Regina Hall talks about her new film ‘Support The Girls’ and its relation to the #MeToo movement
Meaww sat down with the stars of Hollywood’s newest female-centered workplace comedy, ‘Support The Girls’ to talk about the message behind this timely film. Written and directed by Andrew Bujalski, ‘Support The Girls’ stars Regina Hall as Lisa Conroy, the manager of a Hooters-esque sports bar called Double Whammies, who is like a den mother to the scantily clad young 20-somethings she oversees. Also starring Haley Lu Richardson and Shayna McHayle, the film takes place over the span of one long day where Lisa’s optimism and patience is tested at every turn. While it might seem like an anti-feminist premise, it is literally the opposite in that it’s about women both supporting and protecting one another.
Premiering this past Spring at the SXSW film festival, the film’s release came at a fascinating time in regards to the #MeToo movement. When speaking with Hall about the film, we discussed just this and how the movement affected the film.
“I didn’t know how people would perceive it without seeing it. Even within Double Whammies there was integrity, there was a certain way that women needed to be treated and valued in that establishment, so I hoped that that theme would resonate when people saw it. But we made it so long before the #MeToo moment happened with Harvey Weinstein, and I was like ‘Ooh! This is either gonna be good timing or the worst.’ So thankfully people have been seeing the humanity of these characters. It has been wonderful.”
McHayle (who plays Danielle) also spoke up about how the #MeToo movement is related to the film, and the experience of having the movie released at this integral time.
“I think it went in the right direction. I'm sure no one could have planned for the #metoo movement, but it was just so interesting that we were making the movie at the same time as all of this happened. But I feel like Andrew and everyone else made sure that we were comfortable every day and that everything just went in the right direction and we were able to tell the story.”
This is obviously a film about women, and even more than that, women that support and care for one another. Specifically, with Hall’s character Lisa, these inspirational women are clearly meant to inspire audiences, but the characters also inspired the actors themselves. There are many messages throughout the film about compassion, appreciation, abuse of power and friendship (to name a few), which is something that Hall really resonated with.
“I mean I love the solidarity between the women, I love the support system. There is such a genuineness of affection that the women had between each other. And I also hope that with the backdrop of the restaurant people really see the humanity in that. Of going to work every day and doing the best that you can and being appreciated, and I think Cubby was a great foil for Lisa. She did so much and I don’t think he ever really valued it. So I think it’s valuing what people bring to your establishment, your life, or whatever it is.”
Even behind the scenes, the predominantly female cast became close, supporting each other on and off screen. Richardson (who plays Maci) spoke about those special moments on set, where the whole cast seemed like a family.
“You gravitate towards each other for strength to get through it and feel comfortable, and I feel like we did that. We were there for each other, we would even have little huddles at the end of the workday.”
‘Support The Girls’ will be released nationwide on August 24th.
