Lena Waithe is someone who can take a compliment, even if it wasn’t initially meant for her.
Earlier this August, Waithe was mistaken for director Ava DuVernay by Twitter user @CadyHarin.
Everybody need to watch that move Ready Player One. @ava I ain’t know you was in it sis????????????????????????????????????????
— ✨ (@cadyharin) August 9, 2018
DuVernay gently corrected the woman while heaping praise on Waithe.
Thanks, but that is not me. I can’t act my way out of a paper bag. That’s @LenaWaithe. She’s a wonderful writer, producer and actress. Triple threat. xo https://t.co/Hezwpe6OEJ
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 9, 2018
Waithe didn’t respond to the mistake on Twitter, but she was finally given a chance during a quick interview with The Hollywood Reporter, who talked to her during the HFPA’s Grant Banquet.
“It’s an honor to be mistaken for Ava–Ava is gorgeous,” she said to the outlet. “Maybe my hair cut will help.”
Waithe has more than one reason not to be bothered by the Twitter user’s mistake. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Waithe said during the gala that DuVernay and fellow director Gina Prince-Bythewood gave her a start in the film and TV industry after moving to Los Angeles.
Like those women who helped her, Waithe is also sharing her knowledge with others. As revealed in a Vanity Fair cover story this past March, Waithe is helping more people of color and queer creators get into the industry “through her role as co-chair of the Committee of Black Writers at the Writers Guild and through her work with aspiring writers via Franklin Leonard’s the Black List.”
Overall, @CadyHarin’s mistake didn’t cause any harm; if anything, it gave us one more reason to love Waithe and her generous spirit.
