Apple TV+’s Number One on the Call Sheet is a two-part documentary focusing on the gender-specific nuances of success and hardship and Black cinematic histories through the lens of leading Black actors in Hollywood. Part I: Black Leading Men in Hollywood was directed by Reginald Hudlin, while Part II: Black Leading Women in Hollywood was directed by Shola Lynch. 

The documentary features a roster of celebrities such as Halle Berry, Alfre Woodard, Denzel Washington, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Kevin Hart, Daniel Kaluuya, Viola Davis, Will Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Eddie Murphy and more, who speak candidly about navigating various difficulties in the industry that led to their ultimate success alongside paying heartfelt homage to historical moments in Black media culture. The film also has an all-star roster of producers in Foxx, Hart, Davis, Bassett, Datari Turner, Whoopi Goldberg and more. 

Here, Deadline speaks with Hudlin and Lynch about the inspiration, challenges and the future of Black cinema in Number One on the Call Sheet. 

I first met with Jamie [Foxx] and Datari [Turner] in 2019. Then, in 2020, we had this incredible Zoom with Kevin Hart, and we decided to do this. But mainly, it was me choking to death because Jamie and Kevin are two of the funniest human beings on Earth. Then, in 2022 was the first day of shooting at Jamie Foxx’s house and we finished post [production] in 2024. 

I’m so grateful for our research team, who I asked the impossible, and then they delivered it. They found amazing footage from these folks’ careers. Because for me, when I look at those headshots of young Taye Diggs, you go, “Wow, you are not the ladies man that you became. You really blossomed. Good for you.” [Laughs]. 

Also to add more to the timeline. I mean, we need to consider how we talked to all these people who are so busy. Scheduling was a nightmare [laughs]. And when we had our first initial meetings, we were like, “We’ll try to do it in a month.” And it was so unrealistic to think that they were going to be just available waiting for us. Our teams killed it in order to unearth these headlines, photos, and texture of these actresses’ careers. Our archival researcher had the brilliant idea of getting on eBay to find headshots, so the headshots all come from there. 

Here’s the thing. We each made the movie in the way that we thought was best. I’m not going to tell Shola what to do. She’s got a meaningful body of work, and the point is to have her voice as a Black woman filmmaker interviewing Black women about their experiences. So, guess what’s not needed? Me telling her what to do [laughs]. My job is to say, “Hey, we really need you to do what you do,” and to say, “I’m doing what I’m doing.” To me, the strength of the project is that everyone’s voice is heard fully.

Right. It’s not episodic. There’s no showrunner. These are two documentary films. I think it’s wonderful if you watch whatever one; we did not conform to a corporate formula. But to be the directors of a film that was in so many ways this historic moment, and to capture that with integrity and creativity because that’s what the moment demanded, was wonderful.

I want to stress that this film would not have happened without Black production companies. Not without Datari going to Jamie Foxx, who has his own production company, and Kevin Hart having his own production company. They took their celebrity power and made an opportunity. Then, Apple seeing this as an opportunity and protecting us and allowing us to make the films that we had in our hearts essentially. We also had the foresight to bring in Angela Bassett and Halle Berry early as EPs and then Whoopi [Goldberg] and Viola [Davis], so it was pretty stacked. 

There are so many, but I’ll name a few. Laurence Fishburne talking about shooting Apocalypse Now. He shared having that [doubtful] moment at 14 years old in the Philippines, going, “I’m not good enough to play this scene.” And then getting support from the star [Martin Sheen] who said to him, “No, no. You’re a talented actor.” I thought to myself, “Oh my God, what a beautiful, beautiful moment.”  

Kevin Hart going in detail about one failure after the other in his career is another. The lesson in that is that he never externalized blame. He always said, “How can I get better?” Which is what he did and how he became who he is now. And Will Smith just deciding he was going to be the most famous person on Earth and then achieving it. 

This is impossible. The thing that I take away from the film is the filming of walking on that set and sitting down, and the moment of quiet where you’re connected with each person. And the interviews, to me, are everything because they’re the connective tissue. All of my favorite moments are actually in the film. There’s so many great moments on the cutting room floor, but each woman surprised me with something, and that’s what we pushed towards in the storytelling and in the editing room. 

If I had to choose, the singular thing that surprised me is how inspiring the actors are. I think that, especially as an actress, it’s easy to say [about them], “Oh, they’re beautiful, they’re talented.” But then forget that they have grit and business savvy and all the things that make them number one, beyond their talent. It reminded me that when somebody is at the top of their game, your responsibility is to see how and why they got there because there’s a reason, and if you don’t see it, that’s on you. Now, I always ask myself, am I walking in my purpose? Am I being number one on my call sheet? Because we are all in our careers, we all have ceilings, we all have troubled waters, we all have to navigate. How do we stay in it long enough to be number one and impact the business? 

When we talk about these great moments, what they all have in common is extraordinary honesty while being interviewed. You could feel the truth in what they’re saying. And we’ve watched it play in front of audiences now, and people cry and laugh a lot. A lot of people at the end of the screening don’t stay for the after-party. They literally say, “I’ve got to go home and go to work.” Literally, like, “I’ve been messing around, and I’ve got to get that project going. What am I doing?” So that is a very common effect.  

I want to add that many of the women said during our interview, “I’ve never been asked that question before,” because people have been afraid to ask or they don’t know how to ask. In both of these films, we found different ways to create intimacy and a space to ask questions that might not work in other environments to ask. I think that’s what the audience is responding to, because the actors and actresses are being seen and heard; the audience feels like they’re being seen and heard. We are rarely seen and heard in the media landscape. 

I’m a big believer in the term Black, which means that there’s a shared cultural experience regardless of national boundaries. There’s a lot of tribalism that can happen where people are like, “Oh, you’re British, you’re not American.” Well, who cares? That’s just East Coast versus West Coast with an ocean in the middle. What’s really important is that there’s this enormous, talented community, and that we link arms to do great work and create opportunities for the next generation.

It’s not a question that’s asked of white actresses; there’s a lot of Brits, Irish, and whoever in that space. We were interested in the Black women [and men] that had penetrated Hollywood. I’m not going to exclude Cynthia [Erivo] or Ruth [Negga] just because they’re not American. They’ve both been nominated [for Oscars]. They both have been leading ladies and carried major pictures. I’ll add to what Reggie said. Black is the word because we’re part of the diaspora. 

HUDLIN: One of the reasons I did that B story of me giving the historical context to these actors to say this is what this era and that era is like to acknowledge the reality is things are getting better, unquestionably. And some people are reluctant to acknowledge that because they feel like, “Well, if you acknowledge things are better, then you’re forfeiting the right to complain that we still have work to do.” I say, no, not at all. In fact, it’s crucial to acknowledge when things are working, or else how do you know things are getting better? You go, “Oh, look at that. That got better. Why did it? How do we replicate and increase what’s working and do less of what doesn’t work?” And what, quote unquote, “works and doesn’t work” is a complex question.

Things are better, but there are still challenges. I’ve had two separate conversations in a week about comparing different eras of Black cinema in terms of literally, “Well, I like those set of films more than that set of films.” And you go, “Oh, is that true?” And I don’t want to be the old guy who’s buying into the era that I grew up in is better than the current era. That could be really cornball, but part of it is the culture reflects the era you’re in. That’s why, for some of these things, you have to wait 20 or 30 years to really assess whether something is good or bad because sometimes those answers change from era to era. But my short answer to a very simple question is that things are better.

LYNCH: I agree with all that. Especially as a Black woman, there is no other era that I would want to live in. First of all, I wouldn’t be directing. There are 17 Black women [involved], and we didn’t talk to every one of them who are leading ladies in Hollywood. At the same time, there are things to change, and so both things can always be true. But what I think the future is, and why I love how the film ends, is because it is what we make of it.

I get so frustrated with people who are like, “Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t do that.” We opt out of opportunities because they’re not the best. Viola says, “I would take these pieces of moldy clay,” but if she didn’t, she wouldn’t have the career she has now. And so, we have to find a way to maintain ourselves in the career to have longevity, long enough to impact. What if Kevin Hart had quit? Maybe we wouldn’t even have this film because it led Kevin Hart and Jamie Foxx to have their own companies. And so, I think the future is what we make of it, and there’s work to do. But I love what Whoopi says. “We’re not going anywhere.”