Imani Hakim talks The Gabby Douglas StoryPosted by Wilson Morales
January 31, 2014
With the start of Black History Month in February, Lifetime TV will get things off with The Gabby Douglas Story, premiering Saturday, February 1, at 8pm ET/PT.
Sharing the role of two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas are Imani Hakim (Everybody Hates Chris, Love Reign Over Me) and Sydney Mikayla (Whitney).
The film tells the inspiring true story of the international gymnastics phenomenon, who overcame overwhelming odds to become the first African American ever to be named Individual All-round Champion in artistic gymnastics at the Olympics.
Blackfilm.com caught up with Hakim, who plays the gold medalist as a teenager.
How did you land the role?
Imani Hakim: I find out about the casting for the Gabby Douglas role over Twitter when the casting director talked about an open call in New York. My agent got me in and I auditioned. A callback came afterwards and then I got the role. The next thing I know, I’m in Canada shooting the film.
Were you physically fit for the role or did you have to go for training?
IH: Originally they wanted someone who had gymnastics and dance abilities and I didn’t really have either of those, although I could dance a bit. They did work on those aspects with me, which included training. Going into the audition, it wasn’t as important as the acting ability. After booking the role, we did weeks of training and learning all the choreography on the floor and other things.
How much did you know about Gabrielle Douglas before you took on the role? Did you watch her during the Olympics?
IH: During the Olympics, I actually didn’t catch all of her performances because I was usually out of the house. If I was at a restaurant or somewhere else where there was a TV, it would be on. I did a lot of research prior to landing the role. I saw a lot of things that I didn’t catch during the Olympics on Youtube.
What was the experience like of not only meeting Gabrielle, but playing her?
IH: It was an amazing experience for me. It was just a dream come true, just being able to play someone who is so influential right now. Meeting her, she’s a very sweet girl as well as her family. Everyone is just down-to-earth.
How was working with Regina King, who plays your mom in the film?
IH: That was amazing. I love Ms. Regina! She’s very talented. Just watching her, she was a mentor and mom on set, and that was exciting. We built a bond after the movie and we’re good friends now and we still communicate. That’s pretty awesome. After the film, I can say that I’m friends with Regina King.
Was there any particular scene that you enjoyed shooting?
IH: I loved everything in the film but the emotional scenes that I had with Ms. Regina, and there’s a couple of them, I just loved them and the power and message behind the scene. Those are probably my favorite and it was really intense. You can see Gabrielle giving up on herself and her mom not letting her and that scene was awesome.
A lot of Gabrielle Douglas that we know about is what we saw on TV during the Olympics, but not many were aware of the struggles that she and her family had prior to the success. What do you people will get from seeing the film?
IH: I want them to fully understand the dedication that Gabrielle had and how she was so driven to achieve something so huge. Her family was very, very supportive of her and how they believed in her talent. I hope that they see her perseverance was very important and I hope they are inspired by the film and motivated to go out to do and achieve what they love. It’s a real inspirational story. When I watched the film, it brought tears to my eyes. Even playing Gabrielle, I was just so proud of the moment. You don’t really realize what she accomplished and just watching it was amazing.
As an actress, what do you want to do next?
IH: I’m very excited about this film and I’m promoting and I hope to grow as an artist. There’s nowhere but up from here and expand and explore and try different things. I’m looking to broaden my career so we’ll see where it takes me.
Have you stayed in touch with anyone from Everybody Hates Chris?
IH: I do communicate with them every once in a while, but not as often as I wish because we’re all so busy but we’re definitely all on a great page.
When you’re not acting, what keeps you grounded?
IH: I surround myself with fabulous friends and family and hanging out with them and just doing normal things. Just being around very supportive people and reading inspirational quotes sometimes. It’s all those things.
How amazing is it that this film will air during Black History Month?
IH: I think it’s the perfect time. It’s at the start of Black History Month and around the time of the Winter Olympics. Gabrielle made history and people will see this and enjoy it. They will recognize the achievement that she accomplished and what better time to show it than Black History Month.
