhere. You deserve to see
27:30
yourselves everywhere having fun, having
27:32
the full, you know, full color spectrum
27:35
range of emotions. We deserve to have
27:38
that. You believe What you see is what
27:40
you believe. And so and and when we
27:42
first met on this project, we met at at
27:45
like a little coffee shop in in
27:47
Hollywood and we talked about it and I
27:50
remember telling her like, "Thank you so
27:52
much because I have daughters that are
27:54
in her age and for them to be able to
27:57
see somebody that look like them doing
27:59
all the things that she does on the big
28:02
screen, that is powerful. That is so
28:04
much more powerful than me telling them
28:06
they can do it. When they can see it,
28:08
then they believe it." And so I just
28:11
give this sister next to me big props
28:13
because she carries so much on her
28:17
shoulders just by simply being her and
28:19
just showing up in spaces that she and
28:22
so many people like her deserve to be
28:24
in. Yeah, man.
28:26
Can you know what else
28:28
Uh and congratulations Time Magazine's
28:31
next generation leaders. She was named
28:33
one of Time Magazine next generation
28:35
leaders.
28:36
But
28:38
>> [cheering]
28:38
>> and [applause] yeah, that's incredible.
28:40
I know you didn't solicit for it but
28:41
they they they they tagged you that.
28:43
[laughter]
28:43
But
28:44
one of the other things that has nothing
28:46
to do with the big screen is off-screen,
28:50
what I appreciate about you and I
28:51
watched you I watched your trajectory
28:54
from a from a long time ago is she's you
28:57
don't see this a lot in entertainment.
28:59
You don't see this a lot online. You
29:01
don't see this a lot anywhere now. She's
29:04
a nice person. Yeah.
29:07
Yeah.
29:07
>> that sounds simple, right? But how often
29:10
do you say that about what you watch
29:13
online or what you watch on TV or what
29:16
you see in the streets,
29:18
Halle is generally a You're a really
29:20
nice person. A beautiful person and I
29:23
think there's room for that alternative.
29:26
What should be the norm, right? And so I
29:29
I shouldn't have to point out that
29:30
you're nice,
29:31
right? [laughter]
29:32
But you're extremely nice person and so
29:35
I'm just really proud of you and happy
29:37
for you. Thank you so much.
29:40
>> Now, one of the things I noticed, Halle,
29:43
you're from the South, right? Where are
29:44
you from?
29:44
>> I am. I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. Yeah,
29:46
you're from Atlanta Georgia. Anybody
29:48
from Atlanta? Okay. Let them know.
29:50
>> [laughter]
29:51
>> One person. Okay.
29:54
Come on, Sway.
29:56
I told you Will. I told you.
29:58
>> [laughter]
29:59
>> Yes, love her where? What?
30:05
We have our one. That's all we need. She
30:07
represent you got her, me, and Hal. Come
30:09
on now. [laughter] ATL in the house.
30:11
>> I was always good with numbers, so
30:14
one
30:15
>> [laughter]
30:15
>> uh
30:16
Uh it it it Well, you're from the South.
30:18
My family's from Louisiana. You know,
30:21
East Carroll Parish. East Anybody? No?
30:23
No, just one. Okay, no no [laughter]
30:25
person.
30:27
Uh but being from the South, knowing how
30:29
to cook is your birthright. Yeah. Man,
30:32
man, you got to know how to burn, Yes.
30:35
you know, when you're in the South. And
30:37
watching you play Anna, and Anna's
30:39
actually a chef.
30:40
>> A chef, yeah. Right? Yes. Uh it made me
30:43
wonder is
30:44
is Hal actually a chef?
30:46
>> [laughter]
30:47
>> So, I'm Yeah, I love to cook at home.
30:49
It's like so much fun for me.
30:52
Going into Italy though, it was funny
30:54
because
30:55
like you said, in the South, you grow up
30:58
helping in the kitchen. You know how to
31:00
make the all the dinner probably by the
31:02
time you're 10 or 12, you can do the
31:04
whole thing by yourself, and you're
31:06
feeding your siblings and everything
31:07
else. So, from a young age, I knew how
31:10
to cook, like make a meal. But it's
31:12
like, you know, sloppy kitchen home
31:15
cooked style. When I went to Italy, I
31:18
got to take like real classes, like
31:21
culinary classes. It was beautiful.
31:24
We had We were working with Iron Chefs.
31:26
They were showing us how to properly cut
31:29
and chop. It's such a
31:31
proper way to do it, and making pasta
31:34
from scratch, and it was just it was a
31:37
really cool thing to get to experience
31:39
from knowing how to cook when you're
31:41
younger, but then seeing how the
31:43
professionals do it. That was something
31:45
that was really exciting for me and
31:46
Anna.
31:47
Anna, she had to know how to do it. I
31:49
had to look like I knew what I was
31:51
doing.
31:51
>> [laughter]
31:52
>> Well, I'm glad you said you had to look
31:54
like you know what you were doing,
31:56
because there's a scene where Anna is is
31:59
slicing What is it? Tomatoes or some
32:01
What are you slicing? I think tomatoes,
32:02
peppers, yeah. Okay, so I'm going to let
32:04
Heather jump in because at that moment I
32:07
saw her react to it. I'm not sure what
32:09
her reaction was,
32:10
>> [laughter]
32:11
>> and why she reacted, but I I think
32:13
Heather should let you know her
32:14
credentials, and then and then tell So,
32:16
I've studied in Italy for culinary. Yes.
32:19
Yes, I've studied in Italy
32:21
>> [cheering]
32:21
>> for culinary, and I loved it. It's one
32:24
of those places to everything Will spoke
32:26
about um family style, love, the
32:29
appreciation for food. And what I was
32:31
going to say, much like and I'll take
32:33
everybody back a bit, much like school
32:35
days, wanted all of us to go to HBCUs
32:39
and Boomerang, we all wanted to be core
32:41
have those corporate jobs, you know what
32:43
I mean?
32:44
I think and Girls Trip wanted us to take
32:46
those trips with our girlfriends and
32:48
have those trips, this film
32:50
will encourage folks to go to Italy.
32:52
I feel that. There there was a way you
32:55
shot this film, Will, that it was like,
32:57
you know what? Go and experience it. Go
33:00
have that that experience why people
33:03
talk about the food in Italy. It's more
33:06
than just the food. It's the
33:08
preparation. It's the appreciation for
33:10
food. You won't find a microwave in
33:13
Italy. You'll be hard pressed to find a
33:15
microwave out there.
33:16
The bread
33:18
tastes like bread.
33:19
I don't I don't I don't even know if
33:22
y'all
33:22
The bread tastes like bread.
33:25
There's no plastic wrapped in the bread.
33:28
Like you get bread in paper. And it's
33:30
almost like you feel like maybe you're
33:33
cheating me out of something, you take
33:35
that bite, and it was like, yo, this is
33:38
what bread and butter taste like. This
33:41
is that real feeling, and it makes you
33:43
appreciate food. And I was like, the way
33:46
they shot this film, he captured a
33:49
feeling. That that's what I was saying
33:51
to Sway. I was like, there's a feeling
33:54
that's going on in here that while they
33:56
were there, something probably clicked.
33:59
Because they were able to walk around
34:01
and see the locals and see
34:03
like we ain't really eating real food
34:05
over here. But then you get in places
34:08
over you all the places in other
34:09
countries, and a tomato is a tomato, and
34:13
a grape has a seed in it. And this and
34:16
that, and so you have a different
34:18
appreciation. And that's what I was
34:20
saying to Sway. There was something that
34:21
I felt like clicked
34:23
over there, and y'all was like, oh, we
34:26
we we're going to capture cuz it's a
34:28
beautiful region. Like he mentioned,
34:30
Italy is made up of regions. So, you
34:32
could go to the Amalfi Coast. You can go
34:33
to Rome. You can go to different places,
34:35
but to choose Tuscany was beautiful. It
34:38
was a beautiful choice, and I think a
34:39
lot of people get your passports, y'all.
34:42
Take the trip. Go to Italy. It's not as
34:45
expensive as you think. You're going to
34:47
spend money anyway, and the time will
34:49
pass regardless. So, how you want to
34:51
spend your time? It's a a year will pass
34:53
regardless whether you take a trip or
34:55
not. Take the trip. Yeah. And it's one
34:58
of the 100%.
34:59
>> [cheering]
35:00
>> It's one of the reasons why we so badly
35:04
want people to see this movie on the big
35:05
screen. Because of what you just said.
35:08
And shout out to our incredible director
35:10
Cat Coro and our our entire team. We had
35:12
an incredible team of Italian filmmakers
35:16
Oh, yeah. Our our crew was mostly a
35:19
local Italian crew. And the third
35:22
character, so Hal's character goes and
35:24
falls in love, but not just with the
35:26
incredible looking men in the movie. She
35:28
falls in love with the with the a
35:30
culture and a city and a scene. And that
35:33
is the additional co-star in the movie.
35:36
It's Hal, it's Reggie, and then it is
35:38
Italy. Everything you just said. It's
35:39
one of the reasons why you have to go to
35:42
the theater. We want to make an
35:43
experience. We want you to go and have a
35:45
good time going to see this movie. It's
35:48
a party. It's fun now. Make no mistake.
35:50
But when you see it on the big screen
35:52
and you see the way that it is captured,
35:54
everything you just talked about, from
35:56
the food to the countryside to the
35:57
culture, all of that plays very very
35:59
differently when you see it on the big
36:01
screen. It hit different. It hit
36:03
different, and make sure you do go see
36:05
that movie. Will Packer, I'm proud of
36:07
you. Hal, Family, I'm proud of you.
36:09
Amazing job. And I'm proud of Universal
36:13
for making a commitment to a beautiful
36:15
movie like this.
36:17
Let's give them a standing ovation.
36:19
Come on, man. Give it up for Hal. Give
36:21
it up for Hal.
36:22
Give it up for WILL PACKER.
36:24
>> [cheering]
36:24
>> COME ON. APRIL 10TH, HEATHER, WHERE DO
36:26
THEY GO SEE? THEY'RE GOING TO SEE YOU,
36:28
ME, and Tuscany.
36:31
>> [screaming]
36:32
[cheering]
#Arts & Entertainment