Issue Date: July 13, 2003
MOVIES
A leg up
Gabrielle Union is beginning to land roles that will get her noticed. That's one step closer to her ultimate goal: a colorblind Hollywood.
By Steven Chean
Along a distinctly unglamorous stretch of L.A.'s Ventura Boulevard squats Casa Vega, a rather tired, candlelit, cracked-stucco restaurant filled with cheesy matador paintings and boasting equally cheesy -- but reasonably priced -- taquitos rancheros. And the margaritas are super-sized.
Union says her family "won't have one of their own getting too big for their britches."
|
"First off, you've gotta love the portions," the shapely Gabrielle Union says, tossing back an oversized plate of carne asada, rice and refried beans, not to mention two mango margaritas. "In our business, it's important to have a regular place where you can go and let it all out -- a place that keeps you grounded."
Union, 29, needs Casa Vega now more than ever. Her latest project, "Bad Boys II", the sequel to the 1995 Will Smith and Martin Lawrence hit, opens next weekend; it's expected to send her another step up the industry ladder. In the film, she plays Lawrence's sister, a Miami DEA agent who falls for Smith as the trio takes on a drug empire. As with her gangster drama "Cradle 2 the Grave" earlier this year, Union once again is toe-dipping in action-adventure waters.
"There was a lot of stunt driving, which I wasn't aware I was going to have to do. Otherwise I would've brought my glasses," she says with a laugh. "But [director] Michael Bay was like, 'This is a [expletive] action movie. Get behind the wheel!' So, I'm driving top speed in [an SUV] with a camera mounted to the hood and a drug buyer trying to punch me. Michael's in the back seat yelling directions. When we're finished, I'm just shaking, but Michael said, 'That's awesome!' After that, I did all of my own driving."
Union concedes it's not a totally unexpected turn. Her breakthrough performance was as a cheerleader with über-moxie in 2000's "Bring It On". "Bad Boys II" is her third movie to be released this year; she also played the romantic lead (a man-hater, no less) in "Deliver Us From Eva". All her movies so far share a trait with the actress, she says: "The strong, opinionated type. I'm fairly opinionated about things I feel strongly about."
What does she feel strongly about? Race relations, particularly in Hollywood. When she became the first African-American love interest on NBC's all-white hit sitcom "Friends" in March 2001, she called herself "the Rosa Parks of Must-See TV." Such is the fodder for Casa Vega lunches with her actress friends. "I still hear things like 'Gabrielle, you gave the best read! If we decide to go black, you're at the top of the list.' I've actually been told, 'Gabrielle, you're absolutely perfect for the role, but the role is a girl who's most popular in school.' I've been to the point where I brought in my yearbook. 'See how popular I was? It really can happen.' "
The experiences have made her philosophical. "I'm not going to change the world overnight," she says. "It's one person at a time, and hopefully they're people in positions of power who can help people get in those roles and really, truly embrace colorblind casting."
Changing perceptions is nothing new for the stunning actress. Growing up in the predominantly white northern California suburb of Pleasanton, Union was used to being "the one," she says. "The one on the basketball team, the one on the soccer team, the one in class." The middle daughter of a telephone executive and a telephone manager, she also was an honor student and star athlete. An internship at a modeling agency her senior year at UCLA helped her land roles on TV teen series such as "Moesha". "I learned early that hard work brings rewards," Union says.
As her star rises, her family and husband of nearly two years, ex-NFL running back Chris Howard, keep her grounded. "They're why she's the way she is -- wonderfully normal," says "Eva" director Gary Hardwick. Visiting her on the set, he adds, "they were clearly proud of her, but you'd hear them say things like 'This shot wouldn't happen without all of these people.' It's so rare to find an actress with her talent and looks who's just so down-to-earth."
As she polishes off her carne asada at Casa Vega, Union asks, "Y'know what I really like about this place? A lot of times, in life, things aren't the way you'd want them to be. Here, you know what to expect. There's something reassuring about that. It's real comfort food."
Go to top
|
Weekend with ... Gabrielle Union
I often go to the dog park with Bubba. He's a French mastiff, mixed with a Napoleon mastiff, bred with an American bulldog. He's about 120 pounds, and he's not quite a year old yet. When you're dealing with a dog that size, as sweet as he is, you need a trainer -- someone to help us help him. We work on things like "come." Bubba needs to understand his size, especially around small children. He's got a lot of love, but sometimes that love can hurt!
|
|
