Coming out this week from Netflix is the upcoming drama film, Uncorked, written and directed by Prentice Penny (Insecure) in his feature directorial debut. The film will stream globally on March 27, 2020.
Starring Mamoudou Athie (Patti Cake$, The Front Runner), Niecy Nash (Claws), and Courtney B. Vance (Ben is Back), Uncorked is a father/son story about love, sacrifice and following your heart and is loosely based on Penny’s own family history. Also cast in the film are Matt McGorry, Sasha Compere, Gil Ozeri, Kelly Jenrette, Bernard David Jones, and Meera Rohit Kumbhani.
Fueled by his love for wine, Elijah enrolls in a course to become a master sommelier, an elite designation given only to a handful who are able to pass its notoriously difficult exam. It’s a dream that upends the expectations of his father, Louis (Courtney B. Vance), who insists Elijah take over the popular Memphis barbeque joint that’s been passed down from father to son since its inception. Elijah struggles with the demands of school and a new relationship, while Louis wrestles with the feelings of his son rejecting the family business until a tragedy forces both of them to slow things down. Uncorked is a hilarious and touching drama about a father and son who have to finally learn to listen to one another.
For Nash, who was recently Emmy nominated for her performance in Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us and is best known for her leading role in the TNT series Claws and her role in Reno 911!, the California native is just having a ball with the roles she’s had lately. Earlier this year, she starred in the Lifetime film Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story and soon she will be playing Flo Kennedy in the FX drama series Mrs. America opposite Cate Blanchett and Uzo Aduba, and Elizabeth Banks
Blackfilm.com recently spoke with Nash regarding her role in Uncorked and working with Prentice Penny and Courtney B. Vance.
What was the attraction to doing this?
Niecy Nash: I was attracted to this project because of the filmmaker. I know Prentice Penny and I’ve had a relationship with him. When he called me and said, “You know, I have a project and I wrote a character with you in mind,” he had me at “Hello” and I didn’t even read it yet. After I read it, I was like, “Oh, my goodness.” I’m so glad I said yes to this. I love it.
How would you best describe her and do you relate to her?
Niecy Nash: I would say that Miss Sylvia is the glue to the family in keeping her husband and son connected. With regards to me, I would say that we’re alike in that we both love heart and we both see everything in everybody.
This is the first time you and Courtney have worked together since Robert Altman’s Cookie’s Fortune. How was working with him again?
Niecy Nash: Oh, it was great. I I love working with him. He’s professional. He’s smart. He his instincts are great and he’s a team player.
Sylvia is the co-owner of a barbecue restaurant. How much did you know about the meat business before doing this or did you learn a little something?
Niecy Nash: I didn’t know much about it but what I do know is that I did my job, which is how to be kind to people and show them love. How to be the face and personality of the place and then there was the father and son responsibility in the back of the house. I still don’t know the right way to cut meat, but I know how to love on people.
You’ve worked with other directors, but what did you learn from Prentice in his first effort making a feature film? What can you probably take with you to your next project?
Niecy Nash: The one thing I will tell you and I recently directed an episode of Claws, a series I lead for TNT, I will tell you what I’ve loved and what I learned is that Prentice was so prepared. He had in his mind what every shot was going to be and how it was going to blend together. I never saw him with ruffled feathers, no matter what was happening. He always had grace under fire.
What do you think audiences will get out of this film that’s different from other films?
Niecy Nash: I think they will see a story told with African American characters that they probably hadn’t seen before. You’ve seen the guy who loses the girl, the girl who wants to make it against all odds, but having a family dynamic with the backdrop of a young black man who wants to be a sommelier is a different story.I think it will welcome people to see a different experience.
You have the final season of Claws coming up as well as Mrs. America on FX. What goes into saying yes to the projects you do?
Niecy Nash: I’m seasoned. I took my 50th trip around the sun and I just don’t do anything I don’t want to do. That is what it really boils down to.
With Mrs. America, you’re playing Flo Kennedy. How much fun did you have in playing that character? Did you learn anything new about her?
Niecy Nash: She was definitely a Spitfire. Being able to unpack the genesis of the women’s liberation movement with women who I really respected so much was definitely a gift.
In the last few years, you’ve been rewarded with accolades and nominations from different groups. Does that boost your career? Are you getting better scripts and more offers every time you get a nomination?
Niecy Nash: I feel that it does. it allows people to see you a little bit differently who maybe didn’t before, like “Oh, she’s a comedian.” Then when you get nominated for drama, it’s like, “Oh, wait, she can do that. Let me send this project. Let me send that project.” I definitely don’t think it hurts.
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