Kali Hawk talks PeeplesBy Wilson Morales
May 4, 2013
Coming to theaters on May 10 is Tina Gordon Chism’s ‘Peeples,’ which stars Craig Robinson, Kerry Washington, David Alan Grier, S. Epatha Merkerson, Melvin Van Peebles, Diahann Carroll, Ana Gasteyer, Malcolm Barrett, Tyler Williams and Kali Hawk.
The story follows what happens when child psychologist Wade Walker (Robinson) surprises his girlfriend Grace Peeples (Washington) by showing up at her political family’s annual get-together at their Sag Harbor vacation home only to find them desperately in need of therapy.
For Hawk, who plays Grace’s sister, Gloria Peeples, the role gives the New York native another ensemble film to add to her film credits. Her previous films have included ‘Couples Retreat’ with Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, and Faison Love, the Judd Apatow comedy ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ as well as an appearance in ‘Bridesmaids.’ She also had a recurring role in the TV sitcom ‘New Girl’ with Zooey Deschanel and Jake Johnson.
Blackfilm.com recently spoke with Hawk as she talked about her role in ‘Peeples’ and working with the cast.
After shooting the film over two years, did you ever worry whether or not it would be released?
Kali Hawk: (Producer) Tyler (Perry) has a lot of movies coming out so it was a matter of finding the right time to release it. I felt really positive about because we knew the studio (Lionsgate) was working with Tyler to find the best time for it to come out as opposed to just putting it out and not what you are competing with.
How would you describe your character?
KH: My character Gloria is very mysterious, sexy, and professional. She’s also sort of dangerous. You really don’t know what to expect from her.
How are two sisters different in the case of your character and Kerry’s Grace?
KH: Well, let’s just say like in any family, each sibling gets different attributes from their parents. Even in the case of twins. One may be a little bit more like the mother while the other takes after the father. In this film, it seems like we have a little bit of rivalry between us for the love of which ever parent we seem to least like. There is that sort of gap where you’re always striving to get the adoration that you want from your family.
With this film being a comedy and having seen you in ‘Couples Retreat,’ would it be fare for anyone to assume that you have some funny bones in you?
KH: When I’m in the character, what’s happening is straight for the character. You don’t know that it’s funny. When you think of a person in a given situation, they don’t know that it’s funny. It’s funny to the audience watching what’s happening to that person. It’s always a joy to me when people tell me that what my character did was funny. It let’s me know that it was an authentic portrayal and that it was real for them. I certainly hope that I can make people laugh and that my characters are funny because people identify with them on some level.
What was the attraction to doing this film?
KH: When I read the script, I really liked that there was nothing stereotypical about it. The themes are very universal and anyone from any background or culture could have read the script and played the Peeples. It’s about family first and especially with my character. There’s nothing stereotypical about my character and the journey that she’s seems to be on. She happens to have this interesting story and crazy plight. It was heartwarming. It was funny. I felt like I know these people and I want to be one of these people.
How was working with Tina (Gordon Chism)?
KH: It was good to work with her. This is her first time directing and she’s definitely been on movie sets and has been part of watching great projects such as ‘Drumline.’ I still love that movie and she wrote that movie. It’s great to work with someone whose work you already know and admire; and get to be part of something fresh and new with them. It was fun to be on the ride with her. It’s a family movie and it’s coming out during Mother’s Day weekend. This is something you can take your mom to see and enjoy it with her. That’s really the message of the film. It’s about togetherness and family and loving and laughing despite the differences.
How much fun was it working on the set with this ensemble?
KH: It was so crazy. Basically, we all met each other and instantly bonded. I know people say that all the time but even when we got together to do press for the film, we have such enthusiam when we see each other. We had that from the very beginning. David Alan Grier is like the comedy master. If there’s something funny to be said or some insight to be shared, he’s got it. He kept us laughing. He was the patriarch during the filming of this. Craig Robinson is very musical so often times he would play the piano and we would sing songs to each other. We improvised things together. We’d find way to make the other person seems a bit funnier even when we weren’t supposed to be shooting.
What’s next for you?
KH: I have a film called ‘In The Meantime.’ I star opposite Musiq Soulchild. He plays my fiancé in the film and that will be coming out in festivals in June. After that, it will be more interesting stuff. I would love to do more ensembles and working with talented people. I just want to keep having fun like this film was.
