Books & Books, Miami Book Fair, and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County are proud to present An Evening With Gabrielle Union, in conversation with Dwayne Wade, on September 18 at the Center’s Knight Concert Hall. At this live, in-person event, Union will open up about everything from her surrogacy journey to navigating married life to aging and leveling up in your career and will answer questions from the audience. This will be a memorable evening of conversation that will leave guests feeling empowered and inspired.
In her new essay collection, You Got Anything Stronger? Union has crafted even bolder and more revealing essays aimed at pushing the conversations even further. From opening up about her surrogacy journey to having Kaavia James Union Wade, to navigating married life once her husband retired from basketball, having a conversation with Isis (her character from Bring It On), to the darkness of depression and suicidal thoughts brought on by the hormonal shifts of aging, and the hollowness of the response of many in the entertainment community during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, Gabrielle reveals it all.
For more information on You Got Anything Stronger,? go to HC.com/GabUnion.
It was a pleasure to sit down with Gabrielle Union one day before her appearance here in South Florida for this exclusive interview.
Were you always an entertainer even as a child?
No, I started becoming a solid storyteller in High School since we were off on adventures doing things we weren’t supposed to do. That’s when I knew I could make people laugh.
What was your first acting job?
“Saved by The Bell: The New Class,” where I played “Mistletoe Girl #1.”
How did you get your breakout role in “Bring It On”?
I had already done a few things and I got asked to do the table read. From there I was the only one who made it to the movie.
When did you realize the entertainment industry would be your full-time career?
The first year I was in entertainment I made more money than my parents, and I thought perhaps I am on to something!
How did you meet Dwayne Wade?
I met him at Gloria Estefan’s club in Miami, Bongos, that was attached to the arena. We were paired up to do a party and that night he scored a lot so he came to the party late. My friends and I were already three sheets to the wind by the time he arrived and I was taking Patti Labelle to the bathroom and he introduced himself.
At what point did you know he was the one?
Oh gosh, probably around the time he asked me to marry him.
You seem to live a normal family life in the crazy Hollywood world. How do you accomplish that?
We live kind of far out and away from the hustle and bustle. Our neighbors have horses and chickens, so we are a bit removed from Hollywood. Therefore, we get to focus on each other and it gives us a grounding.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Funny, compassionate, and ambitious
What do you do for fun?
We have these little things called sunset cocktails, and we invite friends over and play music. It always ends up with a dance party that’s over by 9 pm. That’s how I like to do it these days.
You were recently at the Met Gala. Is it as over the top as it looks?
I think parts of it are mind blowing due to the people you get to see. Generally, due to where we live, I don’t get to see a lot of celebrities unless we are working together.
Why should our readers come out tomorrow to the Arsht Center?
Oh, we are a good time, honey! You will laugh, you will cry, it’s better than “Cats.” We plan to cover things in the book that everyone is talking about, in addition to some fun stories that no one has heard before. Come on out, get into it and we will have music popping. You will get to know us in a way that perhaps you never had a chance to get to know us.
Tickets to An Evening With Gabrielle Union are $42* and include a copy of her book, You Got Anything Stronger? (HarperCollins, $27.99). Tickets are available through the Arsht Center Box Office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at arshtcenter.org.
