Thursday, March 28, 2024

Nia Long Not Happy with New Netflix Film ‘A Fatal Affair’: Only 3 Crew-members Were Black – Plus, it Sucked!

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Nia Long and Omar Epps in Netflix’s ‘A Fatal Affair’

*Nia Long‘s new film with Omar Epps, “A Fatal Affair,” which started streaming on Netflix over the weekend is not exactly getting rave reviews and it appears she’s not too thrilled about it, either.

One of the things that have her upset is that the movie was helmed by a white director, Peter Sullivan, and it only employed 3 black crew members. And the script wasn’t all that.

According to the actress, who is also listed as a producer on the movie, “A Fatal Affair” wasn’t initially proposed as a Black-led feature.

After Netflix greenlit it and once Long was attached to star, a Black screenwriter, Rasheeda Garner, was hired to revamp the script, according to NY Daily News writer Karu Daniels.

“I understand and respect our director, who is a white man,” Long revealed to Insider. “He wanted to be respectful of my voice and I appreciate that. And that’s why he hired Rasheeda. So although it gave her an opportunity, I want more. I want more for her, I want more for myself, I want more for Black female writers and directors in this business to not be used to fix something but to be used to tell our stories in a really authentic way.”

Long adds:

“Rasheeda and I have since become friends and I think she’s a wonderful writer,” Long said of the budding writer and producer, who has a law degree from Pepperdine University. “The flipside of that is I hope and pray that she gets the opportunity to be in the forefront and not brought on because the lead of the film is Black.”

“She should be able to write and tell stories as an African-American woman in this industry,” she said.

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Anthony Mackie, Nia Long and Samuel L. Jackson attend Apple’s “The Banker” premiere after party. “The Banker” opens in select theaters on March 6, before premiering globally on Apple TV+ on March 20.

Long, who also starred earlier this year with Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie in “The Banker” for Apple+ TV, didn’t hold back on her thoughts regarding the lack of diversity behind the scenes of so-called Black movies, either.

“In all honesty, I was disappointed that there were maybe three people on the crew that were Black, but that really is the production company’s responsibility, not the network,” the Brooklyn native confided. “By the time I arrived, they were a happy family that had done several films together.”

“My next production will be different,” she vowed.

Long also pointed out other issues she has with the industry overall that affected the Netflix film.

“This isn’t about ‘Fatal Affair,’ this is about a system,” she clarified. “This is a systemic issue in Hollywood that has yet to be addressed in a fair way.”

She wanted more for back actresses, too. .

“I can’t be the only girl holding the torch,” Long said. “I’ve burned my fingers a lot standing up for what I believe in. Being outspoken. I will be the first person to say I want everyone to have a good time, this isn’t me being self-serving, this is about how can we all push forward and be better?”

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