‘You, Me & Tuscany’ producer Will Packer talks creating a heartfelt Black love romantic comedy: “No trauma needed”

The Hollywood blockbuster producer spoke with TheGrio on the red carpet of the film’s flower-decked New York premiere.

As the room buzzed at Jazz at Lincoln Center Wednesday night, packed with fabulous fits, lush florals and Aperol spritzes for an Italian vibe, Hollywood producer, Will Packer, was seeing a dream come true, right on time.

“This movie is hopeful, it’s about joy,” Packer told TheGrio on the red carpet. “It is a romantic comedy, and it shows in every sense of the word. I think we need that now more than ever.”

That You, Me & Tuscany joy is captured in a delightful performance by actors Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page, who play Anna and Michael — two young people who find themselves in Italy for different reasons but brought together by a twist of fate that blossoms into attraction. Bailey’s character is Anna, a culinary school dropout who has abandoned her dreams of becoming a chef and is coasting through her twenties, making messy decisions. When a chance encounter leads her to a vacant Tuscan villa, she finds herself in the middle of an Italian family drama, and an unexpected romance with Michael (Page), the cousin who runs the family vineyard.

“The world is so heavy right now,” Packer said. “The world is tough, it’s upside down. Now, that’s not new; it has been tough before, and we’ve gotten through these moments. But one of the reasons that we get through it is community.”

Packer wants that community feeling to translate into people showing up in theaters to watch You, Me & Tuscany, at a time when fewer people are going to the movies, thanks to habit changes from the COVID era and the explosive growth of streaming.

“People say, ‘When’s it coming out on Netflix?’ No, uh-uh, you’re missing the point. This is all about the big screen. Sit in the dark theater, sit with somebody, it may be a stranger to your right or your left. And fall in love with the concept of love again.”

It’s a vision that took real creative intention to execute. The film was shot entirely on location in Tuscany and Rome and in a vineyard, which becomes central to the storyline. It’s the perfect backdrop to feel wanderlust and the joy of traveling while Black that has become so popular.

Packer’s films have covered love in many forms, in all its messiness and imperfection, from Think Like a Man to Girls Trip. But You, Me & Tuscany puts a young Black woman in the middle of a European rom-com, which isn’t normally what we’ve come to expect on the big screen. Bailey’s portrayal of a Black twenty-something navigating love, professional shortcomings, and the beauty of Italy is a breath of fresh air and a welcome break from the often heavy conversations racing across the internet about romantic relationships between Black men and women.

“Healthy Black love is true, it’s honest, it is not pretentious, and it’s transparent about what it wants and what it’s looking for. That is healthy Black love,” Packer told TheGrio. “No trauma needed.”

You, Me & Tuscany gave last night’s audience plenty of laughs, emotion, and eye-candy moments to bond over. It managed to be full of action and plot twists that still feel light and fun as the drama unfolds, part of why Packer is such a cherished producer in his genre. It’s why Universal Pictures bet on Packer to bring this story to life.

“It’s hard to get any movie made right now, and this movie is no exception,” Packer told the audience last night.

Packer credits a big part of his success to going to an HBCU, which gave him the foundation to not only create main characters, but also to be the main character of his own life.

“From an HBCU you can get anywhere,” Packer tells theGrio. “I am where I am because I found my voice at Florida A&M University without a doubt. At an HBCU you are not othered, you are central. You are centered, you can find a belief in yourself that you may not even know that you have.”

You, Me & Tuscany opens in theaters April 10.