Halle Bailey, the new leading lady, is stepping into a romantic comedy that gives her character room to wobble, wonder, and ultimately bloom. 

In the new rom-com, “You, Me & Tuscany,” out April 10 from Universal Pictures, Bailey plays Anna, a drifting twenty-something who loses both her job and housing before taking a chance on an Italian getaway that turns into something much bigger. Anna then crashes at an Italian villa without permission, and her chaotic life turns into a charming mess of mistaken identity, emotional discovery, and unexpected romance. Anna’s lie gets more complicated when Michael, played by Regé-Jean Page, arrives and the chemistry between them starts to change the shape of both of their lives.

Bailey, Page, and the film’s producer, Will Packer, sat down with BET Current in the gorgeous, Tuscan-inspired Napa Valley to chat about Black girls getting to be whimsical, finding love in yourself, and why Mario’s “Let Me Love You” just had to be a part of one of the most tender moments in the film.

“There's relatability, there's a vulnerability, there's a whimsy,” Packer shared of the film’s main character, Anna. “This character gets to frolic. When do we get to frolic? I love seeing folks that look like her in spaces where we don't typically see them. So, it really is a movie for everybody, because Black love is universal.”

Packer is known to create movies with universal themes, but at the end of the day, Black joy is centered. “So her character's journey, that is a journey that's relatable to so many women, no matter the demographic, ethnicity, background, culture. It just so happens that we've got somebody that looks like the incredible Halle Bailey to do it,” Packer said.

Bailey said, “That was one of the things that really inspired me about Anna, because she is a doer. She tries, she gets caught up in the mess of it all. She makes some funny decisions. She's lying her way through it, but that girl has got gumption, and she does not give up. So I love that and finding that in her. And honestly, she helped me pull those things out of myself and belief in myself and worth.” Bailey’s feelings are right in line with the movie’s bigger message: sometimes falling in love starts with falling in love with your own life first. 

But let’s be real, falling in love with a heartthrob like Page ain’t too shabby! His character Michael’s disarming charm pushes Anna to uncover her true self. He said Michael and Anna help “unlock each other,” and Page described the film as a story about making space for one another. Bailey echoed that openness, saying that as a mom, she has to keep herself “open for love and life every day,” and that being part of a project centered on joy, community, and family made her feel loved and proud. 

No spoilers, but “You, Me & Tuscany” is the stuff that rom-com dreams are made of. A few particular heart-warming scenes stand out: a serenade to “Let Me Love You” by Mario, a sexy, water-drenched makeout session or two, and the kind of blossoming love that makes any viewer giddy. 

At a time when audiences are craving romance that you can feel, “You, Me & Tuscany” delivers exactly that: Black whimsy, Black joy, and a Black love story that lets its heroine discover herself. There’s also no trauma. You gotta love that!