Regina Hall on the power of being seen: ‘You don’t know the impact it could have’
TheGrio...
Regina Hall reflects on the people who championed her early on and why she’s on a mission to pay it forward for the next generation.
26 years ago, Keenan Wayans saw Regina Hall. He saw her talent, what she could become, and saw potential for her in the “Scary Movie” franchise. And Hall has never forgotten it, not simply because it launched her decades-long acting career, but because of what it taught her about how the three words “I see you” can change someone’s entire trajectory.
She’s been on the receiving end of that kind of recognition her whole career. From her mom, family members, Loretta Devine, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Vanessa Bell Calloway, Hall remembers the lineage of people who saw her and were able to celebrate the steps in her journey before she even knew to celebrate them herself.
“Whatever, the first thing I did was—first gig, first job—those are people who give you encouraging words,” Hall told theGrio, “And then, of course, your peers who you’re working alongside, who encourage you in the moment.”
“I think it resonates with me to say, whatever you’re doing in life, whatever, first you’re experiencing. You know, ‘Scary Movie’ being my first comedy, Keenan looking at me and being like, ‘you’re funny, I see you,’ the confidence that builds and the momentum it starts for you to keep going are important to celebrate and point out to a next generation, to every generation,” she added.
It’s why her recent partnership with Hyundai for its “Look at You Now” campaign, celebrating the 2026 Hyundai Kona, felt like a natural fit. The campaign honors Black Gen Z drivers stepping into their first big life moments like new careers, new relationships, first apartments, and meets them with the energy, applause, and recognition that someone who has been there can give. And now, at this point in her life, Hall takes that responsibility very seriously.
“There’s a point in life where it’s self-service, and then there’s a point where you’re serving others. I’m at the point where I’m like, how am I serving the world? How am I serving others? How am I serving the next generation?” she continued. “I think about that in every aspect of my life professionally, in friendship, in partnership, work-wise.”
And that shift comes from years of life experience.
“I have found that every year, every decade of my life has brought an incredible amount of growth and joy and happiness, and an incredible amount of challenges and grief. What I create from that and make from that is what I look forward to,” Hall admitted, reflecting on her continuous growth as a woman. “Sometimes you’re in the moment where you don’t realize you’re like, ‘oh, what am I building?’ I would hope that in 10 years, I can look back and think of what it is that I’m giving.”
Ultimately, Hall reminds us that the simplest words can carry the most weight. In Hyundai’s commercial, she embodies the quiet power of an auntie watching a young person come into their own. And in doing so, she brings real meaning to the affectionate “I see you!” and “look at you go” phrases we might otherwise take for granted
“You may not know that someone needs to hear it. But when you’re saying ‘I see you’ or ‘look at you,’ you don’t know the impact that could have for someone in the next moment of their life. Whether it’s difficult and charged, or whether it’s celebratory, you’re giving someone permission to say, ‘Yes, I’m celebrating me.’”