Cameron J. Ross Talks Writing & Co-Starring In…
In a panorama that not often offers Black ladies the space to pause, pivot, or prioritize themselves, Lifetime’s Mary J. Blige Presents: Be Happy arrives with clear intention.
At the middle of that imaginative and prescient is Cameron J. Ross, the author and co-star of the unique, premiering February 7. The movie marks a major artistic second for Ross, who not only wrote the project but also seems onscreen, shaping a story pushed by emotional honesty and reflection.
Source: Courtesy of Lifetime
Executive produced by Mary J. Blige and directed by Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe, it continues Lifetime’s growth into creator-led storytelling.
The movie stars Tisha Campbell as Val, a lady whose life has long been outlined by care, dedication, and duty, until she reaches a second that forces her to flip inward and rethink what achievement appears like on her own phrases.
For Ross, the story emerged from paying close consideration to the Black ladies around him quite than following industry trends.
“This film was inspired by my mom,” Ross said. “Not just because she’s iconic in my life, but because she’s also a really great friend.”
That relationship helped form the emotional basis of the movie, permitting Ross to explore what occurs when ladies select themselves out of necessity and self-awareness. Be Happy affords a portrait of Black ladies’s internal lives, capturing their doubts, wishes, and the braveness it takes to need more.
Source: Courtesy of Lifetime
An award-winning multi-hyphenate, Ross’ profession spans Broadway, movie, and tv. His credit embody writing for Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, appearing and writing on Netflix’s Peabody-nominated Gentefied, and receiving a Special Tony Award as a co-founder of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. He also holds an total development deal and is at the moment creating new sequence across platforms.
Source: Courtesy
With Be Happy, Ross continues to construct a physique of work that facilities emotionally resonant storytelling for mainstream audiences, reinforcing his dedication to tales that really feel sincere, intentional, and deeply human.
A Story Rooted in Listening
Ross said the movie’s basis got here together shortly after Lifetime reached out to him about developing an unique film. A telephone call with his mom helped make clear what type of story he wished to inform.
“I started to come up with this coming of age story for a woman in her 50s trying to navigate life after motherhood,” Ross said. “She kind of reached, I would say, the ceiling in her relationship with her husband, and she’s trying to explore what is life after me for them.”
Source: Courtesy of Lifetime
Rather than framing Val’s journey as dissatisfaction or escape, Ross said the movie focuses on what occurs when a lady begins to query how a lot of herself she has set apart.
“The highlight of the movie is the journey back to self,” he said.
Black Women Shaping the Film From the Beginning
Ross said the direction of the movie was influenced early on by Black ladies in development who acknowledged the story without needing it explained or softened.
“Karen Wilson, the development exec, happens to be this incredible Black woman, and she saw so much connectivity from her to the piece,” Ross said. “In her office, she had this really big poster of Claudine, and she said that was the movie that inspired her to start telling stories specifically about Black women.”
Source: Leon Bennett / Getty
As the project moved ahead, that alignment only deepened.
“So as I’m developing this movie, I start to get all these updates,” Ross said. “The first update was like, ‘Hey, Mary J Blige is attached.’ Then I got a call like, ‘Okay, now Mona Scott Young is attached.’ And then they were like, ‘Oh, and this will be Gabourey Sidibe’s directorial debut.’”
Ross said those moments made it clear the movie was no longer just his story to inform.
“At this point, I have a choir of Black women that are supporting me in this journey of writing the script,” he said.
Art as the Entry Point Back to Self
In Be Happy, Val’s transformation unfolds through artwork and setting, with the setting designed to assist her inside shift quite than overwhelm it.
“New Orleans is just such a wonderful backdrop when it comes to like culture and art and the food,” Ross said. “Even the sensualness that the city kind of has, it performs as a wonderful backdrop to the film.”
Source: Courtesy of Lifetime / Courtesy of Lifetime
Ross performs Jacoby, the proprietor of the artwork gallery where Val works, a position he said was written as an invitation quite than a rescue.
“Jacoby specifically is the owner of the gallery that she works at,” he said. “He gives her an opportunity to kind of be introduced to a love that she had before she became a mother.”
For Ross, artwork turns into the space where emotion, want, and self recognition start to floor again.
“Art has the power to do that,” he said. “When you’re looking at it, you’re able to feel things.”
Reclaiming Desire Without Shame
Ross said one of the movie’s most important moments comes when Val confronts herself mid awakening, unsure but current.
Source: Courtesy of Lifetime / Courtesy of Lifetime
“She has this moment of like, ‘Oh my God. Who am I? What am I doing?’” he said. “And I see her kind of settle into it like, ‘No, I am. It is important for me to be present in this new journey.’”
That second displays a bigger fact the movie is in exploring.
“Not to age herself out of feeling sexy, not to body shame herself out of feeling sexy,” Ross said. “Just saying like, okay, I actually am.”
The movie also challenges narratives that counsel ladies ought to stop wanting more as they grow old. Especially when the girl is positioned as well worth the chase.
“There’s nothing wrong with fighting for what’s worth it,” Ross said. “When it comes to partnership, if it’s right and it makes you feel whole, fight for that.”
A Multi Hyphen Story On and Off Screen
The movie also marks the first time Ross has written a project and appeared in it as an actor at the same time, one thing he said displays a path formed by other multi-hyphen creatives.
Source: Leon Bennett / Getty
“I think of people like Donald Glover and Issa Rae and Lena Waithe and Tina Fey,” Ross said. “All these incredible multi hyphens that have made this word kind of front facing.”
He added that the movie represents a personal milestone.
“This is the first time in my career that I have written something where I also had the moment where I was able to walk on set, not only as the writer, but also as the actor, Cameron J. Ross,” he said. “So this movie would kind of go down in history for me as being iconic for that reason alone.”
What Ross Hopes Viewers Take With Them
While the title suggests pleasure, Ross said the movie’s message is more particular.
Source: Courtesy of Lifetime / Courtesy of Lifetime
“Outside of just being happy, the takeaway is making sure we have time for self,” he said. “Those self goals, those self needs, those self wants.”
Mary J. Blige Presents: Be Happy premieres TONIGHT, Saturday, February 7 at 8 7c on Lifetime.
And for Black ladies watching, the movie affords a reminder that wanting more doesn’t imply you might be ungrateful, and selecting your self doesn’t imply it’s too late.
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