December 2007 | blackfilm.com | features | THE PERFECT HOLIDAY

THE PERFECT HOLIDAY
An Interview with Jill Marie Jones
By Wilson Morales

December 18, 2007

Page 1 | Page 2

For six seasons, the world knew her as Toni Childs from ‘Girlfriends’. It’s a role that established her and then in 2006, Toni was no longer on the show as Jill Marie Jones left the show to start a film career. While fans may have been upset to see Jill and the character go, they can rejoice in seeing Jill on the big screen. In the time off the show, Jones has been busy making films and going after parts. This year alone has been good so far, as one film ‘Universal Remote’ was shown at the Hollywood Black Film Festival, and another, ‘Redrum’, premiered at the American Black Film Festival. ‘Redrum’ also gave Jones her first leading role. Her current film, ‘The Perfect Holiday’ is her first film to be shown in theaters and has a lot of star power in the film as well.

‘The Perfect Holiday’ is a heart-warming holiday story of Nancy (Gabrielle Union), a loving single mother of three who falls for Benjamin (Morris Chestnut), a talented but struggling songwriter who is working part-time as a mall Santa. Conflicts arise when her oldest son, 10 year old John-John, convinces his younger brother and sister to join him in mischievous plots and schemes against their mother’s new boyfriend in the hopes that she will reunite with his hero - their rap-mogul father J-Jizzy (Charlie Murphy). Being narrated by Queen Latifah in a magical role of “Mother Christmas” opposite Terrence Howard, who plays a hard-to-dislike Scrooge-ish character named “Bah-Humbug”, ‘The Perfect Holiday’ successfully brings together all the elements that will make this a Holiday Classic.

In speaking exclusively with blackfilm.com, Jones talks about her character, her experience on ‘Girlfriends’ and her upcoming projects, which includes working with Vivica Fox and Ice Cube.

Can you talk about the character you play in ‘The Perfect Holiday’?

Jill Marie Jones: I play Robin, one of Nancy’s best friends. Nancy is played by Gabrielle Union, one of my best friends, which is really cool to work with, to be in New Jersey and New York in and out with someone who’s a close friend and we had a great time. Robin is fabulous. She’s probably a person that would be I think for the audience might be similar to Toni Childs, but the difference between both characters is that Robin loves children, and Toni, even though she had her own, was kinds afraid of the kids.

What attracted you to the role?

JMJ: You know what, I’ll be completely honest. I loved the story. I loved the fact that we don’t really have a Black Christmas movie. When I say that this movie is clean, I don’t even think that the word ‘ass’ is used in the film. I think the film is rated PG, not PG-13. It’s a movie that parents can take their children to go see and not have to worry about covering eyes and covering ears. Also, it was an opportunity to work with your friends and Dana (Queen Latifah), another friend as well, is amazing.

Gabrielle had mentioned to me that you guys are best buds when I spoke to her. So, how was the shoot like when you with close friends on the set?

JMJ: It was great. Are you joking? First of all, I feel as I chose this life. I’m living my dream and to actually work and work around people that you love and that are close to you, it’s a win-win.

How was shooting in New Jersey?

JMJ: It was awesome. I love Hoboken. I love it. That’s where I stayed. I was all up and down Washington and right near the Lincoln Tunnel. I go to New York a lot but when you don’t walk it, and you take cabs all the time, you don’t really get to know the city. I really felt that I got to know the city. I was there for about a month and a half, so it was good.

What was it like wearing winter during the summer when you shot the film?

JMJ: It was hot because I wore a lot of fur, so it was really hot for me. It’s when you have to do it. We thought that the film would maybe open last Christmas. It’s a Christmas movie so you can’t open it in June, but it came out yesterday (Dec.12) and I’m so excited about it. I went to the theater yesterday and I saw it.

Do you have a favorite Christmas memory?

JMJ: Yeah. I remember when me and my brother were younger and I guess my mother was hip to us, but we would look at the presents before Christmas and we wrapped them back. We thought that no one could really tell, but I guess my mother always knew, so this one particular Christmas, she would put one shoe in this box and one shoe in that box, one sock in that box, and one in the other. That Christmas for us was horrible. We suffered for a week. We were so bah humbug. The real presents were hidden, and it was her joke that she played on us. But it was one Christmas I never forget.

Besides this film, you have had a big year with the release of ‘Redrum’ on DVD which gave you a leading role. How was doing that film?

JMJ: It was awesome. It was a passion project. To be able to play a different half in the film where I’m unrecognizable and to be able to play a serial killer and to be able to go there, it was awesome. I felt it was a dream role for me. I love it.

As you are venturing off in the film world, do you believe your TV work has helped you or the opposite? Do you feel you may be typecast for parts?

JMJ: You know what, it has definitely helped me. No one would even know who I was if it weren’t for ‘Girlfriends’. There’s a lot of talented women and men in this town that have no representation and go after audition and audition and don’t get parts, so of course, being on television helped me. I owe all of that to Mara Brock Akil, UPN, and Paramount for giving me a shot and also giving someone a shot with nothing on her resume. I came very green and I just wanted to act. I just wanted to be an actress. I didn’t care about the pain, I didn’t care about money, I just wanted to work and they gave me that opportunity, so of course that is why. You second question was about being typecast, and I say no a lot, which is okay, but also I knew with my first season on ‘Girlfriends’, I had some credit stuff I needed to clear up. If this show doesn’t go pass the first season, I’m going to clean up my credit and that’s what I did. I positioned myself in a way where I can say no. I’m all about movie forward and not necessarily lateral move in terms of my career so I do say no a lot. I do get that, ‘Can we do that type of role?’ again and unless that turns me on in some sort of way, I won’t do it.

You also have ‘Major Movie Star’ with Jessica Simpson and Vivica Fox coming up. How was the shoot like?

JMJ: It was great. I’m working in Shreveport, Louisiana now and when you take yourself out of Los Angeles, it forces you to bond. We celebrated birthdays and we went to dinner every night after work. When you work 14 hour days with people and you still want to break bread with them after that, it was a good set.

What’s your role in that film?

JMJ: I play Connie Johnson and I play one of Jessica’s best friends. We are basically in basic training together and we are in the same barracks. There are five of us that connect and we become best friends and we go the gamut together. She’s there because she was laid off from her job. She’s there for the job opportunities and she comes in there with a no-nonsense type of feel and then she finds something so much more in terms of friendship and love and everything.

Doesn’t Vivica play a sergeant?

JMJ: Yes, and she kicks butt!

Do you have to go to any sort of boot camp for the role?

JMJ: What is so funny is that before I got there, I box here in LA. I do boxing training and I would go in every day and I wanted my endurance to be up because I didn’t want to be that one girl that is at the end. I wanted to represent. I thought, ‘Oh my God, maybe they will put us through it’. The first two days, I was like, ‘This is nothing’, but on the first day of shooting, I think I had a mini heart attack. We went through it.

What are you working on now in Shreveport?

JMJ: I’m working on a movie called ‘The Comeback’ for Dimension Films. It stars Ice Cube and I play his love interest. It’s about a working class town that basically the factory employs most of the people in town and when it shut down, a lot of hopes, dreams and aspirations went away with that and it’s about this town rebuilding. It’s a comeback for Cube’s character Curtis. He was a star football player in high school. He had an injury that ended his career and his dreams went down the drain. He finds his niece that his brother left for ice cream one day when she was four and never came back; and they have a new relationship that’s formed in the way of football. That’s all I will say for now. It’s a beautiful film and a light hearted drama, which is great for me, because people that know me from the comedy world will be surprised. It’s also a side of Ice Cube that you have never seen. It’s exciting.

What do you in Shreveport to have fun?

JMJ: I start with the food. I find the food and because I was already there before, everyone’s saying ‘Where should I go?’ because I know where the food is. I’ve been to Superior Grill. Superior Steakhouse is my favorite, but Superior Grill is good as well and they are owned by the same people. There’s also Olive Street Bistro and Chiante Restaurant. I’m where the food is.