Actress Malynda Hale says ‘Bull Street’ taught her to advocate for herself — then Hollywood pushed her to do it
TheGrio...
Actress Malynda Hale opens up to theGrio about starring in “Bull Street” and the message of advocacy she hopes others gain from her story.
In the film “Bull Street,” which just landed on Amazon Prime, actress Malynda Hale plays an attorney who refuses to stop fighting when her family is caught in the middle of a bitter courtroom battle to save their home from deed theft. Off-screen, however, Hale has been engaged in a battle of her own.
Left out of the film’s major promotional push despite being first on the call sheet, Hale has found that art really does imitate life. Just like the character she plays on screen, she has had to advocate for herself.
“So I had a movie come out on Amazon on Friday, and it’s been a weird experience,” she began in a recent post on Threads.
“I’ve not been included in any of the official press from the distribution company because I’m not a big enough name,” the actress continued. “(I’m acting alongside two big-name veteran actors), which I get not being big enough yet but it feels weird when I’m the lead. Literally was NUMBER ONE on the call sheet. It’s just making me sad to be left out. All the press I did, I did on my own from my own publicist.”
She ended the post asking, “Has this happened to anyone?”
As more and more rising actors and creators turn to social media to build audiences and advocate for themselves, Hale’s post struck a nerve. The response has been overwhelming, with many engaging and resharing her plight. Hundreds upon hundreds have rallied around the actress, offering encouragement, and in the process, even more have been introduced to the film, which also stars Loretta Devine, around whom much of the promotion has centered.
“I had this big opportunity, and I felt like it wasn’t getting the attention that I was hoping it would get,” Hale told theGrio during a recent phone interview. “That was also one of the things where it’s like I gotta advocate for myself. You know, I want people to see this film.”
“I also really just wanted to hear from other people in the community if they’ve ever felt left out of a project that they’ve done, or if things have gone a different way,” she admitted.
Among those who have responded are fellow actress Yvette Nicole Brown, who shared that despite becoming a fan favorite during “Community’s” run, she was often left out of the sitcom’s major promotional opportunities. Hearing that shocked Hale, who always considered Brown one of the show’s leading stars.
“I was shocked to hear that because like she was the reason I watched,” she said. “But it sadly made me feel comforted.”
“It also made me realize how much farther we have to go in this industry to give people who are doing the work their due,” she continued. “You can never have anything new if you don’t actually put the spotlight on those new things.”
The conversation around the film has also sparked some much-needed discussions about the issue at the heart of the story, deed theft. Loosely inspired by filmmaker Lynn Dow’s family, “Bull Street” explores the practice that has long robbed Black families of land, homes, generational wealth, and belonging.
“I think I wasn’t aware of just how common it was until I was doing more research,” Hale said adding how she spoke with the filmmaker and her parents to learn more about their own experiences, “and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really still a prevalent situation, specifically in the South, that I don’t think people realize is a huge thing for Black families.’”
She added, “We weren’t taught those things on purpose, right? Because they didn’t want them to know the rights that they had. They didn’t want them to be able to have land ownership and all of those things.”
Watching audiences rally around both she and the film has only reinforced for Hale that advocacy works, especially when it’s rooted in community. If there’s one group she says understands how to show up for one another, it’s Black women.
“That’s why I actually do love Threads,” she said. “I feel like really the Black women on Threads make it such a beautiful, loving, and just welcoming community, and for everybody, honestly. But we do that anyway. It was one of those moments where I realized, okay, ask for what you need, and they’ll show up. They can’t show up if they don’t know you need it.”
She continued, “We’re all we have at the end of the day, and I feel like when you lean into community in that way, you get what you’re seeking. I just hope that we continue to reciprocate all of that support. I’ll show up for anybody if they need support because I think there’s room at the table for everybody.”
Her spirit of advocacy extends well beyond Hollywood. In recent weeks, Hale has also been using her platform to post in-depth commentary on the Nolan Wells case and other issues she believes deserve more attention.
“I’m a huge activist,” she declared. “I do a lot of cultural commentary. I’m very involved in politics and political commentary because I think even outside of art, if I have any form of a platform, if I can use it to get people to register to vote and to care about causes, because we’re in a dire situation right now, people will see a lot of that from me.”
That same instinct to speak up for herself, for others, and for the issues she cares about has become a defining part of who Hale is, both on and off screen. It’s also the energy she’s carrying into the next chapter of her career. Next up for Hale is “Au Gratin”—like the potatoes—a holiday film she directed that also stars Devine. It’s expected to show during the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival in a few weeks.
In the meantime, she hopes audiences leave “Bull Street” remembering, “To never give up fighting for what you know is yours.”
“When it’s your family, and it’s your family’s legacy, you’ve got to keep fighting,” she continued. “Black people are resilient, and I hope people walk away galvanized and emboldened to continue fighting for what’s theirs.”