Regina Hall talks About Last NightPosted by Wilson Morales
February 10, 2014
Coming out this week is the hilarious new comedy from producer Will Producer, ‘About Last Night,’ starring Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Christopher MacDonald, and Paula Patton.
A remake of the 1986 Edward Zwick film that starred Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins, this is a modern reimagining of the classic romantic comedy, this contemporary version closely follows new love for two couples as they journey from the bar to the bedroom and are eventually put to the test in the real world.
Danny (Ealy) and Bernie (Hart) are two single men living their lives on the wild side. But when Danny meets Debbie (Bryant) at a bar and the two start a relationship with a one night stand, Danny’s life takes a different turn. How does this passionate night become a full affair and what effect will this relationship have on both people and their friendship with their best mates?
For Hall, this is her sixth film she’s done with Kevin Hart, but the first time they have been paired together. Having worked on many franchises from Scary Movie, The Best Man, and now Think Like a Man, she’s worked with a lot of the same actors over a period of years. There’s a certain comfort level when you know what the other actor is bringing to the table.
In speaking with Blackfilm.com, Hall talks about her character Joan from ‘Last Night,’ working with Kevin Hart, and what’s next from her future projects.
Were you free to improvise or was it all in the script?
Regina Hall: I think it was all in the script. I think this was a character that called for it, more so than any of the other characters I’ve played before in this kind of setting as a woman. The other characters I’ve played have not been as sexually or emotionally free as Joan.
Which parts of downtown Los Angeles were you introduced to while you were shooting?
HALL: I’ve been downtown before, obviously, but I haven’t spent as much time downtown shooting. I have friends, my manager moved downtown, he loves it. It’s definitely an eye-opening experience, although Joy and I were shooting one day standing at the corner waiting for the scene to start. They had to wet the sidewalk. Joy has her wardrobe on, she feels a prop purse slide out of her hand and she thought it must be wardrobe. We hear our first AD scream, and she actually got her purse stolen, which has never happened to me anywhere, so I’ll give that to downtown LA. We were on a seedy street and it was 1 in the morning, so maybe they steal post-midnight. I liked it, it was nice to see a different side of LA and to see that on film, something besides the beaches and the sunny side of the mountains and the Hollywood sign. There are a lot of people moving there, tremendous activity and it’s great that the film got to capitalize on that.
When you read the script and saw that Joan was going to be a sexier character what were your thoughts on that?
HALL: I don’t think I think about it isolated like that. I just liked the character and she was different than I had played. In terms of having sexy scenes I liked it because it worked for the character as opposed to, “Ooh, I get to do it.” It was just a further expression of who Joan was. A woman, Leslie, wrote the script and it was interesting to see how revolutionized the females were depicted. It wasn’t part of the story it was just who they were. Not in a braggadocio way, just in a way that Joan was an independent woman who lived life in the moment.
Did you like the script right away?
HALL: I did. I laughed and I liked the script and the character. I liked that after coming off “Think Like a Man” Candice was a mother and had a son, very conscious of her behavior and did everything right. I liked that Joan was the antithesis of that.
How much did Steve let you be loose as opposed to what’s in the script?
HALL: We got to improv all the time! We did our scripted takes, then we’d have takes where we could ad-lib and just make it our own. He was great for that, you could tell he’s worked with a lot of comedians ’cause he gives you a lot of room, especially with Kevin. He gives you a lot of room to make it your own.
Was the chicken mask scene in the script?
HALL: The chicken mask scene was not in the script! She was wearing something else and at the last minute they said they had some masks and I was like, “Let’s do the chicken.” So we did the chicken walking over, then I decided I wanted to do chicken sounds. It was one of those moments where once you had the prop you can create from there. Kevin and I know each other from outside of it so there’s a lot of safety to play around.
Speaking of Kevin this is your fifth film with him.
HALL: Really? Honestly. And with “Think Like a Man Too” it’s six.
“Scary Movie 3” was so long ago, so talk about how you’ve seen him grow from that film to being a co-star with you.
HALL: The leaps and bounds Kevin has made goes without saying. He’s always been extremely talented and he’s honed his craft as a stand-up and an actor. As a personality he’s phenomenal. Although I’ve starred in films with him this is the first time we’ve gotten to play opposite each other, and it’s wonderful to see someone have their star rise and yet stay the same. He’s still the same sweet guy he was and that’s the best part of it.
Can you grow chemistry with an actor or is that something that has to exist from the get-go?
HALL: I certainly think you can get better in rehearsal. We didn’t have rehearsal, so the first thing we had to shoot was the sex scenes. It was actually surprising to us. When you start riffing with someone you don’t know what your chemistry is going to be. You respect them as an artist but you don’t know what happens when the two of you get together. When we realized that we had such similar sensibilities in how we worked off each other it became more fun for us. We wanted to go and move further.
How do you feel about where you are in your career? Are you proud of you?
HALL: I’m extremely grateful. I went to school with a lot of people who were insanely talented, and I’ve had a lot of opportunities. I’ve been blessed with an amazing team and it starts from there. There are moments when you’re like, “I don’t think it’s gonna happen.” I’ve called my manager threatening to retire or move to India if I don’t get a part. I feel very blessed to be able to work and still have opportunities, and a team that generates more opportunities and fight really hard for me to get stuff when people haven’t always been ready to say “yes.” I did “Scary Movie” and I did four of them. To get to play the opposite of that where I’m a lawyer, to vary up my performances so people who create things see me in a different light. I think that’s been a really big part of it. It’s been a divine journey. Friends, family keep encouraging you. It’s certainly not something I take for granted.
How would you describe the relationship between you and Kevin’s character?
HALL: Dysfunctional. (laughs) They’re totally dysfunctional but it works. Sometimes relationships don’t have to be traditional, it doesn’t have to be the conventional way the world sees it. They’re comfortable in their own skin, and they don’t have a lot of judgment about the other person. I don’t think they had expectations the first night, and it grew in a surprising way to them. Clearly Joan is jealous, but I think they have a relationship that works for them, for Joan and Bern it’s the right one.
Debbie and Joan are polar opposites. Would you say you’re more of a Debbie or a Joan in relationships?
HALL: I’m probably more of a Debbie. I don’t know, but I can be fiery like Joan. Joan’s a wild one, I don’t think I’ve had my legs behind my head on any day, certainly day one!
Can you talk about this being a remake? How do you update this to modern characters?
HALL: I saw the first one. I actually watched it again before we shot this, just to be familiar, you always want to be respectful of filmmakers work. I then read “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” by David Mamet and this particular version felt more like an adaptation of that play rather than a remake of the original movie. Maybe a reboot of the original, but certainly my and Bernie’s character. That one followed one couple, this one follows the journey of two. And I love David Mamet, obviously, so I think it’s a contemporized version of the original in terms of what’s going on today in relationships. With technology, cell phones, Facebook, selfies. That one’s set in Chicago, this one is in LA. You want to respect the work but it’s a different interpretation of what that was.
What are the keys for you as an actor for staying in the moment?
HALL: I think before I start I’m extremely nervous but it doesn’t go away. As soon as we start shooting it goes away. I don’t notice anyone around, the crew. I don’t really know what I’ve done until I watch the movie, so I was HORRIFIED when I watched this one… with my momma! I was like, “Oh my goodness!” I always tell my manager, “Why do I make those facial expressions?” I think of my acting coach in New York, she used to snap, “Repeat!” she was great.
What’s one of the silliest arguments you’ve had with your exes in real life?
HALL: There have been many. I think we broke up and I found out he took a girl out and I said “I would never sit my ass in that seat again.” For weeks I rode in the back. (laughs) My brain goes to strange places. More probably happened in the backseat than the front! I’ll be sitting in the trunk soon!
How comforting is it that you did a film, it did well, and then they’re bringing it back? Revisiting characters?
HALL: It’s fun to revisit characters because you revisit them with the same people you worked with. It’s your own individual visitation but it’s the collective group as well. That’s nice. One of the reasons I loved doing “Scary Movie” is I just loved Anna Farris so much. We got to have fun together. “Best Man” was my first movie, so it was fun to come back as adults. You watch yourself change on film, as an artist, as a woman. You look at something ten years ago not just as a performance but “that’s how I was.” You’re bringing life to a performance. 14-years after “Best Man” you are a different person, you’re different as an artist. It’s always great to have an opportunity that an audience likes something enough to be able to revisit it.
What are we expecting from Candice in “Think Like a Man Too”?
HALL: Candice and the girls are getting into some trouble, that’s all I’m gonna say. Candice is a sweetheart caught in a nasty, nasty world. It was a lot of fun, we shot it in Vegas.
If Malcolm Lee would allow you to write your character in another sequel to “Best Man” what would you do?
HALL: Can I tell you, when I read that I was happy that Candy is off the pole. I don’t think I could dream it better than he could. I had some ideas but Malcolm probably stopped answering his phone. We’ll all be like, “Malcolm in this one…” and he’ll probably ignore us like they always do.
Trailer
Clip – Mini Mike
ShareTweet
