Jussie Smollett is stepping back into the spotlight and expressing gratitude to the Black women who supported him through the difficult past five years.
Not much has been seen from the Empire star in recent years, following his hate crime hoax scandal in 2019. However, Smollett is boldly returning to the Hollywood scene amid the release of his new film, The Lost Holliday.
Smollett wrote, directed, and produced the family drama that stars Vivica A. Fox as Cassandra Marshall, a grieving mother who travels to Los Angeles to arrange the funeral of her estranged son, Damien Holliday (Jabari Redd). To her surprise, she discovers that the funeral is already being organized by Damien’s husband, Jason Holliday (Jussie Smollett) — a man and marriage she was completely unaware of.
Through Jason, their adopted daughter Arielle (Londyn Carter), Jason’s sister Cheyenne (Brittany Hall), and his best friend Duck (Marquise Vilsón), Cassandra uncovers more about her son in death than she ever knew during his life.
With a seasoned actress leading his new film and Mona Scott-Young serving as executive producer, Smollett is speaking out about the film’s significance for both the LGBTQ+ and Black communities, as well as how it played a crucial role in his personal healing journey. Smollett also revealed that Fox and Scott-Young provided support beyond the screen, helping him navigate his depression when it nearly stopped him from releasing the powerful film.
“These women that would call me and Mona would see me like, ‘I don’t want to, I don’t want to go out. Like I feel weird. Like I don’t feel cute. I feel bad.’ And she’s like, ‘put on your pants and come out,'” Smollett shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“You know, same thing with Vivica. Vivica would call in just randomly. She wouldn’t call in when she would see something on blogs. She would call in regularly and just check on me and just make sure, ‘hey, nephew, I’m just making sure you [good]’ or just shoot a text.”
Smollett was inspired to write the film after seeing how forgiving his Black mother was toward his late father’s family despite how they shunned their interracial marriage decades ago.
“She was so forgiving and had such grace with his mother, my grandmother, and now 10 years later, they are the best of friends,” Smollett says about his mother and grandmother.
Witnessing his mother and grandmother reconcile inspired him to forgive his father after his death, despite the painful history they shared.
“It also helped me make amends in a huge way with my father,
because there were certain things that were left unsaid when he passed away from both sides,” Smollet shared. “And looking at them being able to bond after all that they had been through, and all of the time that they had spent apart was really inspiring to me.”But it wasn’t easy creating the movie. Smollett was battling his own personal turmoil after being convicted of staging a hate crime attack in Chicago in January 2019. In December 2021, Smollett was found guilty of five felony charges related to the hoax. On March 10, 2022, he was sentenced to 150 days in county jail and ordered to pay $120,106 in restitution for the extra hours Chicago police officers spent investigating his false reports.
Earlier this year, Smollett celebrated completing five months in rehab for substance abuse. He admitted himself after enduring an “extremely difficult past few years,” a source said at the time.
Following his high-profile criminal case, outpatient treatment, and ongoing efforts to contest his conviction and jail sentence, Smollett is eager to return to work. He expressed gratitude to Fox, Scott-Young, and all the Black women who have supported him throughout his life.
“I firmly believe that it’s better to say thank you too much than to not say it enough,” Smollet said. “And the way that they step up, there are no words.
Smollett continued. “It’s just further proof that every step of my life, before anybody knew who I was, before anybody knew my name, Black women who have been the ones that have guided me and have loved on me when the rest of the world was making me feel like I was completely unlovable.”
For Fox, Smollett is thankful in her agreeing to lead the film early on, before Smollett even had the project organized. Securing Fox early on helped Smollett properly promote the film and secure further backing. Additionally, Scott-Young used her power as a long executive in the entertainment to pull strings and get Smollett’s first film B-Boy Blues on BET+ and his newest film in theaters nationwide.
His mother also serves as an executive producer on the film, and it’s just a testament to the many Black women that have always lifted him up when he felt down.
“There’s a certain level of respect and love that I have for Black women that I can’t explain and that it doesn’t matter who you end up loving. If you can’t understand and respect the power and the grace that Black women bring to this entire world, then I don’t know what there is to talk about,” Smollett declared.
“And I’m living proof that I’m telling y ‘all, not in a dramatic way, not in a way trying to grab headlines. I would not physically be here if it were not for these women led by my mother, but these women that we’re talking to, guiding me, and loving on me in a way that I need it so badly.”
Press play to learn more about the “family” aspect of The Lost Holliday and how the film explores themes of family dynamics, grief, generational trauma, and the importance of acceptance all while celebrating LGBTQIA+ representation. The Lost Holliday was released in theaters on Sept. 27th.
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