Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are among the prominent Black actors leading AppleTV+’s two-part documentary “Number One on the Call Sheet.”
“Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood” was directed by Reginald Hudlin, while Shola Lynch directed the second film “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood.” The roster of stars is a who’s who of Hollywood, all of whom made themselves available for the documentary.
In their respective films, Will Smith, Whoopi Goldberg, Daniel Kaluuya and more come together to share frank insights about the challenges and opportunities they have faced in their careers. The two-part documentary serves as a reflection on how far Black Hollywood has come while ultimately serving as a celebration. Producer Datari Turner explained it was always the goal to make two separate films. “We have a lot of movie stars…but we’re in a great time where we can even say we have that many number ones.”
Turner was speaking at a press conference for the films, and was joined by Hudlin, Lynch and executive producer Byron Phillips. Discussing the genesis, Turner explained that it began out of curiosity. He said, “It was seeing Black actors and actresses come out of the gate, have a big opening, they’re a leading man, they’re doing two to four, films, and something happens where they end up on a TV show where they’re not able to sustain their leading man or leading woman status.” He continued, “I was always very curious about what happened to this person’s career.”
It became a case study for Turner to find out what was happening. In contrast, he wanted to know how actors like Jamie Foxx (Turner’s producing partner) and Denzel Washington “were able to sustain their number one status.”
Each film uses talking heads as well as archival footage of Black Hollywood history to thread the narrative together. Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte are among those featured – both actors who advocated for civil rights and racial justice, but laid the groundwork for Black actors and artists. Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel and Berry’s historic Oscar wins are also highlighted to show their impact on Black actresses.
Lynch said it was important for her to create a safe environment during filming. She wanted to “put them in a beautiful light, set that stage, [and] literally give them flowers.”
While it was important to create a safe environment for the actors to get candid about their experiences – both positive and negative – there was one main purpose the filmmakers wanted this doc to serve. Turner pointed out that many of the Black actors and actresses who are number one on the call sheet haven’t had the mentorship of color and are first-generation success stories. “If you become a leading man at 25 years old, who’s helping you navigate that? Who’s helping you pick scripts and who’s telling you to pay your taxes?”
Turner added, “We want this to be a blueprint for generations to come.” He went on to say, “Assembling this many stars, it’s never been done before, and it won’t be done again in our lifetime. This is a blueprint for people to not make the same mistakes, to avoid some of the pitfalls…it is sharing the secret sauce on how to stay number one.”
Phillips added that the passing of the baton was important, “The guys felt strongly in making sure that they could convey all the knowledge that they had.” He continued, “Everyone understands we’re at a critical point, and there’s a whole lot that we need to say and make sure it’s documented, and also, and also let people understand that there are a lot of different roads to success, and we need to see as many as possible.”
It was also important to the filmmakers who told this story. Phillips said, “We have to be stewards of our own stories, because when we’re not telling our own stories, everything’s going to go wrong.”
Lynch noted that while there are more opportunities for Black women in Hollywood, the work isn’t done yet. Even Bassett at one point is asked, “If she’s done,” to which she replies, “Done with what?” Lynch said there’s more work to do in Hollywood, to carve out space in the world to make it to, or to be number one on the call sheet. “There is no one standard for success, and there is no one route,” she said. “We each have to figure out our way, and that’s the inspiring part of these stories, is that it makes you ask that question, “‘What am I doing to be number one on my call sheet?’”
“Number One on the Call Sheet” is streaming on AppleTV+
