Gabrielle Union is still promoting her latest film, Family Comedy Cheaper by the dozenbut she’s not so sure she’s asked back if there’s a sequel.
“I was very aware of my thoughts on Disney’s funding of hatred and oppression,” she said in Wednesday’s edition of Keep it up! podcast. “They can murder my character, you know, in Cheaper by the dozen. The sequel [might be] ‘Zoey died in a tragic accident.’ The reality is, I do not know. I never want to know how my name is talked about in rooms because I’m telling the truth, right? I have no idea. “Fortunately, there are probably other companies willing to hire me, knowing that I’m telling the truth and I will not be held back by fear.”
Union executive produced and plays family matriarch Zoey Baker in the film, a remake of the 2003 film of the same name starring Steve Martin and Hilary Duff. What she was alluding to, of course, is what happened when she appeared for the March 16 premiere at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.
“I’m incredibly proud of this,” Union said The Hollywood Reporter“especially right now because we’re actually saying gay.”
Union, stepmother of 14-year-old trans daughter Zaya, made the statement just as Disney was being criticized for its slow reaction to opposing Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. The legislation limits what teachers can say about sexual orientation and gender identity. State lawmakers have already approved it, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he will soon sign it into law. Disney employees staged a work stoppage Tuesday in protest.
On the podcast, Union said companies need to do more than support cases on social media.
“If you want to take a stand and be about diversity and inclusion – and it’s not just about black boxes after George Floyd’s death – you actually have to put your money where your mouth is,” she said. “You can not resist hatred and oppression and finance hatred and oppression. It does not work.”
The actress also said she is confused about celebrities who do not speak for others.
“You know you have people who are immovable in Hollywood,” Union said, “and they have no problem talking about the environment or animals and showed more concern when the gorilla in Cincinnati was murdered. [they] are silent about their neighbors and their family members … I do not understand because they can not do anything to you. “
For her, the answer is clear.
“We have this platform and we are able to tell the truth,” she said. “At some point you have to say, ‘I think I have enough money or things or power enough for me to be honest.’ I do not know what that line in the sand is, or how many billions someone needs. “Just to tell the truth, shame on the devil. I do not know what that barometer is for everyone. But we reached that number a long time ago.”
A turning point for Union was when she successfully sued her former employer, now called Payless, for negligence after she was raped in the shop where she worked. They had failed to warn employees after the same man robbed another place.
“So as a 19-year-old, I made a decision about who I should be in this world and what I would stand for and not stand for. It was clear that it was at the lowest, darkest moment of my life, the most scary moment. my life but then i went forward, i was just not so scared to accept … bad faith actors, bad people. i’m just not scared. i almost died. can i get lower? death is lower , but the only thing that stands between me and death is to lose my soul because I’m afraid of losing my position or things or access or whatever? What is the point of living if I am to live on my knees? And not in a good way. “