Mara Brock Akil
According to Union one of the main reasons viewers should tune in to the premiere of “Being Mary Jane” is because of the woman behind the scenes who beautifully orchestrated its inception. Mara Brock Akil noted for creating and executive producing “The Game” and writing for “Moesha” and “Girlfriends” not only made “Being Mary Jane”, but was apparently a class act during the audition process.
Gabrielle Union recently compared Akil to Shonda Rhimes who was equally accommodating when the actress auditioned for ABC’s “Scandal.”
“When I auditioned for “Scandal” Shonda [Rhimes] created such an amazing experience for all the black women who came in to audition for that role,” Union told rollingout.
“Usually when you audition, they’re not familiar with you, they don’t understand your worth, they don’t understand what you’ve done before, she was so respectful all of us,” she added.
“I was like, “I don’t wanna settle for anything less than this kind of amazing experience, if I could have that experience with a black woman in charge I really want that experience. And then here comes Mara [Brock Akil],” said Union.
“So not only was it important for me to work with a woman who was as brilliant as Mara Brock Akil, but who is as respectful to her actors and who appreciates us for what we bring to the table and wants us to succeed.
