Soho House New York

Familiar. That’s the word. This week @sonypictures hosted a dinner at @sohohouse to toast Academy Award–winning actor @thereginaking on the occasion of her new film #CaughtStealing (out today). The room was creative #BlackExcellence at its best. Our host, @sidrasmith asked us to shout out the first time we saw Regina on screen. From my right, a high school friend @omarjdorsey belted a list of hits before @tiffanyhaddish shouted two more. The room bubbled with chatter. I smiled, remembering Regina’s breakout role as Brenda Jenkins in the hit sitcom 227 — a teenage girl just as wild about boys as she was her studies. The theme song “There’s No Place Like Home” crooned in my subconscious as I thought of that tawny Washington, DC stoop, home to so many comical and poignant conversations. Despite our differences, I could see myself in Brenda — a curious Black teen filled with ambition and optimism in 1980s America. The room had so much ❤️ for Regina. There were tears as she received that love and told us how it had anchored her through the loss of her son Ian. There was laughter as she talked about the grandeur of film and characters in the 90s. And there were reflections of the impact of her work on #TheCulture and the ways she conjures her people as she builds characters. That’s when the word crystallized. Familiar. Regina feels enduringly familiar because she chooses, again and again, to be us — to reflect the humanity of our stories as Black folks on screen. Whether as Shirley, Sharon, Angela, Shalika, Marcee, or Trudy, she shows us versions of people we know, love, and aspire to be. As a director — Being Mary Jane, Scandal, This Is Us, One Night in Miami — she expands the narratives about people who look and live like us. Regina rides hard for us because she is us. Being part of curating an experience that honored Regina is a career highlight. And a reminder of my purpose: to create spaces where people see & feel reflections of themselves - complex, flawed, and beautifully human. Centering kindredness, connection, safety, and celebration, we moved out of that room transformed — radiating love and care. #CultureandBelonging #RepresentationMatters #mianu