Hollywood actress Regina Hall was honored this month with the second annual Voice of Inspiration Award from Variety.
The ceremony took place on May 25 at the annual Reel Works ChangeMakers Gala.
At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Hall had leading roles in two movies — “Master,” a cliff-hanger centered on the experiences of three Black women at a predominantly white college.
Directed by Mariama Diallo, Hall stars as Professor Gail Bishop, the first Black woman to hold the title of residence hall Master at the prestigious Ancaster College.
Professor Bishop finds herself drawn to freshman Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), who lives in one of the college’s haunted rooms. Jasmine also clashes with Professor Liv Beckman (Amber Gray), who is caught up in her own racially charged tenure review. Gail tries to keep things together in her new role as “Master,” but the school’s dark past refuses to die.
The second flick, “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul,” is a comedy satire where Hall stars as the First Lady of a Southern Baptist megachurch, struggling to deal with the fallout of her husband’s scandal.
“Hall has pushed beyond early acclaim as a character actress of great comedic gifts, to one of America’s most vital actresses and advocates for opportunities, inclusion and change,” said Variety’s senior VP, global content/executive editor Steven Gaydos.
In March, Hall hosted the 2022 Academy Awards with Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes.
“Right before the stage went up, Amy was like, ‘Can we start a prayer?’ And so we held hands and Wanda said the prayer,” Hall says. “It was great feeling really united, the three of us, as the show started and the stage opened. We kind of reveled in coming together—three people who are totally different and finding something that worked.”
