CULTURE

Issa Rae Deals With Regina Hall’s Reverse 13 Going on 30 Situation in Little Trailer

Regina Hall's character wakes up in the tween body of Marsai Martin.


Issa Rae in 'Little'
Courtesy Universal Pictures

Typically, in films that depict magic-fueled age changes, the generation-hopping character suddenly grows older, rather than younger. In 1988’s Big, for example, a 12-year-old wishes, fittingly, “to be big,” and wakes up as 30-year-old Tom Hanks, courtesy of a carnival’s fortune-telling machine. Similarly, in 2004’s 13 Going on 30, a struggling teen begs to skip her awkward phase and become “30, flirty, and thriving,” and does so—in Jennifer Garner‘s body—thanks to an especially potent packet of “magic wishing dust.”

In the upcoming film Little, however, Issa Rae and Regina Hall put a brand-new spin on this familiar plot device. Rather than fast-forwarding through her most difficult years to the secure employment and designer wardrobe of adulthood, Hall’s grown-up character is instead cursed by a tween who conveniently keeps a magic wand tucked in her hair, and wakes up in the 13-year-old body of Black-ish‘s Marsai Martin.

Of course, no matter which way the time travel moves, as evidenced by Little‘s predecessors, it always happens to teach its subject some very important life lesson. In Little, that lesson probably has something to do with helping Hall’s high-powered businesswoman, Jordan Sanders, rediscover the world outside of her corner office and luxe penthouse apartment. In the movie’s new trailer, the adult Jordan is an overly demanding boss to her ambitious assistant April (played by Rae), with a knack for shoving small children out of her way. After the magical tween waves her wand and wishes Jordan was her age so she could “check you, boo,” she wakes up as Martin, now forced to balance running her office with navigating middle school drama.

In glimpses from the trailer, tween Jordan can be seen joining her classmates in a talent show, letting loose with a karaoke session, and allowing April to take on some of her responsibilities at work—in short, learning to lighten up and live a happier life. April, for her part, not only benefits from the career boost, but also forges a sisterly relationship with her suddenly dwarfed former tormentor. Basically, Little promises to have all the feel-good moments and happy endings of its fellow magical age-swap films, but with several times the hilarity, since it was written by Girls Trip scribe Tracy Oliver (and comes from an idea by Martin).

Watch the full trailer for Little, which hits theaters April 12, below.

Related: Issa Rae Gives Life Advice | Ask W