Reviving Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It

In 1986, director Spike Lee made his feature film debut with an independent movie called She's Gotta Have It. The film tells the story of Nola Darling, a 20-something woman defining her life and sexuality on her own terms. For Nola, that means rejecting society's sexist double standards and openly dating three boyfriends at the same time.

It was a storyline that was taboo then and continues to be a thorny one today. And while She's Gotta Have It paved the way for Lee's career — and black cinema as we know it — Nola Darling became a pivotal character for black women looking to see themselves and their life experiences represented onscreen. 

Now, 30 years later, Spike Lee has re-imagined She's Gotta Have It into a 10-part TV series airing on Netflix, and this time, there's a Canadian connection. Toronto actor Lyriq Bent stars on the show as Jamie Overstreet, one of Nola's complicated love interests. You may know him from shows like Rookie Blue, or his starring role in The Book of Negroes, which won him best actor in a leading dramatic role at last year's Canadian Screen Awards. 

Today, Bent talks to Tom Power about his latest role and what Lee's classic film meant to him. 

— Produced by Ty Callender