I’m sure it helped some. She’s a very intelligent woman and has good taste and is very respected and trusted. So it doesn’t hurt (laughing). But Bishop Jakes has a very large following and I think in general there is a very large audience that desires quality films.
I would have liked to have seen this film cross-over to as many people as possible. I never wanted people to perceive it as a black film and feel excluded from it because they thought it was a black film. Race is never even mentioned and it has nothing to do with it. It’s just black people telling a human story. I think sometimes that can get in the way. People can be blocked and think it’s one thing and not even go and participate in it, and not see what it is.
What it is is a powerful movie for women.
Absolutely – and for men. There are men who are abused and there are men who are abusers. And there are men who can help in the healing process, be it a brother or a father. If more men could step up to the defense of women, women wouldn’t feel so alone and so afraid often times. If this movie can speak to a man and have him say, “You know what? This has happened to my sister and I’ve always been quiet about it. I shouldn’t do that anymore. I should let her know that she’s not alone.” It would give a lot of women strength and courage. For me, I would like to see the film reach everybody because I think there is some way that you can participate in the healing.
And you have “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” coming up. It’s more of a comedy mixed with drama, isn’t it?
Yeah, definitely. I call it a dramedy. It is a woman finding courage to live her own life. And that’s very relevant to women, too. Finding you can make it on your own and on your own two feet and you don’t have to accept abuse and neglect and torment. You can live a valid life on your own – and find true love from a good man. All that stuff. It’s beautiful. There’s a beautiful romance in it, there’s some heavy drama in it, and then there’s this crazy broad comedy. For me it was fun because every day I was challenged in a different way.
Do you like to do broad comedy?
I had a ball. I had so much fun working with Tyler Perry. He’s just a genius, a comic genius. And to play the straight [woman] to him, I just laughed so much and had so much fun. It was refreshing. One day my face hurt because I had to cry so much that day. The next day my face hurt because I had laughed so much that day. It was fun. It can be scary, the broad comedy, but when you’re working with somebody like Tyler who is a master, it’s all okay. We had a good time.
He was also the writer and it’s based on his play. Did he allow you to play with his words at all or did you stick to his script?
He’s a great collaborator. He’s really a great collaborator and I’m very respectful of the screenwriter’s words, but if there was an occasion when I wanted to tweak something, he was always supportive of it.
I really only try to pick well-written scripts and I have a lot of respect for the screenwriter and the thought that they put into it. I know that each word counts. Even if I don’t understand it, in their big picture I know each word was there for a reason. If it absolutely doesn’t make sense I’ll say something, and 99% of the time they’re like, “You know what? That makes better sense. Do it that way.”
How tough is it to find well-written scripts right now?
It’s challenging but fortunately the scripts often find me. What I’m looking for will usually come knocking at my door. Other times that’s not the case and I have to wait and find the right thing. Between “John Q” and “Woman Thou Art Loosed,” I didn’t do a movie for two years. There just wasn’t anything that really felt right. If I have to go away and leave my family and give up a piece of me to put on the film, it’s really got to be worth it. I just wasn’t seeing anything. Then “Woman” came.
Are you comfortable with a two year break? Do you question whether you’re being too choosy?
I don’t ever question myself. I question the industry. Like, “Come on, I know that there’s got to be more than this.” I’m really solid in the decisions that I make. I’ve never regretted any of them, especially when I see the final product. That has always held true for me. I don’t ever get frustrated with myself or start to second guess or say, “It’s taking too long. I need to do something.” I don’t ever feel that way.
