From the producer of Girls Trip and Night School comes Little, a hilariously relatable comedy that is guaranteed to have you crying from laughter, yelling at the screen and most importantly, begging for more!
Jordan Sanders [Regina Hall] is a boss in every sense. With the help of her skiddish assistant [Issa Rae], everything goes her way until she is unexpectedly transformed back to her 13 year old self and life only becomes that much more crazy for little Jordan [Marsai Martin]. The Knockturnal was able to have an exclusive interview with director, Tina Gordon known for her work on Peeples, ATL and Drumline. Be sure to check out the interview below as Gordon discusses working with this star studded cast, overcoming the pressures of social media and how to really be a boss.
The Knockturnal: This was an extremely hilarious cast, what was the energy like on set?
Tina Gordon: It was a lot of women that I absolutely love on set so in between takes, sometimes during takes, in addition to working hard and collaborating the energy was high, the creativity was high, we had a good time every single day. Lots of laughter, lots of stories swapped and told in between getting the film done.
The Knockturnal: Regina Hall’s character kind of gets caught up in progressing in this work world, getting to the next step that she forgets who she really is and why she’s doing what she’s doing. So, is there something that you get caught up in that you would like to change?
Tina Gordon: In the film, Regina’s character changed at a specific age because people told her she wasn’t good enough or they made fun of her and she changed who she was because of an external force. The movie kind of examines how we can change based on bullying, based on being told you can’t achieve that, even dream that and I think it’s important for everybody, including myself, to take time to reassess who you are, what influences you, what motivates you, what your intentions are and what you’re giving out into the world because we all become influenced and shaped by our environment. So sometimes it’s important to do a little audit and the movie kind of poses that.
The Knockturnal: Regina Hall’s character, Jordan Sanders grew up in a time where there wasn’t social media but now in this era of social media that can really increase the pressure to fit in, to be perfect, what do you think can be done to help kids want to be themselves and not feel like they have to be this perfect image that they see on Instagram or social media in general?
Tina Gordon: In the movie, Marsai [Martin] was very helpful in having conversations with me about social media and the pressures of social media and that’s why we sort of pivot into that in the movie and the idea of seeing yourself through someone else and allowing that to influence you. It’s like people look at another person’s life and compares themselves so much more in this era more than ever before because you can peek into the Instagram lives of so many people but I think if I could just say one generation to the next advice, I think you just have to look at yourself more than looking and comparing yourself to others. I think that would be my advice. You have to spend some time gazing at yourself instead of gazing through filters and other people, that’s going to serve you more in life.
The Knockturnal: One of the focus’ of the movie was looking at life through a child’s eyes and not forgetting your vision, who you were as a kid so what would you tell your 13-year-old self now?
Tina Gordon: I know everyone doesn’t have ideal childhoods so asking everyone to look at your childhood is not always the best advice, however I think it’s important to, even if the person you became is because of difficult situations, it’s important to look at those difficulties you have overcome because it shaped you. So, if I were to look back at myself, I took failing so seriously as a little girl and I took it personally. I would just say that looking back now I realize that experimenting and trying and failing is all a part of growing up and is all a part of ultimately succeeding. So, I would say to my 13-year-old self, lighten up on the losing, it’s a part of the process, it’s not the whole game.
The Knockturnal: Everyone sees Jordan Sanders as this strong, tough woman but Luke James’ character knows that she’s really goofy and dances around at home when she’s by herself. You have a very tough job that’s very demanding as a director and screenwriter, what do you do after a long shoot to unwind?
Tina Gordon: Yeah it was the male character that brought the vulnerability which I love. But speak to family, I love. I like to start and end my day catching up with family and I love a bath with no music, no sound, nothing because all day as a director you have to answer questions, figure out problems, move the day forward and it’s a lot of noise, it’s a lot of collaboration, so I just enjoy the gift of silence after a long day.
The Knockturnal: Another important issue that this film depicted was the struggle with women, especially black women in the workplace. Unfortunately, society can pin us against each other and make us feel like there can only be one. So, what can we do to empower black women to want to support each other more?
Tina Gordon: I think that we have to reexamine what we think being a boss really is. Being a boss our way, takes confidence. Being a boss individually takes confidence and takes time learning and gaining confidence through asking questions and collaborating and a certain amount of openness. So many times I feel like because there’s not that many role models on how to be a boss, we assume certain characteristics go with being one. Being a boss your way is a very intimate, personal journey so you’re going to have to be humble because at first you have to learn and gain expertise in whatever it is that you’re doing and that is going to evolve into you becoming an authentic boss. So, whether you’re collaborating with another black woman, whether it’s with a white man, it won’t matter because you will have developed confidence through experience. I think sometimes just slowing, not necessarily slowing down but consciously working through your experiences in your profession will lead to you being a more conscientious boss that is attune to everyone that’s working with you and supporting you. So, it’s a long journey. Becoming a boss doesn’t start when you think it does, it starts when you’re not a boss. You should always look at the women and men around you and start collaborating and working with them early, instead of competing against them because a boss is not going to do everything on their own, so it would not make sense for you to compete against a black woman. It would make sense for you to find out what she’s experienced in, what unique quality she brings to help you do your job the best. So, it’s already not being a great boss to cut down a collaborator with you.
Little will be in theaters April 12, 2019.
