Tony-Award nominee Sanaa Lathan delivers a striking presence and undeniable energy to each project she takes on and continues to build on an already impressive career. She recently completed production on two films.
In the independent feature, “Ad Inexplorata,” she plays Emily Maddox, a captain on one of four spaceships making a one-way trip to Mars. The film, which was developed in the Sundance Lab, also stars Mark Strong and Luke Wilson. In the highly anticipated sequel, “Now You See Me 2,” Sanaa plays FBI Agent Natalie Austin in an ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.
It was recently announced that she will star in and executive produce the screen adaptation of Omar Tyree’s “Flyy Girl” trilogy. Most recently, she was seen in the smash hit, “The Best Man Holiday” with Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall and Morris Chestnut.
Lathan starred in the title role in the play “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark” at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, a role she originated at the Second Stage Theatre in New York. She received the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actress for her leading role in the play. Prior to that, Lathan starred as Maggie the Cat in the West End (London) in the critically-acclaimed and Olivier Award-winning revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
Among her other film credits are “Contagion” directed by Steven Soderbergh; “Something New” opposite Simon Baker; Tyler Perry’s “The Family that Preys”; “A Wonderful World” opposite Matthew Broderick; “Brown Sugar” alongside Taye Diggs, Queen Latifah and Mos Def; “Love and Basketball” with Omar Epps; and “The Best Man,” one of the highest grossing African-American films in history.
Here, Lathan talks about her latest outing opposite Michael Ealy and Morris Chestnut in the psychological thriller “The Perfect Guy.”
Hi Sanaa, thanks for the time. I’m honored to have another opportunity to speak with you.
Sanaa Lathan: My pleasure.
I told my readers I’d be interviewing you, so I’ll be mixing their questions in with mine.
SL: Okay, fabulous!
What’s the difference in preparing for a thriller like “The Perfect Guy”?
SL: You know, there’s really no difference. You prepare by kind of trying to create the world of the character, and by doing rehearsals. It’s really about reading the script and letting ideas come to me over and over, kind of building their history, because that will naturally inform you when you’re on set.
What exactly is a perfect guy? And how is your perfect guy in real life different from the one your character, Leah, is looking for in the movie?
SL: I think there is no perfect guy. I believe that to be human is to be imperfect. I find that I get to know people from the inside out. So, I don’t really have a type. It’s more about how I feel when I’m with them. I like people who love to communicate and who have a good sense of humor. And I like a confident man, somebody who is not afraid to stand by my side and then let me shine sometimes.
Congrats on the new movie. I’m also a huge fan of Michael Ealy and Morris Chestnut. What was it like working with them?
SL: It was great! I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to work and look at that every day? But as sexy and as hot as they are, they’re really great actors, too. And they happen to be really cool human beings. Just nice guys! They’re both about teamwork and really wanting the other person to shine. I was really impressed with how they’d ask, “Is there anything you need from me?” A lot of actors are very self-centered and narcissistic. These guys are tjust he total opposite, so it was really a treat to work with them.
What message do you want people to take away from “The Perfect Guy”?
SL: I think people are so different that each person will get their own message, depending on where they are in life. So, I just want people to come to the theater and enjoy the ride.
If you were cast as the mother of Trayvon Martin, what would you try to bring to the role?
SL: Oh my God! What would I try to bring to the role? Her pain. It’s really about her pain and transforming that pain into the fire that, hopefully, inspires our communities to raise our voices and create some change.
Which African American actress do you most admire?
SL: I really love Viola [Davis]… Ruby Dee … Eartha Kitt … There are so many.
Are you interested in producing or directing in the future?
SL: Yes, I produced this picture, and I am actively developing other projects.
How would you would describe your role of Leah in The Perfect Guy?
SL: She is a professional woman, a lobbyist who wants it all. Her biological clock’s ticking and she’s in a relationship with Dave [played by Morris Chestnut] who’s kind of dragging his feet. So, they break it off. She then meets this seemingly perfect guy [played by Michael Ealy] with whom she has amazing chemistry. He says and does all the right things during their whirlwind romance until the day she sees a side of him that’s pretty scary. And her journey goes on a real roller coaster from there.
How has your acting style changed over the years?
SL: Every role is different, so I don’t think of my acting as a style. This role certainly presented some new challenges for me which were great, since I got to play so many different colors. It had romance to it … It had terror to it … it had strength … It was great to be able to play Leah Vaughn.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome on career-wise on your way up the showbiz ladder?
SL: To hang in there on those days when I just didn’t feel like continuing. My first acting teacher in drama school said on the very first day of class that only 1% of people who try to make a living as actors actually do it. He said one of the keys to success is persevering. So, as low as I sometimes felt, I never really allowed myself to think about the possibility of giving up. But there were certainly days when I wanted to.
