Posted Sept. 6, 2000 — OK. Starring in a movie about dueling cheerleading squads may not sound like the best role for a young actress. But for Gabrielle Union, that career move has only increased the growing Hollywood buzz around her. This sister, best known for her role as Sanaa Lathan's older sister in "Love and Basketball," has earned better-than-expected reviews for her role as Isis in "Bring It On." This low-budget, cheerleading flick, which pits Isis and her squad against a lily White, upper-crust San Diego squad for the national title, debuted in first place at the box office with $17.4 million. While some critics say too much of her role was left on the editing room floor, you will get another chance to see Gabrielle in the upcoming buddy movie, "The Brothas," and this fall she'll join the cast of CBS' "City of Angels." A UCLA graduate, Gabrielle never thought about being an actress until an agent approached her during her last year of college. Since then she has steadily risen through the ranks in Hollywood doing everything from teen modeling, to commercial work, episodic television and playing bit parts in films. Now that she’s climbing to the elusive pinnacle known as stardom, Gabrielle is busy preparing to begin the next stage in her career. BET.com recently spoke to her about being the new “it girl” in Hollywood.

What did you think of "Bring it On?" Tell us here.

Did you do any cheerleading in school? Care to share any of your old cheers? (Laughs) I did some cheerleading in high school, but I also played high school basketball. I was a very active kid in school who was involved in a ton of different activities. At the time I didn’t really see cheerleading as a past time so that we girls could show our legs, it was more of a sport than anything else. While this movie is essential a teen film, it does hit upon some very important issues for young people to take note of. What do you think? You're right. On the surface "Bring it On" is about rivalry and competition. However, underneath all that the film hits on some much deeper issues. First and foremost, I think this film sends out a message on the importance of discipline and preparation, which is very important for young people to have. It also address the importance of “team spirit” and the need for people to work together in reaching a common goal. From "Love and Basketball" to your upcoming "The Brothas," what do you think of the new trend of Black film exploring middle-class Black love stories? I think it’s a good thing. Ideally, movies should mirror the society that we live in, which to me means that Black people like everyone else, should be shown in every possible light. Hollywood responds to its bottom line, so as long as audiences go to the theaters and support these films I think the trend will continue. Your career seems to be on the upswing, what is the one thing you try to remind yourself during this climb? Any obstacle you’re trying to avoid? You know I’m keenly aware that there are a lot of women out there who would love to be in my place. Recognizing that keeps me firmly rooted and reminds me of why I got into this business in the first place. The art of acting is something that I love. It’s not something that I got into because I wanted to be a celebrity. My goal as a performer is to keep it real and also do good work as a performer. If you could engineer your breakout role, what would it be? That’s a difficult questions because there is so much that I want to do. I would love to star in a remake of one of those great old Bette Davis movies. Something with a strong and opinionated woman who overcomes obstacles and takes on challenges. I want to build a body of work that allows me to portray strong and eloquent Black women. Most artists do more than what they’re known for. What talents do you have that we may not know about? In my spare time, I love to write and hope to one day be able to bring some of my work to the screen. I also like to sing and dance, but my first love is probably acting. Tell us about your upcoming projects? Well as you know I just signed on for the new season of "City of Angels." Right now I only know that my character will be joining the hospital staff and will get in a relationship with one of the characters. We haven’t started filming yet, but I’m really excited. I also have a lead role in an upcoming feature called “The Brothas”, which examines male/female love and relationships from the Black man’s perspective.

Content Producer: James Hill