Tip T.I. Harris Explains How He Got Involved with “ATL:” “I knew about it from just working and being and living in Atlanta, and working around people like Dallas Austin and T-Boz and all the other people connected with the movie. I heard about it and had caught wind of the project a long, long time ago. I read for ‘Drumline’ when Dallas did ‘Drumline.’ I just told him, ‘Next time you do a movie I need to be a part of it’. He told me when they were doing casting and then I found out Chris [Robinson, the director] was involved. I knew Chris from doing videos and I hit it from that angle. Then I found out Will [Smith] was involved so I hit them.”
The Characters in “ATL:” Lauren London said she doesn’t share many traits with her character in “ATL.” “Me, not at all. I can relate to her innocence and trying to get what she needs out of life, but I can not relate to…. No. I was nowhere near rich trying to perpetrate something else.”
Harris said, “I could relate to the movie as a whole. I could relate to a lot of the characters, everybody. I could find something to relate to in all of the characters but me and [my character] Rashad are worlds apart.”
According to T.I., “ATL” Accurately Portrays Life in Atlanta: “Yes. Absolutely. The only way I could ever be involved with it is if it was an accurate portrayal.”
Harris said he helped director Robinson and the cast get the feel of Atlanta. “Yeah. I worked with Lauren and Evan [Ross] and the twins and everybody, just taking them around to show them, ‘This is this part of town and this is what they do over here. This is how we kick it like this, and on this day you want to go to this club.’ I showed them, ‘If you want to go out to eat, this is a good restaurant to go to. If you want some ribs or soul food, you want to go here.’ I felt responsible for everybody involved.”
Tip T.I. Harris on His First Movie Role: “It was a definite transition for myself. I think it was cushioned by people like Lauren [London] and Jackie [Long] and Chris [Robinson, the director] and the whole cast, Big [Boi]… And Will [Smith’s] production company Overbrook, they helped everybody out with the things that were unconventional to us at the time.”
Lauren London Admits to Being a Fan of T.I.’s Work: Even before the two worked together on “ATL,” London was a big fan. “Yes, I swear, I love him. …I was really, really happy to hear that he got the part as well because he’s such a big force in Atlanta and…in order for the movie to be authentic about Atlanta, I know that his presence was needed. It was exciting. He’s a cool dude.”
Tip T.I. Harris on Working with Evan Ross: “Evan’s a cool kid. I felt like a big brother to everybody. I felt it was my watch. I felt like if anything happened or something needed to be taken care of, I felt responsible to do it because I was the only one who was really from there and this is about my character. I guess you could say I took my character home with me and kept taking care of them even after we shot.”
Tip T.I. Harris on His Upcoming Album: Asked if he changed his style any, Harris said, “I have a philosophy that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So, I just kept everything that people liked about my first albums and added everything that I felt I could have done better. I just basically found out what people liked about me and found out a lot of different ways to give it to them.”
Harris said his upcoming album includes some big name collaborations. "Yeah, me and Jamie Foxx did a song and it’s hot. ...Travis Barker from Blink 182 came and played on one of them. Young Jeezy, BG, Young Buck from the G-Unit, PSE of course, lots of people came and helped out. Too many to name."
Now that he's done a movie for Will Smith's production company, is there any chance the two will team up on an album? Laughing, T.I. said, "I told Will, 'You know, you help me out in the movies, I’ll help you out in the music.'"
