Regé-Jean Page and Halle Bailey’s new movie, “You, Me & Tuscany,” features a Black love story, a rarity in today’s movie industry that the film’s stars are keenly aware of.
The romantic comedy, out in theaters on April 10, follows Halle’s character, Anna, who decides to book a spontaneous trip to Tuscany after encountering an Italian man named Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) who owns a villa there. When she arrives, she meets Matteo’s cousin Michael, Page’s character, and the two begin to fall for each other.
Leading up to its release, social media users have been encouraging fans to see the movie not only to experience Page and Bailey’s palpable chemistry on the big screen, but also because of reportedly bigger stakes hinging on the film’s success. Even award-winning filmmaker Nina Lee said on X that she was told by a studio and executive that they are waiting to see how well “You, Me & Tuscany” does at the box office before approving other Black-led projects.
When Page and Bailey appeared on TODAY April 7, Craig Melvin asked the two about the wider conversation surrounding their film.
“Everyone has their favorite rom-com, but the reality is that they’re not a lot of rom-coms out there where they feature folks that look like us,” Craig noted. “I read recently that there are even some studios that are actively watching to see how this movie does before they greenlight other rom-coms featuring people that look like us.”
Craig asked, “What kind of message do you hope this film sends?”
Page replied that he wants audiences to see how relatable the film is and that anyone can connect to the movie’s themes.
“I love that everyone who walks out that cinema feels like this is for them, the aspirational, whimsical, joyful escapades into the sunset, finding your perfect life, finding your perfect love, everyone can have that. Everyone can do that,” he said. “We didn’t make Tuscany up. It’s not a fantasy movie. It’s fantastical.”
He hopes that moviegoers leave theaters feeling inspired by the characters to take a chance and pursue their passions.
“Absolutely everyone deserves that and everyone does live that in real life,” he added.
Bailey agreed and pointed out the importance of making a Black-led romance.
She said, “We need to see more of our stories on screen. I mean, it’s beautiful that we have a theatrical release. People can go to the theaters to see this movie and experience this joy and adventure, and go for this wild ride.”
“You, Me & Tuscany” producer Will Packer, the filmmaker behind hits like “Girls Trip” and “Think Like a Man,” also stopped by TODAY to chat about the movie.
During his interview with Craig, Al Roker and Laura Jarrett on April 8, he spoke about representation on the big screen, too.
Packer said, “First of all, (it’s a) romantic comedy. So, Hollywood is not making a lot of romantic comedies for theaters, right? I think this is a great time, because we need that escapism.”
He said sitting in a theater with strangers and having a good time creates a communal environment.
The producer then continued, “They already don’t make a lot of films with Black leads. So the fact that we have a movie that happens to have Black leads in the theaters — lot of eyeballs to see how this one does.”
Packer previously responded to Lee’s thread on X about his film and its impact on the movie industry.
He wrote, in part, that “You, Me & Tuscany”’s success “could change a lot of people’s lives.”
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