Marsai Martin has always praised her parents for standing by her decisions and supporting her acting career. Since the age of nine, the actress has been booked and busy with lead roles in commercials, television series and films. At 14, the “black-ish” star launched the Los Angeles-based company Genius Productions. She became the youngest executive producer in Hollywood following the release of breakout film “Little.”
Martin’s father, Joshua, serves as president, and her mom, Carol, serves as vice president. During a chat on “The Breakfast Club,” she talked about what it’s been like working alongside her parents.
“It’s pretty lit, “Martin shared, “and I’m very very happy I get to be in this journey with them for sure.”
Host Charlamagne Tha God asked the young entertainer if she ever thought about firing her parents. She said, “I mean I could,” she said, followed by laughter from everyone in the studio.
Genius Entertainment also executive produced the upcoming film, “Fantasy Football,” starring Martin, Kelly Rowland and Omari Hardwick. In the comedic family sports fantasy film, Martin discovers she can magically control her father’s performance on the football field. During the interview for “The Breakfast Club,” Rowland pointed out Martin’s mom Carol laughing from outside of the studio where they were taping.
“Mommy’s crazy,” Martin joked. “My parents, I always say they’re built different. They are so real, they’re so kind. I just feel like I can tell them anything. They’re like my best friends for sure.”
The 18-year-old continued, “Even though they are like my co-workers in a sense, they still see me as their daughter and they want to protect me and keep me safe as well in making sure that I’m in the lane that I want to take on my own.”
Martin is definitely hands-on when it comes to being on set as are her parents. As much as they discuss matters over lunch, she said it’s been “hard” creating a balance between family and business while working together. But she’s more grateful for what they were able to accomplish with “Fantasy Football.”
“That’s kind of how it went but man it was hard. It was really, really hard,” she expressed. “I’m very grateful that everyone is excited. We were excited filming it and creating it. I think it’s just magic in overall just even creating a film.”
She added, “I don’t really care how the streams are or how many people watch it. The fact that we made a film with great people that we loved and support and brought everybody together that we really do care about is just a big accomplishment in itself.”
“Fantasy Football” will be available for streaming on Paramount+ on Friday, Nov. 25.
