‘First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch Story’ Subject, Executive Producer Talk Development of Biopic (Exclusive)

First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch Story is now streaming on BET+, and it tells the story of Tonesa Welch who becomes a drug queenpin during the 1980s and 1990s. Her story inspired executive producer Tressa Smallwood to develop the biopic, which stars Michelle Mitchenor as Welch. PopCulture.com spoke to Welch and Smallwood about the process of getting the film off the ground. 

“It was my very first biopic,” Smallwood told PopCulture. “So when the notion of doing her movie was presented to me, I said, “Let me watch her episode.” She had an episode on BET, American Gangster. So I said, ‘Let me watch that. Let me see what this is all about.’ And I watched it and probably 15 minutes in, I said, ‘Oh, my goodness, I want to tell her story.’ It was something about her personality. It was something about how she talked about changing her life as an advocate for women. I always look for opportunities to share stories that will help somebody else, right? Because if we’re just helping ourselves, then that’s not doing anything on purpose.”

For Welch, she was excited to learn that she would be the focus of a new BET+ film. “When I first talked to Tressa, she was like, ‘I want to be your voice. I want to be the voice for you,’” Welch said. “And I said, ‘Dang, finally.’ It felt good. I didn’t have my mom around anymore. Just to have people around you that support you, to support me, and believe in me, and believe in my story, that felt amazing. That felt great. I can’t even tell you how honored I am. It’s such a surreal moment for me.”

First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch Story is directed by award-winning actress Vivica A. Fox. The film was shot in 14 days, and Smallwood was impressed by how Fox handled everything. “As a director, when you have that as well, obviously, we know you can help the actors because you’re an actress, but that producer skillset that you have, a lot of directors don’t have that,” Smallwood told Fox during the interview. 

Welch said watching the movie was a “very emotional” experience. “Like I tell people, when you’re going through life, you’re just going through life,” she said. “But to watch it, I have the opportunity to watch it through my eyes and see, and I was like, ‘Wow. I really was on a journey,’ and I’m glad that…I am glad that I even went to prison. It changed who I was. It did. I mean, it’s crazy to say, but if I hadn’t went, would’ve changed, would make me change.”