Lights, Camera, Truth: The Power Of The Black Lead
They only need one name. Whoopi. Will. Viola. Denzel. Cynthia. Morgan. Legends who carved their names into Hollywood’s highest peaks—often without a safety net. Before they were box-office draws, they were underdogs, fighting for roles that weren’t just afterthoughts, battling Hollywood’s narrow definition of “marketability,” and rewriting the script for what Black talent looks like on screen.

It’s easy to believe the war is over. In an era where Lupita Nyong’o wins an Oscar for her breakout role, where Jordan Peele reinvents horror, and where Beyoncé drops a Renaissance film that sells out theaters worldwide, it almost seems like we’ve arrived. But anyone who’s lived through Hollywood’s cycle of short-term amnesia knows better.
That’s exactly why Academy Award nominee Reginald Hudlin and Shola Lynch set out to make Number One on the Call Sheet. The film sets out to remind us that Black actors aren’t just here; they’ve been here—fighting for space, legacy, and respect since the dawn of cinema. Directed by Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang) and Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners) and executive producer Bryan Smiley (HARTBEAT), the two-part documentary digs into the unfiltered reality of being Black in Hollywood. Not just the wins, but the near-misses, the coded rejection, and glass ceilings that, though cracked, haven’t fully shattered. Featuring over 30 actors—the doc unpacks what it really means to be number one on the call sheet when the system wasn’t built for you in the first place.

Pulling off a project of this scale? It took the “Avengers,” as the directors call them, to get these stars to sit down. Hudlin shares, “A lot of it came down to personal relationships. It was me either calling the person or Datari calling the person, calling their agent, calling their publicist.”
For many, the title alone says it all. The phrase “number one on the call sheet” carries weight—it’s a distinction that comes with prestige and responsibility. It means you’re the lead, the face of the production, the one everything revolves around. However, for Black actors, that title has historically been elusive. It’s a seat at the table that, for too long, felt reserved for someone else.
“The battles fought by the previous generation paved the way for us. Now, it’s our turn to fight,” Hudlin says.

The documentary dives deep into those journeys, tracing a history that starts long before today’s stars. Before Denzel’s commanding presence or Viola’s gut-wrenching monologues, there was Sam Lucas, the first Black actor to play Uncle Tom in a 1914 silent film. There was Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for Gone with the Wind in 1940 but was forced to sit in a segregated section of the ceremony. There was Sidney Poitier, who carried the weight of dignity and grace in every role he took. Dorothy Dandridge, who dazzled Hollywood but was cast aside too soon. Every step forward was hard won, and every door cracked open had to be pried wide. “One of the lines I love in the men’s film is, what do you do when you get to the top of the mountain? Make more mountains. You gotta keep going. You can’t stop dreaming,” Lynch says.

The project is split into two films—one focusing on men, the other on women—and each takes a different lens to what it means to lead while Black. The men’s segment, Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, directed by Hudlin and produced by Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, Datari Turner and Dan Cogan, takes on the evolution of Black male stardom, from trailblazers like Richard Roundtree in Shaft to Will Smith redefining what a global movie star could be.
Hudlin made it clear that this is far from your typical sit-down documentary. “How do you even define success? And the definitions of success were all over the place. When Lawerence Fishburne says, “Well, it’s about the diversity of roles.” You go, oh, okay. That’s a measurement.” Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya takes it a step further in the film, declaring, “They might call us a minority. I ain’t taking nothing minor. I’m major, bro.”

Lynch’s installment, Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood, is executive produced by Angela Bassett and Academy Award winner Halle Berry, and highlights Black women who have led films while navigating a different set of expectations, constraints, and pressures. From Cicely Tyson’s trailblazing performances to Halle Berry’s historic Oscar win to Angela Bassett’s still-undeniable screen presence, the film examines what it takes for a Black woman to lead, and to demand the space she deserves. As Lynch puts it, “You have to empower those who deserve it. And remember, the fight’s never over. To hear these stories from these 17 women who have figured it out for themselves and are still figuring it out,” Lynch says.
Together, they craft a project that takes you on a ride through Black movie history that doesn’t just celebrate the resilience and success stories of Black Hollywood’s elite; it looks at the cost of being “the first,” the responsibility of being “the only,” and what’s required to stay at the top.

Hudlin’s journey to telling this story began when he was asked to produce the Academy’s Governor Awards and needed a director to honor Harry Belafonte. When the list of potential directors didn’t include any people of color, a friend suggested Lynch’s name. “He said, ‘I’m going to ask you to do something you have to say yes to, and you have to kill it,’” Lynch recalls. “It was a call to action, a challenge that we both knew would shape our work together.’”

When Lynch’s tribute made its way to The Academy for screening, they weren’t exactly silent. Hudlin remembers the conversation vividly: “I’m the producer, so I’m just the buffer between her doing her thing and The Academy. I’m getting these weird notes. Then I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, what’s happening right now?’”
For Hudlin, that’s when the reminder of a sad truth about how history can be erased in a single edit. “They finally admitted, ‘You know, we think we won the civil rights battle,’ but the civil rights battle was still going on. There were people within The Academy who were like, ‘Why are we giving this award to Harry Belafonte, and why are you bringing up this political stuff?’” Hudlin pauses. “I’m like, Oh my God, the fight continues.”

Despite the pushback, the pair held their ground, locking arms and keeping the tribute authentic, no matter the cost. “Before you think this has nothing to do with being Number One On The Call Sheet, it has everything to do with being Number One On The Call Sheet, right?” she says, emphasizing her point. “You got to bring people along, you got to honor the past. You must be aware of the present but not so mired in negativity.”
Fast forward to when Hudlin was on the hunt for the perfect female voice to help tell the story of these cinematic giants. Lynch was the first one he called.

“We’re in this amazing period of Black girl magic, which is great. So now with all this wonderful Black girl magic, we now have to lift up men,” Hudlin explains. “And that doesn’t mean you don’t lift up women; it means you lift up everyone.”
Lynch’s eyes widen as she remembers a moment at the New York City premiere. She shared that someone had remarked that the documentary felt like a Roots moment. She agreed, noting that such cultural moments, when enough people engage with them, become part of a larger conversation. Whether people agreed with the choices made in the film or not, the important thing was that it sparked a conversation—one that no one else would ever have the chance to facilitate again.

For both directors, shaping this visual timeline of Black Hollywood’s evolution is no small feat—they know the weight of preserving these stories and the truths they carry. “In every story I tell, and a lot of them, whether it’s a documentary or a scripted movie, I have a feeling of like, well, don’t waste everyone’s time and money,” Hudlin continues. “Authenticity is everything. We have to tell the truth and be authentic to the culture. That’s an integral part of our jobs.”

Lynch agrees. “As an artist, as a craft person, as a storyteller, my name goes on it. When my name goes on something, I want it to mean something. What that means is the work. I did everything I could to tell the best story, best narrative, the truth, the best story possible, with whatever the budget was. Whatever the constraints were, I was going to go 110 percent. That’s what a film by Shola Lynch means.”

Apple TV+’s Number One on the Call Sheet celebrates the unstoppable strength and perseverance of Black entertainers, whose legacy continues to shape Hollywood. Their stories remind us that this journey isn’t always linear—but every breakthrough, even the ones that seem like a “not yet,” proves that when you put yourself at the top of the call sheet, the impact lasts long after the director yells “cut.”
‘Number One on the Call Sheet,’ a two-part documentary series, premieres globally on Apple TV+ on March 28, 2025.
CREDITS:
Photographed by Xavier Scott Marshall
Styled by Dione Davis
Hair: Rachel Polycarpe using L’Oreal Paris at Forward Artists
Makeup: Rose Grace using Victoria Beckham Beauty at Forward Artists
Nails: Leanne Woodley using Essie & She Nails It at See Management
Set Design: Jenny Correa at Walter Schupfer Management
Tailor: Ketch at Carol Ai
PhotographyAssistants: Asher Phillips & Kermide Luc
Lighting Technician: Sangwoo Suh
Digital Technicial: Santana Brecheen
Fashion Assistant: Shola Shodipo
SetAssistants: Andy Meerow & Will Rose
Production: The Morrison Group
Production Assistants: CaseyHussey & Alexzandria Ashton
Location: Please Studio