Tony-Award nominee Sanaa Lathan delivers a striking presence and undeniable energy to each project she takes on and continues to build on an already impressive career. She recently completed production on two films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the independent feature, \u201cAd Inexplorata\u201d, she plays Emily Maddox, a captain on one of four spaceships making a one-way trip to Mars. The film, which was developed in the Sundance Lab, also stars Mark Strong and Luke Wilson. In the highly anticipated sequel, \u201cNow You See Me 2\u201d, Sanaa plays FBI Agent Natalie Austin in an ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was recently announced that she will star in and executive produce the screen adaptation of Omar Tyree\u2019s \u201cFlyy Girl\u201d trilogy. Most recently, she was seen in the smash hit, \u201cThe Best Man Holiday\u201d with Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall and Morris Chestnut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sanaa starred in the title role in the play \u201cBy The Way, Meet Vera Stark\u201d at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, a role she originated at the Second Stage Theatre in New York. She received the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actress for her leading role in the play. Prior to that, Lathan starred as \u201cMaggie the Cat\u201d in the West End (London) in the critically-acclaimed and Olivier Award-winning revival of \u201cCat on a Hot Tin Roof.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among her other film credits include \u201cContagion\u201d directed by Steven Soderbergh; \u201cSomething New\u201d opposite Simon Baker; Tyler Perry\u2019s \u201cThe Family that Preys\u201d; \u201cA Wonderful World\u201d opposite Matthew Broderick; \u201cBrown Sugar\u201d alongside Taye Diggs, Queen Latifah and Mos Def; \u201cLove and Basketball\u201d with Omar Epps; and \u201cThe Best Man\u201d, one of the highest grossing African-American films in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, Sanaa talks about her latest outing opposite Michael Ealy and Morris Chestnut in the psychological thriller \u201cThe Perfect Guy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kam Williams:<\/strong> Hi Sanaa, thanks for the time. I\u2019m honored to have another opportunity to speak with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanaa Lathan:<\/strong> My pleasure, Kam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> I told my readers I\u2019d be interviewing you, so I\u2019ll be mixing their questions in with mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> Okay, fabulous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Sangeetha Subramanian says: The movie \u201cSomething New\u201d makes me melt to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> Oh, I love that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> She asks: What\u2019s the difference in preparing for a thriller like \u201cThe Perfect Guy\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> You know, there\u2019s really no difference, Sangeetha. You prepare by kind of trying to create the world of the character, and by doing rehearsals. It\u2019s really about reading the script and letting ideas come to me over and over, kind of building their history, because that will naturally inform you when you\u2019re on set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: What exactly is a perfect guy? And how is your perfect guy in real life different from the one your character, Leah, is looking for in the movie?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> I think there is no perfect guy. I believe that to be human is to be imperfect. I find that I get to know people from the inside out. So, I don\u2019t really have a type. It\u2019s more about how I feel when I\u2019m with them. I like people who love to communicate and who have a good sense of humor. And I like a confident man, somebody who is not afraid to stand by my side and then let me shine sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Harriet also asks: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you\u2019d like to star in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> None that I can think of off the top of my head, Harriet, but let me know if you have any suggestions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Lesley Carter says: I saw you on the Boris & Nicole show in July. I\u2019ve been a forever fan! You look fantastic. We just don\u2019t see enough of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> Awww, thanks Lesley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> She says: Congrats on the new movie. I\u2019m also a huge fan of Michael Ealy and Morris Chestnut. What was it like working with those two hot, sexy<\/p>\n\n\n\n African-American men?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> It was great! I mean, who wouldn\u2019t want to go to work and look at that every day? But as sexy and as hot as they are, they\u2019re really great actors, too. And they happen to be really cool human beings. Just nice guys! They\u2019re both about teamwork and really wanting the other person to shine. I was really impressed with how they\u2019d ask, \u201cIs there anything you need from me?\u201d A lot of actors are very self-centered and narcissistic. These guys are just the total opposite, so it was really a treat to work with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Yeah, I get the sense that you\u2019re all very grounded from interviewing all three of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> Oh, good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What message do you want people to take away from \u201cThe Perfect Guy\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> I think people are so different that each person will get their own message, depending on where they are in life. So, I just want people to come to the theater and enjoy the ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Teresa Emerson says: I love your work Sanaa, and I\u2019m looking forward to \u201cThe Perfect Guy\u201d. But wasn\u2019t there a project for \u201cMacbeth\u201d in the works starring you and Terrence Howard? It sounded very interesting. What happened to that? Is it still being made?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> In this day and age, sometimes projects come and go. I don\u2019t know whether this one\u2019s ever going to happen. But once word of it is leaked to the press, it\u2019s out there forever, even though it\u2019s not really something that\u2019s certain to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Dr. Karanja Ajanaku, executive editor of The New Tri-State Defender<\/em> in Memphis, asks: Ms. Lathan, if you were cast as the mother of Trayvon Martin, what would you try to bring to the role?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> Oh my God! What would I try to bring to the role? Her pain. It\u2019s really about her pain and transforming that pain into the fire that, hopefully, inspires our communities to raise our voices and create some change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Marilyn Marshall asks: Which African-American actress do you most admire?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> I really love Viola [Davis]\u2026 Ruby Dee\u2026 Eartha Kitt\u2026 There are so many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Editor\/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: Are you interested in producing or directing in the future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> Yes, I produced this picture, and I am actively developing other projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Patricia would also like to know how you would describe your role of Leah in \u201cThe Perfect Guy\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> She is a professional woman, a lobbyist who wants it all. Her biological clock\u2019s ticking and she\u2019s in a relationship with Dave [played by Morris Chestnut] who\u2019s kind of dragging his feet. So, they break it off. She then meets this seemingly perfect guy [played by Michael Ealy] with whom she has amazing chemistry. He says and does all the right things during their whirlwind romance until the day she sees a side of him that\u2019s pretty scary. And her journey goes on a real roller coaster from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Patricia\u2019s last question is: How has your acting style changed over the years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> Every role is different, so I don\u2019t think of my acting as a style. This role certainly presented some new challenges for me which were great, since I got to play so many different colors. It had romance to it\u2026 It had terror to it\u2026 it had strength\u2026 It was great to be able to play Leah Vaughn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Viola Davis question: What\u2019s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> I really have a down-to-earth, simple life. The celebrity aspect is something I really only feel when I\u2019m out promoting a movie. My life at home is very normal. I wear sweats. I\u2019m not always in full hair and makeup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What was your very first job?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> I was a cleaning lady. My grandmother had a friend who owned a building in Harlem. So, I used to clean houses on the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Who loved you unconditionally during your formative years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> Certainly my mother and father. I was very fortunate that my family was always so supportive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome on career-wise on your way up the showbiz ladder?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> To hang in there on those days when I just didn\u2019t feel like continuing. My first acting teacher in drama school said on the very first day of class that only 1% of people who try to make a living as actors actually do it. He said one of the keys to success is persevering. So, as low as I sometimes felt, I never really allowed myself to think about the possibility of giving up. But there were certainly days when I wanted to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What is your guiltiest pleasure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> I have so many. [Laughs] But as a foodie, I guess I\u2019d have to admit that I love going to dinner with friends at a fine restaurant. I live for great cuisine. I just love it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Dana Perino question: What keeps you up at night?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SL:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know\u2026 Nothing keeps me up right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> AALBC.com<\/a> founder Troy Johnson asks: What was the last book you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n