Gabrielle Union isn't interested in playing a mother onscreen unless she can bring the "full experience" of parenthood to the role.
The 46-year-old actress is mother to nine-month-old daughter Kaavia with husband Dwyane Wade, and is also stepmother to the basketball player's other children. But becoming a mother herself made her realise how inaccurate the portrayals of motherhood in television and film, and determined to do something about it.
"Watching television now, I can absolutely tell when a man wrote the role of a woman being a mother," she told Harper's Bazaar magazine, adding she wants there to be more roles for the "good enough" mother. "It's either she's Madonna Mary perfect, or has some super-human strength, or she is just one long-a*s f**king sacrifice. But there is no nuance.
"All moms are not created equal, and all moms do not enjoy every aspect of parenting. Resources, privilege, race, region, and support all play a role in how we experience parenting. Playing a black mom, if I'm not going to bring that full experience to the table, I'm not interested."
Gabrielle can soon be seen starring in new TV series L.A.'s Finest, alongside Jessica Alba. She also executive produces the show, and credits her co-star, who is also an executive producer, for making waves in her attempt to make Hollywood more child-friendly.
"When Jessica was negotiating she had just given birth and was just very clear about what she needed and that she understood her value, and it paved the way for all of us to have access to our kids," she explained. "When I came back from maternity leave, Jess made sure my trailer had everything that hers had so Kaav could come right to set. No one's had to make that crazy, crazy sacrifice of going back to work and just, like, leaving your kid. Jess was like, f**k that. I'm going to create the Hollywood that I've dreamed of and that I need."
