A true love story about female friendship shines in the film The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (now on Disney+ in Canada), based on the book by Edward Kelsey Moore. Directed and co-written by Tina Mabry, and starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Uzo Aduba, Sanaa Lathan, Tati Gabrielle, Kyanna Simone, and Abigail Achiri. The way friendship is portrayed in this story is authentic and particularly resonated with the women involved.
“From the moment I read it, I thought, ‘Oh my God. I see my friends. I see myself. I see my aunt, I see my grandma, ‘Grandma to some people who aren’t in the South,'” Mabry said. Yahoo Canada“I saw women, strong women, who were in my life, and they were shown what it was like when there was a love story between friends. And that’s what I really wanted to do.”
“We didn’t have films like Fried green tomatoes or Magnolias made of steel or Waiting to exhale for a very long time, and there’s a gap in the canon of films that are coming out about what our friendships look like, and that includes what a chosen family looks like.”
Searchlight Images
Watch The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat on Disney+, with plans starting at $7.99/month
$8 on Disney+
The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat takes place in different timelines. The genesis of the friendship between young Odette (Simone), Clarice (Achiri) and Barbara Jean (Gabrielle) begins in 1968, when Odette and Clarice help Barbara Jean escape her abusive stepfather after the death of her mother with the help of local diner owner Big Earl (Tony Winters). All of these women were born under “unusual” circumstances, creating a bond that lasted for decades.
Achiri stressed that many stories in films that revolve around women and their friendships are very “normal” and not particularly complex. However, this is not the case with The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat.
“I love the fact that Odette and Clarice had very different, polarizing views, but that’s what happens in friendships, we don’t always agree,” said Achiri. “I think it’s that openness and honesty of the conversations that women have that really attracted me to the film and the character.”
“The honesty, the thoroughness in the lives of these women, Tina didn’t shy away from the ugly side,” added Gabrielle. “To look at a life in so many facets… you don’t see that often in films.”
“I think this film gives recognition to women in a very powerful way that you don’t see very often, especially in this day and age.”
“I really don’t think we’ll become childless cat ladies”
In the later timeline, which takes us to 1999, we see the older Odette (Ellis-Taylor), Clarice (Aduba) and Barbara Jean (Lathan) and the evolution of their friendship, which has led them through personal tragedy, falling in love, motherhood, racism, traumatic events and health issues.
The scenes in The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat Ranging from highly emotional to laugh-out-loud funny, the story exemplifies Mabry’s commitment to showing the full range of people and their relationships, but also offers actors of all ages the opportunity to experience fulfilling stories and character development that they can sink their teeth into.
“We’re a leading lady and in our twenties you get nicknames like, ‘Oh, you’re attractive. You’re a sex symbol.’ When you’re 36 or older, you’re like, ‘See you at 60 when you’re a grandma.’ And then it’s like, what happens in between?” Mabry stressed. “I don’t think we disappear. I really don’t think we become childless cat ladies. There’s nothing wrong with that, you love a cat, … but the question is, why are we invisible at that point?”
“These are three phenomenal actresses. There’s an Oscar nominee, there’s an (Emmy winner), there’s another Emmy nominee. There are women who have been doing this for 20, 30 years, real actresses, and you wonder where the material is for them. There’s a gap. I wanted to make sure that not only do we need to tell stories of women in that age group, but more importantly, that we give these women very good material to sink their teeth into and show what they can do.”
“You can do your job without being in a toxic environment”
For actors to play incredibly soulful, emotional and vulnerable scenes, they need to work in an environment where they feel safe and “empowered” to emotionally empathize with those characters in those situations. For Mabry, that safety and trust was something that was incredibly important on set.
“You can’t make a film about that kind of honesty without creating a safe environment, because that means you have to be vulnerable, and you’re never going to be vulnerable if you don’t feel safe, if you don’t feel supported,” Mabry said. “It’s my responsibility to make sure that, first of all, everyone is equal, everyone is seen and heard, and that you can do your work without being in a toxic environment.”
“Let’s not forget the joy we have. Somehow we convince people to pay us to make movies, and sometimes we’re so unhappy about our work environment because we don’t get support, because we don’t feel like we have the luxury of failing or making a misstep. You’re on my set, you’re always going to feel empowered. You’re going to feel like you can say something, that your creative input is wanted, and it doesn’t matter if it’s coming from my cast or from my crew, you’re going to be heard. You’re going to be encouraged and no one is ever going to step on you to feel big on themselves.”
The director emphasized that it is the elements that happen behind the scenes that are truly reflected on the screen in the final product.
“Maybe you don’t feel safe in that world, because that’s what that world does to us women sometimes. It feels very predatory, we’re very ignored, but as long as I’m behind the camera directing or writing, I can make sure that you’re not only seen, but you’re protected so you can do your best work,” Mabry said. “But more importantly, so you can go home at night without psychological scars.”
“I think you can see when you take care of people emotionally, when you take care of them physically, they can do their best work and you can have fun while doing it. I think we forget to smile, to be happy, to have a good time, and the fact that we were able to tell a story that had some very hard scenes in it kept us laughing for 30 days. … I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much on camera and shed so many tears, but that’s really a testament to the crew and the cast that we were able to put together.”
As Simone described, Mabry “really cared” about each and every participant in the production.
“She came from a place of caring, a place of love and passion,” Simone said. “There were times when we had very intense scenes and we were short on time, … but Tina said, ‘Everyone come in,’ and we all held hands. She said, … ‘You must be OK.'”
“It’s something I don’t really experience personally, but she had that human connection. … I think that’s why it all worked.”
“She protected us from the pressures of just filming and it was very important to her that we felt safe,” Achiri added. “As an actor, at least for me, sometimes I get so caught up in the thought of getting it right and I remember when I was playing the piano, (Tina) just came up to me and said, ‘Abigail, you’re playing a song for someone you love and miss.’ And that just brought me back to the reality of the moment.”
“I felt so emotionally safe going there because she invited me to take her there. And then we got the cut and she was just like, ‘OK, let’s move on.’ It was never a situation of, ‘I just want to watch this over and over again,’ but more of, ‘Let’s move on. I have what I need. Are you feeling OK too?'”
Gabrielle echoed Simone and Achiri’s comments, saying that Mabry truly created a “place of safety.”
“She wanted us to be as human as possible, and so she was as human as possible,” Gabrielle said. “She led with heart, which forced us to lead with heart, there was no other choice.”
