“Marsai Martin, 16, has already made a name for herself as an award-winning actor in Hollywood. Now she can add Guinness World Record holder to her list of accomplishments. The “Black-ish” actor is featured in the 2021 edition of the Guinness World Records, the company announced Monday. Martin became the youngest Hollywood executive producer at age 14 – 14 years and 241 days, to be exact – when her movie “Little” was released in 2019. Martin executive-produced and starred in the comedy, which centers on an intimidating tech mogul, Jordan (Regina Hall), who gets trapped inside the body of her 13-year-old self (Martin). The movie is based on Martin’s own idea, inspired by the 1988 comedy “Big” starring Tom Hanks, she told Essence last year. She said she first workshopped the concept with her parents, Joshua Martin and Carol Martin, who serve as co-founder and vice president of her production company, Genius Productions, respectively. Last year, Martin and Genius Productions signed a first-look production deal with Universal. Martin tweeted on Monday that being recognized in the Guinness World Records was an “amazing honor.” “Who knew ‘Little’ would be historic?” she wrote. “Huge thank you to everyone involved and my wonderful creators Momma & Daddy for making my dreams come true over and over again.” Y’all…I done broke a record 😭 What an amazing honor. Who knew Little would be historic? Huge thank you to everyone involved and my wonderful creators Momma & Daddy for making my dreams come true over and over again. @GWR @littlethemovie pic.twitter.com/qJVFYX2Evm— Marsai Martin (@marsaimartin) December 1, 2020 “Little” also stars Issa Rae and was directed by Tina Gordon, with the story by Tracy Oliver. Will Packer, Kenya Barris and Jamie Lopez produced, and Hall, Preston Holmes, and Martin’s father served as executive producers alongside the teenager. Prior to racking up a world record, Martin had already nabbed a few awards for her work on “Little.” In February, the movie earned the actor two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture. Martin told the Guinness World Records that she hopes her work and record-breaking accomplishment inspire other young Black girls to nurture their imaginations. “I hope that all the young Black girls out there really see how a change can really happen, just by being yourself, just by any imagination you have that can run wild,” she said. “You only live once, so go for it.”
