Currently preparing for the return of her BET hit Being Mary Jane, actress Gabrielle Union sat down with Yahoo Style to discuss her fall wedding to Dwayne Wade, their prenuptial agreement, race relations and more. Take a look at some excerpts below or read the interview in full here.
On the ongoing struggle with race relations:
There’s a bit of a gap between what I really want to say and what I know is responsible to say. The general lack of compassion for your fellow man is really frustrating. I think what the protesters are saying, or at least some of them, is it’s not just about police brutality. It’s about a widespread systematic crippling of some people in this country by birthright, and no one’s acknowledging it. There may be a power shakeup if you’re really going to do something about it. A lot of people aren’t interested in that. They say, “It’s not that bad. We have Barack Obama. We’re good.” Or, “You’re not getting lynched.” They’re not acknowledging the institutional racism that impacts daily lives.”
The motive behind her requesting a pre-nup:
“For women in Hollywood, when they’re coupling, everything is about the brand. Everything is about latching on to a rising star, so you can kick your heels up. That’s never been my story, ever. I make sure to let people know all of the hard work that’s gone into my career. I want people to know the work that it took to get through UCLA, that I had student loans and worked. I was eating Top Ramen and lived well below my means. Now that it’s time to get married to a man who happens to play basketball and has done well for himself, I want to make it clear that I have in no way hitched my wagon to his star. I have my own wagon and star.”
On whether her “Being Mary Jane” character is a home wrecker:
“I think initially he is a home wrecker. He was dishonest. He started a relationship under false pretenses [by not telling her he was married], but I think she became a bit morally bankrupt on the way. That narrative is important to tell, which is why I was all for the story line. It shows what happens and all of the people who are affected in an affair. I look at it as a morality tale.”