When Lena Waithe approached me about directing a film about Mary Tyler Moore, I was both excited and apprehensive. While I was eager to take on the challenge, I couldn’t help but question whether I was the right person for the job. As a Black man, how could I make my feature directorial debut about one of the most influential white women in Hollywood television history without making mistakes or misrepresenting my own community?
Lena Waithe and Debra Martin Chase, both brilliant Black filmmakers, believed in me and trusted me with this project. They became my support system, my “people,” as we embarked on this ambitious endeavor together. But the question of where to start loomed large. Should I begin with Mary’s career on The Dick Van Dyke Show or her own sitcom? Ultimately, I decided to dive into Mary’s 1995 autobiography, After All, to truly understand and connect with her story.
Within the pages of her autobiography, Mary revealed a side of herself that the public rarely saw. She was a measured and guarded woman who rarely expressed vulnerability. Yet, in her book, she allowed her admirers to see the woman behind the icon – a woman who struggled with feelings of failure and loss, a woman who was more relatable than we might have realized. I immediately felt a deep connection to this human side of Mary, even though I had yet to watch any of her work.
To bring Mary’s story to life, I enlisted the help of Mariah Rehmet, a talented editor who had previously worked on the show Being Mary Tyler Moore. I expressed my vision for the film, emphasizing that Mary should have the first and last word, and that we should never shy away from showcasing her pain, traumas, and shortcomings. It was important to me that we portrayed Mary as a human being in need of love and understanding, just like anyone else.
Related Post
However, we faced a challenge in finding enough material to tell Mary’s story. She had passed away years before her husband, Dr. S. Robert Levine, approached Lena about the film. Besides the content Mary herself had created, there was a lack of home movies or behind-the-scenes footage of her. So, Mariah and I began watching everything we could find. We started with interviews Mary had done over the years, and it was during this process that we stumbled upon the David Susskind interview.
David Susskind was a renowned talk show host known for his innovative programming, but it was his patronizing and sexist interview with Mary in 1966 that caught my attention. Watching that interview helped me understand what Mary experienced as a woman in the entertainment industry, and it allowed me to see the intersection of patriarchy and racism that she faced. As a Black man, I understood how these oppressive systems of power could affect individuals, and this insight became a starting point for the film.
With the Susskind interview as our opening, we began to craft the rest of the documentary. While it wasn’t always easy, we stayed true to Mary’s story and the compass she provided through her autobiography. The film became a way to advocate for dismantling oppressive systems and to shed light on the challenges faced by women, particularly women of color, in the entertainment industry.
Now that the film is out in the world, my hope is that audiences can see themselves in Mary’s story. Whether they are longtime fans or were introduced to her through the documentary, I want viewers to connect with her humanity and see her as a relatable figure. Mary Tyler Moore was more than just an icon – she was a woman who struggled, loved, and ultimately left a lasting legacy.
In the end, I am grateful to Lena Waithe, Debra Martin Chase, and everyone who supported me in this project. It was a privilege to bring Mary’s story to the screen, and I hope that our efforts honor her legacy while sparking important conversations about representation and equality in the entertainment industry.
