“I see the importance of early detection,” the actress, 55, tells PEOPLE
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NEED TO KNOW
- Regina Hall partnered with Novartis for a campaign encouraging women to understand their breast cancer risk and prioritize early detection
- The actress emphasizes the importance of routine mammograms, inspired by loved ones who thrived after early breast cancer diagnoses
- She hopes to normalize conversations about breast health and encourages women to hold each other accountable for screenings
Regina Hall is known for her infectious humor in almost any situation. But staying on top of her health is something she’ll never joke about.
The One Battle After Another actress, 55, recently spoke to PEOPLE about her close ties to breast cancer and why those personal connections shifted her approach to her health.
“I have so many people in my life who've been affected by breast cancer, family and close friends,” she tells PEOPLE.
Hall says the majority of her loved ones were able to “thrive” for a long time after being diagnosed with breast cancer thanks to early detection. She admits it put into perspective how vital routine mammograms are.
"They've had such incredible roads to recovery," she says. "I don't know if it would've been the same had they been further along.”
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Hall recognizes that some women may delay their screenings because they're used to putting themselves on the back burner.
“People’s lives get busy and it's very easy to put something off and say, ‘Oh, I'll do that next week.’ And the next week turns into next month, the next month turns into three months,” she says, adding that she puts reminders on her calendar. “So I think making sure we do that while we’re thinking of it. It's like a clock, it's a part of our schedule and something we do for ourselves.”
That’s why Hall partnered with Novartis for their “Your Attention, Please” campaign, an initiative encouraging women to understand their breast cancer risk and prioritize early detection. The Scary Movie star filmed a “Get Ready With Me”-style video and said scheduling her mammogram was a part of her glam routine.
“I make it as important as everything else is in my life, if not more important, because you can't do the other things if your health isn't prioritized,” she tells PEOPLE.
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Pointing out the disproportionate impact of breast cancer among Black women, Hall says she’s also learned the importance of advocating for your own health.
“We know our bodies, we know when something doesn't feel right,” she adds. “It's important to make sure that when we feel something, that we literally go to our doctors and we advocate and we get as much information.”
Hall says that she’s hoping the campaign will normalize conversations about breast health and help women hold each other accountable.
“Making sure that they’re staying on top of their health and then that makes me make sure I’m staying on top of my health, and vice versa,” the Girls Trip actress explains. “I'll be talking to friends who'll say, ‘Oh, it's time for me to get my mammogram.’ And that makes me say, ‘Oh, you know what? It's time for me to get mine as well.’ ”
“I think organically it kind of goes together and I hope that those kinds of conversations can become normalized,” says Hall.
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