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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 8 July 2020
Hollywood catches up to director Gina Prince-Bythewood

By LINDSEY BAHR Prince-Bythewood is used
AP Film Writer to fighting for herself. It
Gina Prince-Bythewood goes all the way back to
knows what good fighting childhood when she want-
looks like. The "Love & Bas- ed to play sports.
ketball" director has been "There were no girls'
an athlete her entire life, leagues," she said. "Boys of-
but she also just loves ac- ten didn't want me and my
tion movies. So when she sisters out there."
started dreaming up the She was undaunted though
template for a bare-knuck- and became the first girl to
le clash between Charlize play kickball at her school.
Theron and KiKi Layne in "I was real good at kickball,"
the new Netflix film "The Old she added with a laugh.
Guard," her bar was high: Not taking an initial "no"
the bathroom fight from is how she got into UCLA's
"Mission: Impossible—Fall- prestigious directing pro-
out." gram, landed her first writ-
"It's a perfect fight scene. I ing gig on the television
wanted ours to be as dope show "A Different World"
as that," Prince-Bythewood and the only reason "Love
said. "We wanted the audi- & Basketball" and "Beyond
ence to feel like they were This image released by Netflix shows director Gina Prince-Bythewood during the filming of "The the Lights" exist. Her drive,
in the fight, to feel the slams Old Guard." she thinks, stems from being
into the wall." Associated Press an athlete.
For her, that meant not "It's so much about ambi-
cheating by having "flya- milestone. by limited distribution plans Greg Rucka's comic book tion and stamina and out-
way walls" in the aircraft "The fact that we're still informed by incorrect as- about a group of merce- working everybody," she
that would make it easier to having firsts is ridiculous," sumptions about the reach nary immortals. She's picky said. "That mentality drives
move the camera around Prince-Bythewood said in a of films with Black leads. Her about her projects and who I am as a director. And
or relying too heavily on phone interview last week. biggest to date, "The Secret writes most of them. In her this industry early on was
stunt doubles who she'd "I knew I could do it. Holly- Life of Bees," from 2008, over 20 years in the busi- constantly telling me that
have to cut away from. wood just hasn't caught up made just under $40 mil- ness, she's only directed my stories weren't worthy or
The pressure was enor- to me yet." lion. The Netflix scope feels five films. But this struck a valid. I kept having to fight
mous. It was the first scene On Friday she's going to get like a victory that's been a chord with her: It was an for my space."
she shot on her first ever big the biggest audience of long time coming. action-drama, the leads She feels like she's finally in
budget action pic that was her career when "The Old "After all these years of were women and one was a good place, however,
over 10 times the budget of Guard" debuts on Netflix to fighting for any sort of dis- Black. And she was being thanks in part to the en-
her last film. She only had subscribers in 190 countries. tribution and being told asked to infuse the action -- during affection for "Love
five days to do it, where the And she can't wait to know these stories, these charac- even the plane fight--with & Basketball" and "Beyond
"Mission: Impossible" team what that feels like. Al- ters don't travel? And now, character-driven drama. the Lights," which often get
had a month. And it was though "Love & Basketball" 190 countries? I can't get "She was still able to bring mentioned in meetings.
an historic moment: Before and "Beyond the Lights" are over that," she said. that deeper emotional Her next two projects fo-
"The Old Guard," a Black beloved by critics and au- Skydance Media ap- work that she shows in her cus on Black women and,
woman had never direct- diences, neither have ex- proached Prince-By- films," Layne said of her di- she said, for the first time
ed a comic book film. She actly been runaway hits at thewood to direct "The Old rector. "It was nice to see she didn't have to fight for
was acutely aware of the the box office, hampered Guard," an adaptation of that blossom here." them.q

Museum: 'Dukes of Hazzard' car with Confederate flag to stay

VOLO, Ill. (AP) — A north- Chicago says the famed Charger from the first sea-
ern Illinois auto museum "General Lee" from the son of the television pro-
has no plan to stop dis- first season of the TV show gram, Grams said nobody
playing a Dodge Charger isn't going anywhere, ac- has complained. And the
from the "Dukes of Haz- cording to a report in the museum has continued to
zard" television show with Daily Herald of Arlington hear from people support-
the Confederate battle Heights. ing the decision to keep
flag painted atop the ve- "We feel the car is part of the car as the push to rid
hicle. history, and people love the landscape of what is
Statues of Confederate it," museum director Brian increasingly viewed as a
generals and soldiers are Grams told the newspa- symbol of racism, Grams
being taken down across per. "We've got people said.
the country, NASCAR has of all races and nationali- "Several people have
banned the flag from its ties that remember the TV reached out with positive
races and the Confed- show and aren't offend- comments about us leav-
erate emblem is being ed by it whatsoever. It's a ing it on display," Grams
removed from the Missis- piece of history and it's in said, "complimenting us
Volo Auto Museum owner and director Brian Grams poses with sippi state flag. a museum." for leaving it there and
one of the museum's 1969 Dodge Chargers driven in the televi- But the Volo Auto Mu- Since the museum ac- not having a knee-jerk re-
sion series "The Dukes of Hazzard" in Volo, Ill., on June 26, 2015. seum about 50 miles (80 quired in 2005 what it says action to remove it like a
Associated Press
kilometers) northwest of is the last surviving 1969 lot of places are."q