Exclusive: Sanaa Lathan On Shaving Her Hair For Netflix’s Nappily Ever AfterPosted by Wilson Morales
September 17, 2018
Airing on September 21 globally on Netflix is their original film Nappily Ever After, starring Sanaa Lathan, The film is an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Trisha R. Thomas.
Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, and written by Adam Brooks and Cee Marcellus, the film also stars Ricky Whittle, Lyriq Bent, Ernie Hudson and Lynn Whitfield.
In Nappily Ever After, Violet Jones (Sanaa Lathan) has a seemingly perfect life — a high-powered job, an eligible doctor boyfriend and a meticulously maintained, flawless coiffure. But after a life-changing event doesn’t go according to her plan, and a hair-raising incident at the hairdresser, her life begins to unravel. Eventually, Violet realizes that she was living the life she thought she was supposed to live, not the one she really wanted.
For Lathan, who most recently appeared opposite Dominick West in Season 4 of Showtime’s The Affair, the film returns her to the romantic genre she used to do early in her career with films such as Love and Basketball, Brown Sugar, and Something New. The big difference between all of those films and this one is that she had to undergo a physical process that most women have not done for a role – having your hair completely shaved off.
Blackfilm.com spoke exclusively with Lathan regarding her role and the change she went through when she was completely bald.
What attracted you to the role?
Sanaa Lathan: I am a romantic and I love the genre and it’s something I hadn’t done since the 90s. Part of deciding the projects I do is saying to myself, “Is this something I want to see?,” and so I enjoyed the script and it pushed the genre forward. It talked about some issues that we had never seen and needed to be talked about, like a black woman’s hair. She falls in love in this movie, but she really falls in love with herself, which is rare in films. It’s not always about the guy. I also loved the transformation that she goes through.
How would you describe Violet?
Sanaa Lathan: I would say Violet is a very driven woman who is seemingly perfect. She’s on the brink of marrying her perfect finance, has the perfect job, and the perfect hair, but when everything she’s expecting to happen with this engagement goes array, it sends her into a tailspin where she eventually shaves off all of her hair and puts her on a path of self-discovery and the beginning of self-love.
What was the experience like to have your hair shaved off?
Sanaa Lathan: I actually did it. Every woman knows that hair takes up a lot of psychological and emotional time in their lives and with black women I feel that there’s this double whammy of unconsciousness conditioning that we’ve had throughout the years that our hair isn’t “good” because it’s not kinky or not straight or doesn’t look like the European standard of hair. There’s a lot of weight that goes into hair and women. I, myself, had hair exhaustion. Just being in this business as an actress and always having to figure out what I’m going to do with my hair. If I get a blowout, I have to schedule my gym sessions around my events because I don’t want it to frizz up, and protecting it. There’s a lot energy that goes into it and I think I was tired of it. I think I wasn’t aware of it until I did it, but unconsciously it was a relief because I think I was ready. I’ve been loving having short hair.
How was the feeling once it was completely bald?
Sanaa Lathan: That was my favorite stage. I couldn’t stop rubbing my head. That’s another thing that you realize. You realize that you never really touched your head. That’s a whole new thing. I found myself wearing more feminine clothes if I went out at night, leaning towards to more sexier stuff because when I was in my sweats I felt androgynous. It definitely changed how I presented myself in the world. Women and men were saying I should keep it. They really loved it.
Can you talk the men playing your love interest?
Sanaa Lathan: They were both a dream to work with and perfect for the roles. They were really nice people who were passionate about bringing the story to life. You would be surprised how many men were interested in the film because it was a story revolving around a woman. You see women all the time supporting men. Kudos to Ricky and Lyriq to committing to this female driven story.
How does it feel to be back in a lead role for a film?
Sanaa Lathan: I love it. For me, it’s an actor’s dream. To be able to play a character thst goes through so many changes and becomes a different person by the end of the movie. Acting is what I’m passionate about. I feel blessed to have found what I’m passionate about and have success in it. I’m just really grateful.
This is the 20th anniversary of Blade. That was your first big Hollywood film before The Best Man came. How do you still stay in this game and still be relevant?
Sanaa Lathan: Can you believe it? 20 years! I think the biggest thing is to keep your head right. The game, as you call it, is not a game. It’s no joke. There’s a lot of rejections. There’s a lot of patience/ persistence/ faith involved. There’s a lot of competition. There’s always going to be somebody new, some new trend and there aren’t a lot of roles necessarily. For me, it’s having great family and friends and always working on yourself. When I say that, I’ve had therapists over the years, life coaches, spiritual coaches and I have a psychologist. You really have to take care of yourself mentally. The physical part of yourself goes without saying but your have to take care of yourself mentally to sustain because this business could be grueling. People can see the glamour but they dont know what a thick skin you have to have in order to continue on. Even to continue on in the space of time when you’re not working. There’s been plenty of times where I wouldn’t be working for months, and not know what’s coming. That alone could be emotionally draining, stressful and scary.
How much fun did you have working on The Affair?
Sanaa Lathan: It was great because I was a fan of the show since Season 1. I always watched it and I loved Dominic as an actor and I loved the writing. I just thought it was one of those crème de la crème shows. I would never have imagined that they would come to me and ask me to be on it, so I was thrilled. It’s always nerve-wracking when you walking into a situation where everyone else has been working together and you feel like the new kid in school; but I never felt that way. I was treated so well and Dominic is such a great partner to work with and so is Russell Hornsby. I’ve known Russell for years so I was thrilled to work with him and Christopher Meyer, who played my own. He was so good. It was really a great experience.
What’s a good reason for folks to tune in and watch Nappily Ever After?
Sanaa Lathan: It’s a fun, entertaining, moving journey of a woman who is discovering who she really is and has a lot of twists and turns along the way. If you loved the romantic comedies that I was a part of, from Love and Basketball, Brown Sugar, and Something New, then you will love this.
