The way a young Michelle describes her precarious place as a black woman who is an associate at a high-powered law firm in the pic is similar to how Sumpter describes navigating Hollywood as a woman of color.
When watching Southside With You, it’s almost impossible not to draw parallels between Sumpter and the would-be first lady. It feels like you are creating legislature,” Sumpter says of producing, likening the feeling to a song from Lin Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning Broadway musical Hamilton: “I liked being in ‘The room where it happened.’” You get a say and your words have relevance. “ I have never produced anything in my life, so, for me, it wasn’t just a vanity credit,“ says Sumpter, who worked with Tanne to develop and pitch the project and secure financing, some of which came from Grammy winner John Legend, who executive produced the feature through his Get Lifted production banner. “And after that meeting, I saw that she had so many qualities that I had identified in a young Michelle.” “I knew she would be a great producing partner,” says Tanne.
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The story evolved into a tale of the future first couple’s first date, which took place in Chicago in the summer of 1989, complete with a movie theater outing to see Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, lively discussion of public policy and arguments about the confectionery value of pie versus ice cream.ĭuring the preproduction process, Tika made it clear that if Tanne did not end up casting her in the part of Michelle, she would like to stay on the project as a producer, something she had never done before. She met with Tanne and spent several months pestering him to write the screenplay. Sumpter was given the Southside story by an mutual acquaintance of hers and Tanne’s while it was still in treatment form.
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