Why Gabrielle Union Regretted Her ‘Bring It On’ Character
Gabrielle Union and Kirsten Dunst starred in the classic Bring It On, which spawned an entire franchise. However, as lauded as Union was for her performance back then, nowadays she’d approach the role differently.
Gabrielle Union felt she failed her ‘Bring It On’ character
Fans may remember Union portraying cheerleader Captain Isis in the popular teen comedy. The film portrayedharacterized Isis as determined and goal-oriented. But she could also be very calm and calculated in how she dealt with her nemesis Torrance Shipman, famously played by Kirsten Dunst. In hindsight, however, Union felt her approach to Isis might’ve been a mistake.
“I was given full reign to do whatever I wanted with Isis in Bring It On, and I chose respectability and to be classy and take the high road because I felt like that would make her be appropriate — the right kind of Black girl,” Union once told Good Morning America (via Entertainment Weekly. “Black girls aren’t allowed to be angry — certainly not demonstratively angry — and I muzzled her.”
If she could do the role differently, she would’ve explored the full range of emotions Isis should’ve had during her feud with Torrance. But she acknowledged that the character’s presentation wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own.
“I realized that I need to come to grips and acknowledge where I failed Isis,” she added. “When given full control, I made her ‘appropriate.'”
What Gabrielle Union and Kirsten Dunst have both said about a Bring It On’ sequel
The Bring It On films have inspired an entire franchise. There are seven Bring It On movies and even a musical inspired by the films. However, none of the original cast and crew returned for the anthology series, so a true sequel to the original hasn’t been made. Union has been very keen on the possibility of returning to the franchise that made her a houseold name. She’s even gone so far as to suggest there have been talks of a possible film actually happening.
“I’ve heard many takes over the years, but I’m hearing some really great takes from some big-name writers that are very surprising,” Union once told Entertainment Tonight.
The Being Mary Jane star even pitched her own idea about what the sequel’s premise could be.
“Imagine if her daughter was, ya know, a high stepper from Jackson State, Hawthorne State or Hampton. There’s so many forms of cheerleading that we don’t get to celebrate,” Union said. “The possibilities are endless.”
Likewise, Dunst is also interested in doing a proper sequel. But she was adamant that it would have to be with the original cast and crew.
“Of course I would!” she said in an interview with Good Morning America. “But it would have to be such a good script … ’cause those things can be sad sometimes if they’re not good.”
The lines Gabrielle Union had rewritten in ‘Bring It On’
Bring It On director Peyton Reed was very receptive to Union’s ideas about the character. Although Union felt she missed the mark in regards to Isis’ representation, without her influence, the character might’ve been too stereotypical. A small line Union had rewritten ended up bringing about a major change for the character.
“There was a line in the original script that was like, ‘Meow! Me-gonna-ow you! My nails are long, sharp, and ready to slash!’…Huh? And that girl ends up at U.C. Berkeley? How did girls from Compton talk in their minds? How about we make her a very clear leader where her path to cheer justice is done with more class and dignity but also justifiable anger. She doesn’t need to speak in made-up, Blaxploitation dialogue,” Union said in an interview with Vogue.
