{"id":66880,"date":"2013-09-19T16:33:07","date_gmt":"2013-09-19T16:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2013\/09\/19\/exclusive-paula-patton-talks-baggage-claim\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T08:57:35","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T08:57:35","slug":"exclusive-paula-patton-talks-baggage-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/exclusive-paula-patton-talks-baggage-claim\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Paula Patton talks \u2018Baggage Claim\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exclusive: Paula Patton talks \u2018Baggage Claim\u2019<\/a><\/strong>By Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

September 19, 2013<\/p>\n

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Coming out on September 27 and opening up the 2013 Urbanworld Film Festival<\/a><\/strong> is David E. Talbert<\/strong>\u2019s latest film, \u2018Baggage Claim,<\/strong>\u2019<\/a> starring Paula Patton, Derek Luke, Taye Diggs, Jill Scott, Boris Kodjoe, Tremaine Neverson, Adam Brody, Jenifer Lewis, Ned Beatty, Lauren London, Tia Mowry, La La Anthony, Christina Milian, Affion Crockett, Terrence J, Rickey Smiley<\/strong>, and Djimon Hounsou<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Determined to get engaged before her youngest sister’s wedding, flight attendant Montana Moore (Paula Patton) finds herself with only 30 days to find Mr. Right. Using her airline connections to “accidentally” meet up with eligible ex-boyfriends and scour for potential candidates, she racks up more than 30,000 miles and countless comedic encounters, all the while searching for the perfect guy.<\/p>\n

For Patton, this is another big role after appearing with Denzel Washington<\/strong> and Mark Wahlberg<\/strong> this past summer in \u20182 Guns,\u2019 <\/strong>and co-starring in the independent film ‘Disconnect.’<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In speaking with Blackfilm.com, Patton talks about her role, her attraction to the project, and working with this big ensemble.<\/p>\n

As the lead of the film and placed in almost frame of the film, how much pressure was that for you as an actress?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paula Patton:<\/strong> I guess looking back at it, there was a lot of pressure, but I\u2019m one of those people who doesn\u2019t focus on that once I jump into the situation because it would paralyze me. I just put one foot in front of the other. I take everything I do very serious, whether it be a small role or a big role. I\u2019m always going to give the exact same effort. You can\u2019t think about it too much otherwise, you\u2019d kill yourself.<\/p>\n

Not only are you just acting, but you\u2019re physically moving around with a lot of running.<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP: <\/strong>I think it came from ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ because I\u2019ve always been athletic, and Tom Cruise does all of his own stunts and I\u2019m a little bit competitive. If he was going to do his own stunts, then so would I. It made sense with this film. We\u2019ve all gone through that felling of running through the airport. I wasn\u2019t going to fake that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>What were your thoughts when David first came to you with the project and how was working with him?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP:<\/strong> This was a movie that I wanted to do for years. It\u2019s been an interesting process. I first got the script when I was doing a movie with Queen Latifah called \u2018Just Wright\u2019 and I wasn\u2019t even pregnant yet and I laughed out loud. I brought my husband in, my best friend in, and did a table reading. I didn\u2019t even have the role yet. I wanted it so badly. I then went in and met with David Talbert. It was a great meeting but the studio had some reservations. Maybe they felt that I hadn\u2019t done enough work or what have you; and then I don\u2019t all the details, but the movie fell apart. I was done with \u2018Mission: Impossible\u2019 pretty soon after I had finished shooting it and then I got a call because I kept asking about this movie. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on with \u2018Baggage Claim?\u201d I always wanted to know because it\u2019s a rare thing for a black woman to be a star in a romantic comedy. It was so smart and well written. Finally I got the call that said they were going to make the movie and \u201cDavid said that he only wants to make it with you.\u201d I thought, \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be kidding me. This is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How was working with this big ensemble?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP: <\/strong>We have to give thanks to all of the other actors because they bring so much and so many laughs to the movie, and they really make the movie work as a whole. You need these great actors to come in and play ball and they all came in with the \u201cA\u201d game. I\u2019m very thankfully and blessed. Jill Scoot is so amazing and funny and so is Adam Brody. He\u2019s playing the gay best friend in a unique way that you haven\u2019t seen quite like that. Taye Diggs is just so awesome and you have Djimon (Hounsou), Boris (Kodjoe), and Derek Luke and Jennifer Lewis, who is so magnificent. There\u2019s Lauren London and Tia Mowry. I loved Tia\u2019s scene. It\u2019s one of my favorite little bits in the movie. You need all of those people around for the film to work. Thank God for them.<\/p>\n

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This film has to do with love and friendship and can it work together. You and your husband (Robin Thicke) have known each other since the both of you were teenagers. If asked, how one get out of the friend zone to changing the status of the relationship?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP: <\/strong>Sometimes people can be in a friend zone because of timing. You could be with someone and the other person isn\u2019t. They could be with someone else and you might look at the person in a different light. I don\u2019t know. If you are just a friend, you will be just a friend. But I have to say, persistence. Men that are persistent is interesting. When I first met Robin, I was attracted right away, but he called and called and he would make me laugh on the phone. He finally convinced me to go with a friend who could drive to take me to his house. It\u2019s important not to stay a friend too long.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With \u20182 Guns\u2019 recently shown in theaters and this film coming up, what does this do for you when you\u2019re in theaters in last six months?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP: <\/strong>It\u2019s kind of crazy. I feel lucky and hopefully it does as well as we hope it would do, but we didn\u2019t plan it that way and it just sort of happened. I just feel lucky.<\/p>\n

What else do you want to do that we haven\u2019t seen yet? Do you want to do a musical?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP: <\/strong>I feel like there is so much. Unfortunately, I wasn\u2019t given the gift to sing. I could hold a note but they would have to give me a lot of help on that. That\u2019s what I love about being an actress. I don\u2019t want to play myself. Who I am is quite boring to be frank with you. I want to play as many different people as possible. With each role as you do the research, you get to become someone else and that\u2019s what I love and the sky\u2018s the limit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What was your favorite and most challenging scene in the film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP:<\/strong> I loved so many different scenes and the one that was most important to me and challenging to make sure that we got it right was the scene that I had with Jennifer Lewis. That mother-daughter talk and the way that it goes down was important to me. I wanted to make to sure it was the right tone and understand what that meant on both ends. The challenging part but really fun was the dancing scene with Derek Luke. Dancing to the New Edition song was hard. We trained for that scene for days and days. That was fun.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a good reason for folks to see \u2018Baggage Claim\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP: <\/strong>Go see \u2018Baggage Claim\u2019 because it\u2019s a feel-good movie that will make you laugh and warm your heart and it\u2019s definitely going to surprise you.<\/p>\n

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