The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Gabrielle Union - Breaking Out Creatively with “The Inspection”

Episode Date: December 19, 2022

“I had to break out and give myself the opportunity to try to grow creatively.” Gabrielle Union reveals she originally joined “The Inspection” as an executive producer but was asked by writer and director Elegance Bratton to star in the film, describes how this caused her to step out of her comfort zone, and explains why finding the humanity in Bratton’s mother helped her connect with the role. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. As I live and breathe. One of my favorite people in the whole world, Gabrielle Union. Welcome back to the Daily Show. How you been? Thank you. I've been wonderful. Is that, is that, is that Africa I smell on you?

What is that? What is that? It is? It is? It's, they. No, no, not like it to, Bala. What is happening here? How was your trip?

You just go back, right? It was amazing. It was amazing. You know, of course, I had called Trev, as one does, you know, I had called Trev. As the triv. When you go, do. You do, you actually pick up the phone. You're like, hey, hey, yeah, let me give you some suggestions. But we start off in Tanzania, then went to Ghana, then Namibia, and then to your home

country. That is amazing. Yeah. But this was a different trip. This was a big trip because you were learning, you were exploring, you also celebrating. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's him. You've seen me drop it low. Trevor.

And you see how long it takes me to get back up. So you know. You know, my hips are like, you don't know. Oh, please. Please. I don't think so. I feel like you are one of those people who is eternally young. You are so curious about life. You know, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, she's 50. Oh, please, please, I don't think so. I feel like you are one of those people who is eternally young. You're so curious about life, you know, everything you do, whether it's in the writing of your books,

whether it's in, you know, how you travel the world, what projects you engage yourself in, you know, in Broadway productions. I mean, this film types of movies. Forgive me if I'm wrong in saying this, but I've never seen you like this. I've never seen you in a role like this. I can see why people are saying, ah, man, if the Oscars are not watching this movie,

then they're not watching movies because you play a character in a movie that is so touching, painful and brilliant. And it's the story of a young black man, as we saw just in that preview, whose mother basically says, because you are gay, I'm going to disown you. And he goes off to join the Marines, and her hope is that this will turn him straight. Talk me through how you even get into this project and everything that the story was because it has a lot more do with real life than most people would think. Way too much to do with real life than I'd like. Elegan's Bratton, our director, writer, other producer.

He came to me, sent me this script, him along with Effie Brown, and they're like, thi thi thi to tho thu thu thu thu thu thu thu thu-to thu-too thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu-a, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, the script? I was like, this is a winner. I absolutely want to be a part of this. I will come on as an executive producer. I know how I can be additive. And he's like, great. I want you to play my mother. I'm like, I tend to to not be inspired to want to play them in a film. And I just didn't think that I was the right fit. And he said, no, it has to be you.

It can only be you. And later, I came to find out that him and his mom had been estranged for about 18 years. Wow. And he knew that if that if that if if that if that if that if that if that if th th that if th th th th that if th th th th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thin thin and thin thin to to toee. I toe. I toe. toe. I toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. thin the. I the. one of his mom's favorites. And he knew that if I played her, she couldn't deny him. And she would reconnect. Ooh. Unfortunately, we got green lit February 14th, 2020. Unfortunately, we got green lit February 14th, 2020.

His mom passed February 18th, 2020. Wow. So I'm not only playing a real person, I'm playing my director and writer's mother, who has passed and they've had a pretty fraught relationship, and I just wasn't sure this was the right time for any of us. And he assured me, he said, no, we have to tell this story, and we know that you can do this. I was like, and he, and he, and he, and he, and he, and he, and he, and he, and he, and he th, and he th, th, th, th, th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th thus th th th tho, tho, thi thi, tho, th th th, th, th, th, th tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, th th th th th th th th th th th th th, th, th, th th th th th th th th th th thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thou. the thean thean thean thean thean thean thean thean thean thouan th th thouan th to tell this story we have to tell the story and and we know that you can do this I was like and he was like you know the black community has known that you've had the range to do this right

and I had to admit to myself that I had put myself in a in a cage in a box and decided what I could do and couldn't do you you had to type cased yourself the the the the the to to to to to the to to to to the to to to the to to the the to to to the to the to the to to the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the to to to to be. I to be. I was. I was. I was. I was. I was. I was. I was. the the the the th. the the th. the th. the th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. I was. I was. I was. I was. I was. I was. I was. I was. I was. And I was. And I was. And I was. And I was th. And I was th. And I was th. And th. And to. And to. And to. And to of the roles that were afforded to you. Absolutely. Right. Yeah. So I had to break out and give myself the opportunity to try to, I don't know, to try to grow. What's it scary? It's terrifying. It's absolutely terrifying. I don't want what he's expecting. And yet, and yet I feel like, you know, it seems so perfect and it seems so obvious now because when you see you in the film, I can see, I can see what he saw, you know, and it's interesting. I would love to know how your opinion of his mom changed in hearing his story and his side of it, because to your point, there are many scripts and there are

many stories that are told of people that give us an idea of them. And then once we're forced to be them in some way, once we're forced to empathize and get into their lives, our opinion of them changes. Talk me thoe theate tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thi thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, tho, thoes, thoes, thi.. And thoes, their many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many tho, thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And their many many many many many many many thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. And thi. thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaauuuia. And the somebody that you hate. You don't play her like somebody that we even hate. So I'd love to know what you understand differently about her that doesn't condone her views on her son being gay but in some way empathy you know creates empathy and us for her. I had to find her humanity and I had to figure out how to keep the love, not just on the set as a producer but the love between these characters and the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thracres. I I I I I I I I'm I'm I'm I'm thoes and thoes and thr-augheckh. I'm I'm toe. I'm toe. I'm to be I'm to be I'm to be I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will will.... thr-a thr-a thr-a the the theck. I I I I I I I I I'm the throwne. thinin. throwne and throwne and toe and toe and toe and toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. to love between these characters. And the more I talk to parents who struggle in the way that she struggles, they, none of them deny that they love their children deeply. And a lot of them truly believe that by rejecting their child or denying their identity, which

unfortunately denies their humanity, is the way to love them properly, is the way to protect them, is the way to save them, which sounds very backwards, right? But that's firmly in their hearts, they believe that. And the more I started asking about her background, she was orphaned at 10. She was a top student, she was a top athlete, and she just wanted people to think that she was good and worthy and worthy and deserving. And I was like, now that's where I can relate. You know, we have these conversations often where all the shape-shifting that you will do

to get someone to say, oh yeah, you, right? Whether it's a relationship or a business opportunity, or just how you move through the world surviving as a person of color in this world, you will minimize yourself, you will barter with anything to the power structures or opportunities or whatever, what, or what, or what,....., and w whatever, and w whatever, and w w w w w w w, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and thi. And, and thi. And, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and the their, and their, and their, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, and the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and they, and they, and they, they, they, they, they, we they, they, we they, we're they, they, they, they, and they, and they, and th world. You will minimize yourself. You will barter with anything to try to get this much closer to the power structures or opportunities or whatever. And that we had in common, because I've bartered with many things, just not my kids, but I've bartered with my soul plenty of times.

You know, we talk about soul sacrifices and those moments that you will never get back that live in your memory that you, that you're that you're that you're that live in your memory that you're ashamed of. And I have those as well. And I was like, okay, now I figured out how I can get in. How do I keep the love in this space but still show that this is the most unhealthy way of showing your love for your child. And hopefully I can be a mirror to some parents. I don't think, hopefully, I think he will be.

I think it's brilliant. I mean it's excessive. The film is phenomenal. The story that you tell is phenomenal. It is everything. And as I say, if the Oscar's people don't come knocking, I'm going to be free in like a few weeks. I'm just going to go chase them. You phone. I'm going to chase the people. You are phenomenal. Thank you so much. Thank you to be here. Gabriel Union, everybody. Make sure to catch the film. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Ears Edition.

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