A new Apple TV+ two-part documentary highlights the history and impact of Black actors in Hollywood. Number One on the Call Sheet explores the legacy of Black representation in film through the experiences of trailblazing stars like Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Eddie Murphy, Halle Berry and more. The film also honors earlier legends, including Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier, who helped open doors for future generations.

What is ‘Number One on the Call Sheet’ about?

According to its official description, “Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars reveal their journeys to game-changing leading roles. In candid interviews, they shine a light on the highs and lows of their craft, breakthrough moments, blueprints for success, and the next generation’s huge potential.”

The two-part documentary film shines a light on both genders in the fields with Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, produced by Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, Datari Turner and Dan Cogan, directed by Reginald Hudlin. It features interviews from Don Cheadle to Morris Chestnut, Ice Cube, Morgan Freeman, Michael B. Jordan, Dwayne Johnson and more.

Number One on the Call Sheet: Leading Women in Hollywood is directed and executive produced by Shola Lynch and features personal accounts from Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg, Taraji P. Henson, Nia Long, Ruth Negga, Alfre Woodard and a host of other leading ladies who continue to take Hollywood by storm.

Blavity’s Shadow and Act chatted with Lynch, Hudlin and Jamie Foxx about the project and some of their experiences before the doc’s release.

The importance of telling the stories of Black cinema in the ’90s

For Lynch’s film, an intentional decision was made to include actresses who remained either No. 1 or high on the call sheet thanks to cult classics like Two Can Play That Game, Soul Food, Friday, and the list continues.

“How could I tell the story and leave out the ’90s?” Lynch told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “I was trying to tell the whole story. I was trying to talk to as many women who were leading ladies in Hollywood from the periods in which we were leading ladies in Hollywood.”

“It was so important to have Whoopi and Alfre, all the way to the women in the ’90s and the younger women. I was trying to bring it all together, and I didn’t want to leave anybody out, but still, we needed a cohesive narrative. So we got there.”

A love letter to those who carry the burden of being ‘No. 1’

As the film director behind arguably the romantic comedies that changed the game for a young comedian named Eddie Murphy, Hudlin wanted to showcase what happens to Black leads both in front of and behind the camera.

“Growing up, you just go, ‘That’s the man. I’m trying to be like that. I’m trying to have that level of confidence, trying to have that level of courage. But then when you enter the industry, and you understand whatever action was happening on the screen, there was a whole other level of action happening behind the screen, for them to fight to be treated like any other man in a movie, for them to have a successful home life, for them to maintain their careers, and get the material they deserve,” he explained. “So it’s an extraordinary challenge that their white counterparts don’t have to carry. And so to tell that story and the next generation, here’s all these different paths.”

Hudlin added, “There’s no one way to succeed. There are lessons here if you’re not interested in the entertainment business at all. If you’re just trying to have a winner’s attitude, listen to winners. Be around winners. Listen to their worldview.”

What does actual ownership of our narratives look like to Jamie Foxx?

In the film, Foxx recalls wanting to be a musician more than he ever wanted to act when starting his entertainment career. He opens up about how, despite envisioning the life he has today, he had no idea that the journey would end up panning out as it has.

“I’ve been very blessed that I never had a white boss,” Foxx said. “When I was on In Living Color, Keenan Ivory Wayans was my boss, and he taught me excellence. We were held to a standard I don’t think anybody was held to. If you got there at 9:58, and you’re supposed to be there at 10, they would call you out and say, ‘What happened? What do you mean? You’re supposed to be here at 10. I got here at….No, no, no.’ Keenan taught me, he said, ‘Listen, there’s no such thing as mediocre for Black entertainers. It either has to be great, or you don’t exist.”

“So I got a chance to learn how to be in this business, how to be great in the business, and how to tell the story the way we wanted to tell it. No, when it comes to being behind the scenes, like in the producing capacity, my producing partner, Datari Turner, is the one who brought these opportunities to me, and it feels great. It feels great to be here with Shola, to be here with Reggie, who, you know, are incredible. When you get a chance to stand back and then watch someone else who had that same hope and that same dream of being what this is, and seeing them just light the world on fire, it feels great.”

Number One on the Call Sheet: Leading Women in Hollywood and Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood are now streaming on Apple TV+.

Number One on the Call Sheet

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