{"id":68296,"date":"2014-02-26T11:13:12","date_gmt":"2014-02-26T11:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2014\/02\/26\/sanaa-lathan-talks-repentance\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T04:07:45","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T04:07:45","slug":"sanaa-lathan-talks-repentance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/sanaa-lathan-talks-repentance\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanaa Lathan Talks Repentance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sanaa Lathan Talks Repentance<\/strong>By Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

February 26, 2014<\/p>\n

\"Repentance<\/a>Coming out this week is the psychological thriller ‘Repentance,’<\/strong> starring Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie, Mike Epps, Sanaa Lathan, Nicole Ari Parker<\/strong>, and Ariana Neal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Years after a drunken car crash that almost took his life, Tommy Carter (Anthony Mackie) has reinvented himself as a therapist\/spiritual advisor who advocates a synthesis of world religions and positivity. He\u2019s parlayed this vocation into a successful book release that one day draws the attention of Angel Sanchez (Forest Whitaker), a profoundly troubled man fixated on the \u201cuntimely\u201d death of his mother. When Carter takes on Sanchez as a personal client in an effort to raise funds for his indebted brother Ben (Mike Epps), things quickly take a turn for the worse. Angel needs much more than a simple life coach.<\/p>\n

For Lathan, who plays Maggie, Carter’s wife, the genre is new for her. Known for her roles in Urban romantic films and romantic comedies such as The Best Man, Love & Basketball, Brown Sugar<\/strong>, and most recently The Best Man Holiday<\/strong>, the New York City has also tackled different film genres and other acting projects that have brought her an fanbase from all areas.<\/p>\n

\"TBMH<\/a>Besides being one of the few African American actresses to lead a sci-fi film (Alien vs. Predator<\/strong>), Lathan has done a few stints on the stage, where she was Tony-nominated for her role in Kenny Leon’s 2004 revival of A Raisin in the Sun<\/strong>. In 2012, she won a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her role in By The Way, Meet Vera Stark<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Blackfilm.com recently spoke with Lathan about her role in Repentance, working with the cast, and her upcoming space film, ‘Ad Inexplorata.’<\/p>\n

What was the attraction to doing this film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sanaa Lathan:<\/strong> Well, I love Forest (Whitaker) and I love Anthony (Mackie) and the script to me was a little bit different. I like the fact that it really dealt with some issues and it wasn\u2019t a hacker like thrillers and there was a real reason behind the horror. I like the fact that it\u2019s about karma and what goes around comes around and owning up to mistakes. It had a different twist than what I had seen before.<\/p>\n

\"Repentance<\/a>How would you best describe your character Maggie?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SL:<\/strong> Maggie is a New Orleans woman who loves her husband. She\u2019s a very simple but with a mysterious past involving his brother, played by Mike Epps.<\/p>\n

You and Forest had worked previously on an indie called \u2018Powder Blue,\u2019 so how was it working with him again as well as working with the rest of the cast?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SL:<\/strong> Forest is such a wonderful human being. He\u2019s really at the top of his game. He\u2019s also a very generous humanitarian. We\u2019ve been friendly from afar and working with him, he\u2019s very dedicated, and it\u2019s always inspiring to be around another artist on set who is completely giving 150%. With Anthony Mackie, I had done the \u201924 Hour Plays\u2019 with him in New York and always admired him from afar. He\u2019s a great guy and really funny. Mike Epps and I have known each other for years. I got his start on DEF Comedy Jam, which is my daddy\u2019s show, (TV producer Stan Lathan). He was also in \u2018Something New\u2019 with me. He played Wendy Raquel Robinson\u2019s love interest. It was fun and like a reunion. It was great and a challenge to be in New Orleans in August. It was like working in a steam room, but I love the city, the culture, and the food.<\/p>\n

\"Repentance<\/a>It\u2019s not often we see psychological thriller involving a African American cast. What are some films you had seen may be similar to this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SL:<\/strong> I\u2019ll be honest. I\u2019m not a big thriller girl. I\u2019m a scaredy-cat. I\u2019m very impressionable. I would go to sleep and dream about it. I try to stay away from them. I did \u2018Alien Vs. Predator,\u2019 which is more sci-fi but also goes into the thriller aspect. I think they are very challenging to make, in a good way, in conjuring up that terror.<\/p>\n

Speaking of \u2018Alien Vs. Predator,\u2019 this year marks the 10th anniversary since you starred in that film, and we haven\u2019t seen many females in that position.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Repentance<\/a>SL:<\/strong> I remembered one day I realized the impact of that movie. I had all these middle aged Japanese women surround me and screaming. I didn\u2019t know what they were saying, but they were treating me like a rock. They know \u2018Alien Vs. Predator.\u2019 That\u2019s great and that\u2019s where we should be going in the entertainment industry. There shouldn\u2019t be any limits as to who you cast. This is the melting pot of the country, the melting pot of the world and it\u2019s about time we see all types of races and genders on the screen, and telling different stories.<\/p>\n

Since your character lived in the end, would you be open for a follow-up if the producers felt they could revive the franchise?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Repentance<\/a>SL:<\/strong> Yes. I always say it all depends on the whole package, including the script, directors, etc.; but yes, I\u2019m down. I had a a good time making that film. They did do another film following that, but I never saw it. It had a different cast.<\/p>\n

With the success of The Best Man Holiday, and with Universal Pictures looking to do a third film, what would you add to your character if Malcolm (D. Lee) were to ask each of the cast for some input?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SL:<\/strong> Well, definitely not to be pregnant. Her arc is always dependent on Taye\u2019s arc. She\u2019s the supportive wife and that\u2019s fine, but as an actor, you want to have your own. This arc was about being pregnant and being an outsider. I told him and he said he will finding something where I\u2019m in bikini shape.<\/p>\n

\"Sanaa<\/a>You have \u2018Ad Inexplorata\u2019 as your next film. Is that a space film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SL:<\/strong> Yes, and no. It\u2019s set in space but it\u2019s really a metaphor for life. It\u2019s a beautiful script. I\u2019m in the middle of shooting that now with Mark Strong, who\u2019s been in so many films, and Luke Wilson. It\u2019s a small film that came out the Sundance Lab. The writer-director Mark Elijah Rosenberg has won so many awards for his work. I\u2019m thrilled to be a part of it because it\u2019s outside the box of what I\u2019ve done before. The story centers on astronauts on a one-way trip to Mars and I\u2019m one of the astronauts. There\u2019s only two of us. It takes nine months to get to Mars, and the film is about that journey is a metaphor for stepping out of your comfort zone and exploring. It\u2019s very poetic. I\u2019m excited to see how it comes out. We\u2019re having a good time shooting it.<\/p>\n

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