Lena Waithe is fascinated by Mary Tyler Moore.
“I don’t think people are expecting that from a black lesbian from the south side of Chicago,” Waithe told the Hollywood Reporter.
The Emmy winner and recent Vanity Fair cover star is toying with the idea of creating a biopic about the late television icon, who died in 2017.
“Because I was obsessed with ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’” Waithe, 33, explained. “I was, like, who is this woman? Who is this person that everybody is wanting to be, that everybody was so happy when she came onscreen?”
As she mulls over the idea, Waithe realizes she’s not entirely sure how to go about it — but it won’t stop her.
“I really want to do that and find a dope actress to come in and play her and figure it out,” she added. “That’s the thing that’s on my radar that I want to figure out. But I’m still a queer black girl and want to tell a James Baldwin [story], too.”
She promises to continue to surprise people by her choices adding, “I think the reason that people sometimes tend to be so fascinated about me is they’re always surprised by the things that come out of my mouth.”