Queen Latifah takes on the role of Hattie McDaniel, the groundbreaking actress who made history as the first Black person to win an Academy Award, in a new Netflix miniseries. Entertainment Weekly published first-look images from the forthcoming show, Hollywood, on Wednesday (April 8).
Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan and Janet Mock are behind the seven-part series, which debuts on May 1. Hollywood takes place during post-World War II Tinseltown and follows an “ambitious group of aspiring actors and filmmakers” who will do “almost anything” to make it big in show business.
The series stars David Cornerswet, Darren Criss, and Laura Harrier with a slew of supporting actors that include Queen Latifah, Rob Reiner, Mira Sorvino, and Katie McGuiness as Gone With the Wind’s Vivien Leigh.
McDaniel’s historic Oscar win was of course shrouded in controversy given her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind, a film that was boycotted and criticized over its blatant racism.
As for Queen Latifah, she has been busy both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Aside form Hollywood, the Queen joins Missy Elliott and Mary J. Blige as executive producers of the upcoming Lifetime biopic The Clark Sisters airing on Saturday (April 11).