ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Noted actor, director and singer Jussie Smollett is dropping a new movie on Amazon Prime just in time for Mother’s Day.
Smollett came to Atlanta News First to talk about “The Lost Holliday.” In the film, Cassandra Marshall, played by Vivica A. Fox, learns her estranged son has died. But when she travels to arrange his funeral, she meets Jason Holliday — her son’s widower, whom she didn’t know existed.
Smollett, who directed the film and also plays Jason, said it explores themes of love, grief, forgiveness and grace.
The movie, which premiered at the 2024 American Black Film Festival and aired in select theaters later that year, will be available on Amazon Prime on May 9. That’s two days before Mother’s Day, which Smollett said isn’t a coincidence.
While Mother’s Day is a celebration of excellence, being a mother ins’t easy, Smollett said.
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“Yes, we celebrate mothers, yes, we love on our mothers, but I also think mothers get a lot of disrespect because they’re expected to answer for the bad that their children go through without any of the praise for the good,” he said.
The film also takes inspiration from Smollett’s own life. Smollett, who is gay, said he grew up afraid of his father discovering his sexuality. But his dad grew to support his son in the last few years of his life.
“I don’t always necessarily try to create projects that are exactly what the world is, but I do create projects with what my world is and what I hope the world could be,” Smollett said.
The film also marks the end of a personal journey for Smollett. It’s a project he’s been working on for the past nine years, long before he was accused of staging a hate crime hoax in 2019.
In 2024, the Illinois State Supreme Court dismissed his conviction.
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Smollett said pouring his love and attention into “The Lost Holliday” helped him overcome “battle fatigue.”
“The film is so much more than a movie we’re releasing. It really is kind of a testament to tenacity and knowing who you are and standing by it,” he said. “... I have to keep moving forward. I hope that everybody moves forward with me, but I also understand if they can’t.”
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