Bring It On turns 25 in August. This makes me feel very old. It’s probably been 23 years since I’ve watched it. When I think about the iconic ”I’m sexy, I’m cute” cheer, I’m pretty sure the entire movie doesn’t hold up, but I’m almost curious enough to do a rewatch and see. Why am I bringing up Bring It On? Because one of its stars, Gabrielle Union, recently participated in a panel for the American Black Film Festival. Whenever Gabrielle or Kirsten Dunst pop up on my feed, I always think about that movie! During the panel, Gabrielle talked about her first big purchase after she “made it” in Hollywood thanks to movies like Bring It On, She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, and the TV show Seventh Heaven. Gabrielle’s first big purchase was a Mazda Miata, and now, in hindsight, she regrets it.
Gabrielle Union opened up about how she spent her first big paycheck. During a panel discussion at the American Black Film Festival in Miami on June 12, the Bring It On alum, 52, revealed her first major purchase.
“So stupid. I went on the Mazda lot. I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve made it when I have a Mazda.’ My dad’s like, ‘Don’t buy a brand new car. It depreciates the second you drive it off the lot,’ ” recalled Union, whose film career took off in 1999 and 2000 amid the success of 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s All That, Love & Basketball and Bring It On.
“I walked into Mazda and I bought myself a black on black Mazda Miata with leather seats,” she continued. “Lemme tell you about leather seats in Los Angeles. Do you know I scorched myself every time I got out? Yeah, that was my first purchase. And it depreciated the second I drove it off the lot!”
Union shared the memory during her onstage discussion — titled “Sisterhood & Savings: A Conversation with Gabrielle Union” — moderated by Kelley L. Carter.
“I was able to chat with my sis … about money and more and ran into old friends and met some new ones,” Carter wrote on Instagram after the American Black Film Festival event.
Hey, no judgment here! We’ve all been there. Who hasn’t enthusiastically bought something (big or small) simply because they were so excited that they could, only to regret it later? I’ve absolutely done this before, then stayed up all night(s) regretting it, lol. I think it may be human nature. Life is a learning curve, and big purchases can be a delicate balance between “want,” “need,” and “what is the practical balance between these two things?” Getting black leather seats in a hot climate probably wasn’t the best move, but she could have gotten one of those car sunshade things. Figuring out that there is usually a workaround has been a basic tenant of my life philosophy. (Thanks, therapy!) Don’t live life with regrets, Gabrielle! You earned that Miata and the right to enjoy it.
Gabrielle’s story actually made me laugh because my younger son, who is only seven, keeps saying that he wants a Mazda for his first car because they have, and I quote, ”The best color red on cars!” He’s also the same child who had to plant the peas at school. Y’all told me that he’d appreciate them because they grow so fast, and you were spot on. He finally brought his little planter home last week and is obsessed with it. I have no idea what happens when they need to be transferred to a bigger area, but hey, I’ll figure it out.
Photos credit: George Campos/Avalon, Getty, Faye’s Vision/Cover Images, IMAGO/Faye Sadou/Avalon