WHAT WE INHERIT

'The Truth We Carry Home'
Exclusive Interview with Malynda Hale
Featured in 'Innerviews'
Hosted by Allié McGuire

​Malynda Hale is an actor, filmmaker, singer, podcast host, and advocate whose work lives at the intersection of art, justice, faith, and identity. In the upcoming drama Bull Street, she stars as LouEster Sadie Gibbs, a small-town attorney fighting a courtroom battle where privilege, legacy, and home collide. Beyond the screen, Malynda continues to use every platform she has — from Black Voices Heard to #WeNeedToTalk — to create deeper conversations, amplify Black experiences, and remind us that storytelling itself can be a form of justice.

ALLIÉ: Let’s get right into the film and the story, Malynda. In Bull Street, you play Lou Wester, Sadie Gibbs, a small-town attorney fighting a case that is about much more than property. What did this role ask of you, not just as an actor, but as a person?

MALYNDA: I love this question because it was really one of the meatiest roles that I’ve ever had. It asked a lot of me to honestly look at my own family history and have even deeper conversations with my parents about what their experience was like in the South, land and their family legacy. It gave me the opportunity not only to learn about Lynn Dow, the director, because the story is loosely based on her history, but also to dive more into my own family history.

​From an acting standpoint, I was exhausted during this film because it is very emotional, and it does make you sit with the weight of decisions and consequences. There is obviously some racial tension in the film as well. There is also the matter of knowing the truth about your family history, which so many Black Americans don’t. Our lineage only goes back so far in terms of what we have access to know.

Having to put that on screen was emotionally draining, to be honest. But I’m really, really grateful for that opportunity because it stretched me in ways that I just hadn’t been stretched before, both as a person and as a performer.

ALLIÉ: Wow. This film explores home as something deeper than a structure. It is memory, inheritance, identity and sometimes a battleground. What does home mean to you now?

MALYNDA: For me, home is wherever my family is, and that doesn’t necessarily have to be within walls. I feel at home if I’m simply at the park with my daughter while she’s learning to ride her bike. That feels like home to me.

When you get outside of the structure, I think you actually feel more at home when you’re with people you feel comfortable with, people who support you and love you. The definition of home is, of course, different for so many people, but for me, it is really wherever my family is.

That includes chosen family, too. It absolutely includes chosen family and some of my closest friends. I feel at home when I can breathe and when I’m with people who love me, flaws and all. I can simply show up authentically and unapologetically as myself.

ALLIÉ: I love that. That is such a great point. It is so little about the walls and so much about the people you share those walls with. At the heart of Bull Street is a conflict between privilege and legacy. Why do you think stories like this matter so much right now?

MALYNDA: I was waiting for this type of question because, obviously, the time we’re living in is so egregious. When it comes to legacy and privilege, I think that goes back to the racial tension a lot of Black families experience. They have a legacy and they have history, but then privilege comes in and takes away or strips away what has meant so much.

We see history being erased. We see museums taking down certain things that help us understand the history of this country. The good and the bad all need to be included. You can’t get to a place where everything is good unless you acknowledge the bad, learn how to fix it and avoid repeating it.

That is something I really love about this film because it addresses the issue in such a beautifully palatable way. It isn’t hitting you over the head with the message, but it is saying, “Hey, this is what we need to be paying attention to. Let’s watch how this character handles it, and let’s consider how we can also apply that to our real lives in this moment.” It is really, really beautifully done.

ALLIÉ: That’s awesome. Let’s get a little more personal. As a mother raising two daughters, how has motherhood changed the way you think about legacy?

MALYNDA: It’s interesting because I feel like I work a lot, and I’ve had to scale that back because I don’t want my children’s memory of me to be that I was always working. I’ve tried to shift my time management so I can show my daughters what achieving your dreams looks like while also showing up as a mom, a wife and a person they can look up to.

I’m really doing my best to have my legacy be that Mom was able to do all of these things but still colour with me at the end of the night or watch Bluey with me if I asked her to. Those little things are so important, and that is what they’ll remember.

​I’m trying to make sure they see that. They might say, “Mom’s on TV,” or, “I see Mom doing this interview.” That is all cool, but at the end of the day, I just want them to remember that I showed up for them and was also an example for them. My legacy for them is so important because I want them always to know they were loved and prioritized.

ALLIÉ: You bring up such a good point. To be prioritised, I feel like there is another P word that goes with it: to be present. When you are working a lot, it is important to be present with your girls while you’re with them and not on your phone, which all of us are guilty of sometimes. It is such a good reminder. But that balance is no joke.

MALYNDA: It’s no joke. I’m not going to lie. It’s very hard. We’re in a society and a culture that make you feel like you have to work constantly. It makes you feel like you always have to be doing something in order to achieve the thing.

I’m turning 40 this year, and I’ve reached a point where I’m like, “You know what? Whatever is meant to be mine is going to find its way into my life. I don’t need to kill myself trying to find it, get it or seek it out.”

I’m going to do what I’m doing. I’m going to work and then learn how to turn off the switch when I need to. I fully believe opportunities will come my way, and the work that is meant to be mine will come my way. If not, then I simply get to spend more time with my children.

This movie was one of those things that just happened, and it happened in such a whirlwind way. It was hard because I was away from my oldest for two months. She’s six now, but at the time we filmed the movie, she was about to turn three. It was really, really difficult, and she didn’t understand then. Now she says, “That was when you were in South Carolina,” and I’m like, “Yeah, another movie is coming out. You get to see it.” Well, she probably won’t get to see it, but I’ll show her the trailer. She won’t get to watch the movie.

There is sacrifice in it, of course, but I love that you said being present. I think that is so important. Simply being able to show up and try to balance everything is hard, but we make it work. I think women are a really good example of how to do both.

ALLIÉ: I would agree with you. I would also agree that Bluey is a wonderful show to watch with your kids. Jack and I are cracking up all the time. Actually, Jack and I are crying more than the kids. They’re asking, “Why are you crying?” and it’s like, “You don’t understand.” So, yes, be present… with or without Bluey.

You have built so much of your work around making sure Black voices are not just heard, but truly listened to. What do you believe we most need to talk about right now?

MALYNDA: I love that. The name of my Substack is #WeNeedToTalk because I fully believe everything begins with a conversation. Even if that conversation is uncomfortable or hard to have, I think it is super important.

I think we really need to talk about what people need. That is what has really been on my mind lately. I talk about politics a lot on my platform, and with the midterms coming up, I don’t think it is difficult to address the collective needs of different demographics. But we have to start by listening.

I don’t think we are talking enough about questions like, “What does this group need? What does this group need? What does this group need?” Then we need to ask, “What is the common denominator among all of those needs?”

From there, let’s figure out how we talk to our elected officials to make sure everybody feels valued, listened to and understood. I fully believe there is a seat at the table for everybody. And if there isn’t, then let’s build another table so it is bigger. That has always been my mindset.

​I don’t think we are talking enough about what we need collectively as a group. Everybody is unfortunately so individualized. Even when you identify your individual needs, how do those things come together so all of society can be together? That is why I think healthcare is so important. Everybody needs healthcare. I think education is so important. Everybody needs education. Let’s look at the things that can go across communities to make everybody’s life better. I think everyone deserves to be happy. Everybody deserves to be able to afford food and all the things. The list goes on. We need to talk about the things all of our communities can benefit from. Again, there are individual needs, but what is the common denominator among those needs, and how can we come together to make sure those needs are met?

ALLIÉ: Absolutely. You are so spot-on about the common denominator. We are often so focused on what is different about us that we forget every single one of us has this connective tissue that can pull us together. Malynda, when people watch Bull Street, what do you hope they walk away questioning, feeling or ready to fight for?

MALYNDA: Oh, that’s a good one. Well, I hope they walk away questioning, “Why isn’t Malynda in more things?”

ALLIÉ: Yes! First and foremost, that.

MALYNDA: That is the first thing. But I also hope they walk away ready to fight for family, fight for what is theirs and refuse to allow people to come in and take away anything that has sentimental value.

Not everything has monetary value. I think that is one of the biggest messages of this film. Sometimes the memories and experiences you have in a home, on a piece of land or in an area are priceless. We should really work to fight for those things because some people put prices on everything, but some things don’t have a price. That is one of the really strong messages in this movie. I hope people walk away knowing we can fight for things that don’t necessarily have monetary value. I think that is really important. ∎

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Watch Bull Street:
www.bullstreetmovie.com

Find & follow Malynda & Bull Street on Instagram:
@malyndahale
@bullstreetmovie