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The beauty of black and white films has been a fading facet of the industry and director Rebecca Hall wants to change that with her with directorial debut, Passing.
Based on the novel by Nella Larsen of the same name, Passing is set in 1920s and follows two black women who racially pass for white during the segregation era in New York. These mixed-race childhood friends then later reunite as adults and become increasingly involved with one another's lives and insecurities.
The title Passing stands for African-Americans whose skin is light enough to be considered white. Rebecca Hall is not only the director but also the writer and producer of the film. After reading the book, Hall felt 'viscerally gut-punched' as she is also biracial and wrote the first draft of the script in 10 days.
'Passing' ensemble cast
Passing premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, 2020 and was later announced to release on October 27, 2021 in selected theatres. The film will be available to stream on Netflix from November 10. The official trailer for Passing dropped last month and it shows the reimagination of the 1929 Nella Larsen novel.
Here's a look at the two leading ladies of Netflix's Passing.
Tessa Thompson as Irene 'Reenie' Redfield
Starring as Irene 'Reenie' Redfield in Netflix's Passing is American actress Tessa Thompson. She has appeared in productions of The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet, but Mississippi Damned and For Colored Girls are considered her breakthrough films.
Viewers might recognize her as Valkyrie from MCU's Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame. She is also known for performances in Westworld, Dear White People, Selma, Creed, Creed II, Annihilation, Sylvie's Love and Men in Black: International.
Ruth Negga as Clare Kendry
Ethiopian-Irish actress Ruth Negga is known for her performances in Preacher and Loving. She has also appeared in films like Capital Letters, Isolation, Breakfast on Pluto and Warcraft as well as for her TV projects such as Criminal Justice, Love/Hate, Misfits and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Ruth will be portraying the role of Clare Kendry in Netflix's upcoming periodical drama film, Passing.
In an interview, Ruth mentioned how she related to her character:
"Being a mixed-race person, I think that it naturally informed Clare. Feelings of perhaps alienation, of being different, about trying to find your place."
The cast of Passing also includes André Holland, Bill Camp, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Alexander Skarsgard and Ashley Ware. The film explores the themes of racial and gender identity, colorism, and repression.
When asked about her relationship to the film, director Rebecca Hall stated:
"I don't have any experience of being a Black person in America. I don't know what that feels like because I present as white, I go through the world as white, you know. But what I do have an experience of is being raised by people who were also raised by people who made choices that were shaped by living in a racist society."
Catch Passing on Netflix from November 10.
