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Culture > Entertainment

Gabrielle Union Shows Serious Strength In This Exclusive Clip from ‘Breaking In’

Erica Kam

We all know and love Gabrielle Union from Bring It On, but she’s a cheerleader no more: in Breaking In, Union shows off her acting chops by taking on the role of mother Shaun Russell. Shaun takes her two children, Jasmine (13 Reasons Why’s Ajiona Alexus) and Glover (Seth Carr) to her childhood home after her father’s murder, but they soon encounter danger in the form of four home invaders who take Jasmine and Glover hostage. Shaun must fight back to get her children to safety, with the determination and strength that only a mother can have.

In this exclusive clip, we get a behind-the-scenes look at Breaking In, and get major insight into Gabrielle Union’s character by both screenwriter Ryan Engle and Union herself, who was also a producer on the film.

“Shaun’s biggest strength is that she’s terrified,” Union shares. “When you’re that afraid, you’re not thinking of, ‘Well, I’m going to just go to this degree.’ You don’t care. There are no boundaries. There are no limits that you can put on a situation that stands between you and your children.”

Breaking In is driven by Shaun’s love for her kids, which is what makes it so intriguing. While so many films have action for the sake of action, it’s refreshing to see one that is so focused on its characters and their motivations. And on top of that, seeing a woman of color like Union kick ass and take names in this clip is exciting and awesome, since so many action movies are focused on men.

Breaking In sounds like the perfect movie night thriller, and if you thought so too, you’re in luck—you can now get it on Blu-ray and DVD starting August 7.

Erica Kam is the Life Editor at Her Campus. She oversees the life, career, and news verticals on the site, including academics, experience, high school, money, work, and Her20s coverage. Over her six years at Her Campus, Erica has served in various editorial roles on the national team, including as the previous Culture Editor and as an editorial intern. She has also interned at Bustle Digital Group, where she covered entertainment news for Bustle and Elite Daily. She graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Barnard College, where she was the senior editor of Columbia and Barnard’s Her Campus chapter and a deputy copy editor for The Columbia Spectator. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her dissecting K-pop music videos for easter eggs and rereading Jane Austen novels. She also loves exploring her home, the best city in the world — and if you think that's not NYC, she's willing to fight you on it.