Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for directing and producing the films Disappearing Actsand Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees, and Beyond the Lights...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth10 June 1969
CountryUnited States of America
fascinated respect
Improv is a very big thing for me. The thing with actors is I do not understand at all how they do what they do. I'm fascinated by it, and I have such a respect for it.
adopted birth complete finding given growing search trying white
I was adopted by a Salvadorian mother and a white father. Growing up having complete identity crisis. Then my search for my mother and trying to find out why I was given up, and how could a mother give up a child, then finding out the circumstances of my birth was pretty traumatizing.
crying rare realizing seeing sitting theater watching women
I remember sitting in the theater watching 'Bridesmaids,' and I'm doubled over laughing, and then I'm crying in the same movie. It's the overwhelming feeling, as I'm looking up and seeing these women, and I'm realizing how rare it is to see that.
everybody fail freedom god great learn love oh school ucla
Oh my God, I love UCLA so much. Their film school is great because it's unstructured, so there's a freedom to fail in there and just tell your story, and everybody makes a film. It's so important to have that freedom in film school because that's what you're there for: to learn and make a film.
arms black came cosby exist families father kids knew mother reflecting
When 'The Cosby Show' came out, and everyone was up in arms about 'The Cosby Show' and that it was reflecting a world that didn't exist - but I knew black doctors. And I knew black lawyers. And I knew families that, you know, had a mother and a father and kids that were well-behaved.
struggle careers want
I want us to have it all, love and career. It's a struggle sometime to achieve that, but I love the struggle.
college white confusion
I grew up with white parents and until after college, it was a lot of confusion, especially because I grew up in an all-white area. So I never looked around and saw anyone who looked like me.
directing great love project
I love writing and directing because it's great therapy. Every project I've done, there's been a personal connection.
authentic blueprint female noise persona seem singers
There is a blueprint that young female singers seem to follow to make it, to make some noise when they first come out. And it's a hyper-sexualized persona. And the thing is that it works. And they do make noise. But the problem is if it's not authentic to you, then you're trapped in that persona. And you have to live that persona 24/7.
opposed people studios term
'Black film,' that term allows studios to just marginalize a movie and say, 'We've made our black film. We've made our film with people of color in it,' as opposed to, 'I just feel like people of color should be in every genre.'
deathly
I hate to fly. I'm deathly afraid of it.
movies wish
My husband and I are writers, and I wish I could write faster. There are not a lot of movies made with black actors in mind.
aspects favorites finding love song
There are a lot of aspects of filmmaking that I love, but one of my favorites is in post, finding the right song for the right moment.
coming excited filmmakers fourth gained knowledge question school share
'Beyond the Lights' was my fourth film. I gained a lot of knowledge, and I'm excited to share that with young filmmakers because I know how lost I was coming out of film school with that question of 'What's next?'