August 17, 2025 • 55 mins
In this powerful conversation with acclaimed filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee—the visionary behind The Best Man, Girls Trip, Night School and more. Malcolm opens up about his journey from writing scripts in his parents’ basement to building one of the most respected careers in Hollywood.
He shares how Spike Lee’s influence inspired him to pursue film, the process of writing The Best Man as a timeless classic, and why every great script starts with a “crappy draft.” Malcolm also dives into the lessons of perseverance during slow seasons, the pressure of rewrites, and the importance of always putting character first.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Calling all my sweeties to the forefront. I'm your host, Christopher,
and this is a keeping positive, sweetish show. A sweeties,
you already know what time it is.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's your weekly dose of joy, a real talk and
a little soul work.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
On the side.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I have been so excited about every single guest that
we've had this season. We've had nothing but Jim's dropped
every single episode and today will be no different. He
is a writer, director, producer of work that has spanned
over different generations. We all love his characters. We root
for them, we've cried with them, and we've grown with them.
(00:40):
You may know him from films like Best Man, Girls, Trip,
Night School, His Family.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Please give a very.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Warm welcome to Malcolm d Lee. Malcolm, how are you
feeling good?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
You fresh off the flight of glad?
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So this is the second stop on your book tour. Yeah,
the first one was amazing. So I guess I got
some big shoes to feel for tonight.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Oh, you'll be fine.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
It's gonna because it's no pressure, you know, let's just
let's just have a conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
So let's everyone knows you from your Best Man film
and the television series Girls Trip, which was one of
my favorite Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
And then I heard that may be doing another one.
As soon as I heard, I was like, I need that.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
We're working on it, working on it.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yes, and Space Jam the legacy. People know you from that,
but I want to know who Malcolm is.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Where are you from?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Tell us your journey to get to the best man
that has a movie that we've all grown up to
and watched for years.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yeah. I was born in Queens, New York. I was
raised in Brooklyn.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I grew up with both my parents and my brother
and I for dominantly white private school since the fifth grade.
From twelfth grade I went to and I was the
only black male in my class.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Uh from fifth to twelfth grade.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Ended up going to Yeah, Yeah, it was it was
interesting existence uh and then went to UH to Georgetown
University undergrad went to n y U Film School.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
And always had a love for the fine and.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Performing arts, you know, from a very early age. And
what those you know, prep schools did for me was
exposed me to film and television, very early animation, video making.
And I always like to act and write and draw,
you know, create little scenarios with you know, action figures
and things like that.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
So yeah, that's that's you know I grew up.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I grew up like, you know, like that, and you know,
participating in many different arts endeavors, and you know, I
think it was certainly encouraged by my family. I think
they kind of said, let me explore, Like you know,
my mom would put me in art classes and and
things like that. And she was a medical records administrator.
(03:03):
She transitioned to be a college professor later on. My
my father was a school teacher and musician.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
And yeah, and so we grew up in a limestone
in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Very nice.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
So wow, it's similar to me in my childhood. I
grew up predominantly white community, was one of the few
black kids from kindergarten all the way to the twelfth grade,
and then moved to d C. You went to Georgetown.
That's when I was like, WHOA, a whole new world.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
No.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I mean even going to Georgetown like that was more
black people than I'd been around in my life. And
then it was Howard was right across the you know,
right across town. So yeah, if I wanted to you
know see more I can, I can, I can, you know, experience,
and it was all at the time it was still
known as Chocolate City.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
So yeah, I would say primarily good, good, happy childhood,
you know, pretty well adjusted and you know, kind of
felt like I knew what I wanted to do when
I was undergrad I mean I got to work with
my cousin Spike.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Very early Spike Lee' that's my cousin. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Wow, you know that bline all right.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Now, you know. Yeah, So I got to work with
him very early on.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
He was in film school in the early eighties and
living in my parents' basement.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
And so I got to see very early on the
emergence of the you know, great American and now world
renowned filmmaker who I didn't know what time was going
to be that right, and but he demonstrated that it
was possible to have a career in this industry. And
you know, I got to work with him really from
She's Got to Have It On through Malcolm X and
(04:49):
Clockers and Girls six and so that was you know,
great education and a great encouragement from him to you know, uh,
be creative and right black film and you know and
and and really kind of demonstrating how powerful the moving
image was, particularly when it came to black people. So
(05:13):
it's not something you we that should be taken lightly
because that you know, movies, television shape attitudes and culture
and uh and can affect people's views of.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
You know, humanity. So I've always taken that very seriously.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
In the in the legacy that that my family has
come from, it has very much been that. You know,
my father's side of the family, he had six brothers
and sisters and they all went to HBCUs they all
played instruments. The instruments skipped my generation. I don't play
anything but the radio. And so you know, uh, that
(05:55):
was a legacy that that that that that was that
I came from. Education was important and because they had
seen one filmmaker come out of the basement, they were like, now,
you know, why don't you pursue that?
Speaker 4 (06:07):
And you know, and I was encouraged to do.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
So, okay, I love that. That is fascinating. Wow, So
Spike Lee is in your basement. I wanted to ask you,
growing up around predominantly white people and in a predominantly
white community, where did you find the inspiration to write
the way you write for our culture and our community
because it is it hits home every single time.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
I'll tell you, well, you know, I was living my
neighborhood that I live than was black, you know, and
I you know, I'd play ball, you know, down at
the local playground, you know, and there's plenty of you know.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
I play a black experience.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
And it was like that was that was like the
duality that I was living, you know, like you know,
being you know black, you know, trying to be black
enough for my from my neighborhood, and trying to be
you know, at least a model minority for the white folks,
you know.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
And so.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
That was the kind of the the you know this
you know you talk about coach switching. That was doing
that very very ry on. But you know what what
it afforded me and what it allowed me to think
was like, you know, I saw you know a lot
of different size of the world, you know, Jewish kids,
Christian kids, boss speak kids, whatever, and you know, you know,
(07:16):
and also wealthy kids. And so have an experience that
not only in fifth through twelfth grade, but also in
college gave me a wealth of experience. And then also
going to college. You see different kinds of black people too, right, Like,
so like brothers from Texas and Atlanta and from California,
(07:40):
and you know, the DC area, and there's lots of
different dialects and lots of different you know way you know,
more rains and ware people speak. So you know, I
observed all of that and became friends with lots of
different kinds of people and different kinds of black people,
which you know, and and my experiences that yours sound.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Definitely influenced and was inspired.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
By my relationships that I made it at Georgetown. And
so what I was finding, particularly in movies about black
people or not even about black that had black people
in it, you know, it was very.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Kind of.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Very very narrow depictions, yes, right, you know, so there
was the you know, there's the hood brother, there's the
quirky friend, or there's always the sassy girlfriend, and it's
like and then particularly when it came to educated brothers,
they just like forgot they were black. They had no
cultural specificity of blackness, so they would like check their
(08:36):
atnicity of the door. And that's somehow that meant because
you're educated, you're speaking the King's English, you are you
know one way, you have a bat up year behind
and you're just like, you know, you just you aspire
to be white, right, which is like not my experience
and not these parents are the people that I went
to school with. So I was like, this is not
(08:59):
this is not real or not authentic to me. And
so I drew all my experiences to create characters that
I thought were more authentically you know, presented, and you know,
movies that preceded The Best Man, like Loved Jones and
(09:21):
Soul Food even waiting to exhale at least for the
women you know, were true were depictions of the black
people that I interacted with.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Take us to when the idea of Best Man came.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Where were you?
Speaker 4 (09:39):
It's an interesting question. Now. I had done after film school,
I'm sorry, before film school.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
In between film school and undergrad, I went to do
a screenwriting program at Disney. I got a fellowship. I
wrote two scripts, my first two screenplays there. When I
went to film school, did a couple of shorts. I
wrote three more screenplays. That fifth one I was determined
to make right. It was called Feast and Famine. It
(10:07):
was a romantic comedy, very much in the vein of
like an Annie Hall or When Harry Met Sally, a
classic New York love story.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
And you know, I wanted to make the movie.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
I was trying to raise money for it, and so
when I couldn't do that independently.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
It was really difficult.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
And I was just like, you know what, I'm gonna
write something so commercial that I'm going to sell it,
and I'm going to use the money that I sell
that with to make Feast and Famine.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
And that script was the best man.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
And so I was in the midst of writing it
and I was just like, oh, I can direct this,
but and I will say I knew how it was
going to be commercial. Was I knew that there was,
you know, a dearth of movies about black or a wedding, right,
(11:04):
like the wedding movies are very popular at the time.
And so I was like, Okay, I got to do
a movie, a wedding movie with black people in it.
And because I hadn't been one to date at that time,
and I love ensemble movies, and I wanted to have
a very clear react structure, and there was built in
set pieces your bachelor party, you're the fellows hanging out
(11:26):
one night, the rehearsal dinner, the you know one all
and the wedding itself, and then I knew that was
going to have a magic prop in there that was
which was the book that keeps getting passed around.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
So I.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Made sure that I had all of the the elements
of you know, a commercial movie before I wrote it.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
And so I wrote it. I was like, Okay, this.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Feels right awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Now how long did it take from writing The Best
Man to it actually getting green lid?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Remember finishing the script?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
It was, you know, I was up early one morning
and I was and I just finished it and I
was in my parents' basement.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I walked upstairs, said this ain't it.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
I don't know what they want. And I was going
to be like, either become a teacher or go to
law school. And because you know what what I was
trying to make, they weren't trying to make, and so
I am I would say that was I knew I want.
What I wanted to do was time it. I'm trying
to remember now. I wanted to time the finishing the
(12:33):
script by the time the movie's Soul Food came out.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Got it now.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Also being strategic about how I was going to approach it,
and I thought if Soul Food would was going to
be successful cause I had read about, you know, the
movie in a trade magazine and I remember thinking, yeah,
like it's even though what I'm writing is not soul food,
(12:58):
They'll be looking for the next soul food type of
things that where black people are just doing, We're doing
more than just you know, being in the hood and
running from danger, you know what I mean. So I
was like, Okay, if this movie is successful with Nea
Long and Vivoca Fox and Vanessa Williams and Babyface is
going to be doing a soundtrack, this could do well.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
And if that does well, that would bode well for
my script. So I was done with it by the
time Soul Foods.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Premiered at Urban World in New York and I think
that was fall of or late summer of ninety eight,
no ninety seven, Sorry, And then we went around to
a couple of different studios.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Spike had read it. He was like, this is the
this is the one. Wow.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
And so we met with Columbia. He had a deal
there at the time. It's a funny story behind that,
but I'll get to that later. Then then I would say.
That was late mid fall, and then by the time
the Academy Awards came around, me landed at Universal Wow
(14:04):
in March of ninety eight, and they.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Said, we like this, we want to try to developing
and make it. Wow.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
How did that feel in that moment when they said
finally Well, it.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Was funny because it was It's not that it doesn't
happen like that, because what happens is because in fact,
the first few students we went to they were like,
we like it, but it's not for us, right, yeah,
we don't need to do some development. And Spike is
being who he is, it's like, all right, later for y'all,
we're going someplace else. So I'm like, uh, maybe we
(14:40):
should listen, but he was like, nope, we're gonna find somebody.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
This is this movie is gonna get made. It's okay, fine.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So we go to Universal and he says, okay, look,
we're gonna tell them they got to pay you for it.
If they want to do any notes, they gonna pay
for we right, and they don't like it, but taking
it away, I said, great, so we're gonna listen to
their notes.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
So that's what happens.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
So you know there was there were notes and they said,
here's a little money, and and at first I was excited,
but when you get like the money that they offer,
it's great. But like you see where Uncle Sam really
comes in and just I was like, that's what I'm
that's that's what I got. Okay, but fine. I was
(15:21):
living in my parents' basement.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
It was all fine.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
And did the rewrite and in about two months and
then I was green Lid.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
So that was exciting. The night that that that that
I found out that we were green Lid.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
At a budget.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I think we were asking for seven or eight and
they said you can have it for nine. Oh wow, yeah,
because they looked at it and you're gonna need nine
and then we actually needed more, but we were like great,
So that was exciting.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
Various. I remember where I was. I was in I
was in New York.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
My girlfriend who's my who's my wife at the now,
and and another couple and we just came from a
restaurant and uh, I got the Did I have a
cell phone then or was it a beeper? I don't,
I'm I'm front remember I was on a payphone for
(16:13):
I was on a cell phone. I think it was
a cell phone now, yeah, And I got a call
from my executive at the studio says, yep, you're you're greenlit.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Let's go. We're best man. Though we did, we did
become them one of the box office.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
How much of that one gross? After getting for nine million?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Then you years first weekend it made it's a budget
back and then it grossed about thirty four or thirty
five million.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Yeah, wow, And that's a huge.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
It was big. It was big. It was very big.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Was that even for that time for a black film?
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Oh, it was very big.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Even the fact that we were number one that weekend
was shoote yeah, I mean no, nobody makes nobody gets
nine million dollars and like, oh you're number one.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
That's unheard of today. It'd be like yeah, whatever dollars.
But it was.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
And we beat out Fight Club and Martin Scorsese movie
and this this very popular movie that.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
Actually Judd had done called Double Jeffardy. Yeah yeah, yeah,
so it was it was, it was. It was a great,
great story.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, how did that shift?
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Like where you were in your life at that point?
Speaker 4 (17:22):
It was everything? Man?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Like I was like that was that that? After you
become what I like to say, is the prom queen.
Everybody wants to dance, right, everybody wants to meet. Everybody
wants to, you know, like, you know, give you projects.
They all want to say, hey, would you consider this?
YadA YadA YadA. So it was it was pretty fantastic.
And you you know, your head can get you know,
(17:45):
swollen and blow up and stuff and you and again,
you know, I'm young, I'm like just new to this business.
But when you start getting accolades and you think, oh
my stuff, don't think I'm good. Oh yeah, I mean
it's impossible not to write at whatever age you are,
or when you're first coming in the business. You know,
(18:08):
it's tough to like, you know, navigate all that absolutely
because they will.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
They will.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I'm sure you've heard the saying they'll build you up
and they'll tear you down, and it happens, you know,
and sometimes I could be your own doing.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Like I wanted to be an author. I wanted to
be a writer director.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
So if they were coming to me with a script
that they were like, well, we'd love you to direct this,
I'd be like, well, I didn't write that, so that's
not I do better than that, you know, or if
they want you to write something that you know, but
they don't want you to direct it.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
I was just like, I'm not doing that either, But
that's shortsighted.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I learned that now, So now you would take the
opportunity to like.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Well now now I'm no, I'm post fifty now, so
I'm just like, now I'm gonna do what I want.
But at that age you have to be much more malleable.
You have to feel like you got to you gotta
kind of, you know, look at the entire landscape and
you know, because what is popular today, what is working now,
ain't gonna work in a couple of years, right, So
(19:13):
you have to like really kind of read the tea leaves.
You have to like, you know, learn to say, well,
maybe I can do something with this.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
I mean, at a.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Certain points, you got you know, there's something that they'll
give you to be like, I don't know what the
heck I'm gonna do with this, right, But I think
that's the balance, right of trying to figure out, you know,
one's career. But at the same time, it's like if
you don't go through certain things, you're not gonna.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Learn absolutely absolutely you said, what works now may not
work ten years from now. You created years from now, right,
but you actually created something back then that still works today.
How does it feel that you created something that is
still so relevant and resonates from me being in my
teens at that time to me being a adult where
(20:00):
I can watch it and still like, oh my goodness,
I still get it.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
You know, I feel very fortunate. You know, my intention,
this is no there is no lie. My intention in
making The Best Man was to make a classic, to
make a movie that you know, would stay in the
test of time, that would resonate for decades and generations.
And thankfully that happened, you know, thanks to I mean,
I think a large part to the where the script.
(20:25):
You know, where we started with the script. You know,
I wrote a good script and it was the right
script at the right time.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
You know a lot of times when when when you
know films.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
The zeit guys, they're like, oh, like that strikes a
nerve and it's nostalgia, you know, from then on, so
people can't really see any other thing.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
And so that was the intention.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Was never the intention to do a sequel, or do
a television series or now even a book.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
You know, it was just like, let me just make
a movie that's.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Gonna that's be a one off, because I don't want
to I did not want to repeat myself second time around,
you know what I mean. So when you know, so
there was talk of a sequel very early on, but
I was like, no, I don't want to do that.
I don't want to be a one trick pony, and
these characters need to live some life. I need to
live some life before I decide I want to tackle
(21:17):
this again.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
So it just so happened that, you know, as they
would have it.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
And as I said, around twenty ten twenty eleven, business
for me was very slow. And what was the big
thing then branding? What was my brand? The Best Man?
Everyone knew that I had done four of the movies,
but they weren't as popular or as you know, kind
of like memorable as The Best Man.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
And I was like, I think it's time to start
doing it. And I started like doing little.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Notes and things on the sequel for years at that,
but never really committing to paper.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
And I was like, Okay, now's the time to try
to do a sequel.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
And I pitched it to the cast and they were like,
let's do it.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Yeah, when you look back from over the years and
you see the impact that you that you've made on
our community, what is a part of your legacy that
means the most to you?
Speaker 4 (22:12):
You know?
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Look, I love that black folks in particular love these depictions,
right like it is my mission. I firmly believe it
is my mission on earth to show the humanity of
black people and to normalize black life in America. You know,
(22:34):
I've always wanted to tell a universal story with black people.
They all experienced the same human emotions, you know, and
so with this's all though the stories are very universal,
there's a lot of cultural specificity, and I always want to.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Do that with my work.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
And I'm glad that people get it. It resonates people,
you know, feel it in here. They don't just you know,
laugh and smile and cry whatever like that. It's it's
a part of who they are and their you know,
their their DNA and you know that that it that
it resonates.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
And it's great that you.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Know, every time Candy from Cameo comes on, everybody does
the electric slid.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
I find that pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Right for sure. I love that when it comes to
your creative process. Do you wait on something to spark
or what what moves you? And then how do you
really go through that whole process When it comes to writing.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
It's it's a mixed bag, you know, and I would
say it's changed, it's evolved over the years, you know.
Sometimes you know, I wait when I'm writing something, I'm like, oh,
you gotta wait till the mus hits me. Around three
o'clock is when the music is going to hit me
and play a visit and I can start, you know,
really getting creative. But then it gets to a point
where you realize, like this is a job, and you
(23:54):
know you're always going to write the crappy draft. You
have to write the happy you have to because you
have to. You got to get to the end. Because
screenwriting and I'm and now I've found.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Out a novel. Writing it's all about rewriting, you know.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
You got to get to the end and then look
back and say, okay, oh that's terrible.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
Oh well that's not so bad, and that's it, and
then you just make it better.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
You find enjoying that process huh.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
Yeah. Sometimes, oh sometimes it's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Sometimes it's like I find myself laughing when things things
are are are supposed to be funny. I find myself
crying when when they're when they're emotional, you know, Yeah,
it's it's so that's very joyous, you know, but it's hard.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
It's a hard problem to get there, right.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
But the thing I have to keep my mind of,
you guys got to keep plowing forward. And even if
you're gonna not write what's you know, the the story
that you're working on, you got to write something you
have to, like, you know, I've learned recently from a
writer friend of mine, like just at the beginning.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
Of the day, start your brain dump.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
You know, I meditate first, I do a meditation and
then you try to try to clear my mind and
then go ahead and write.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
What's all my brain, what's on my head?
Speaker 3 (25:24):
So I can just get rid of that and then okay,
now I can get back to the page of it,
right and then like just and it ain't gonna be great.
It might be great, it might not be And some
days are better than others.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Yeah, for sure. I think that's with everything you talked about.
For some years, there was a time where it was
really slow for you. What were those moments like when
you realize you had to play the long game, and
it wasn't just gonna come like you thought like it
was coming to nineteen ninety nine.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
That was a long game too, you know. I mean
I knew I wanted to be a Bombers this time
I was nineteen. So by the time I was twenty five,
and then in my third year of film school, I
was like, this ain't working like I you know, John
Singleton made Boys in the Hood by the time he
was twenty two. Orson Wells made Citizen King by twenty five,
(26:11):
Like what am I doing?
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Right?
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Yeah, So it is a long and you have to
just you know, what I've learned is you have to
be a little patient. You have to have perseverance, stick toitiveness,
you know, and then like I said, you gotta if
something comes along. Sometimes it's ridiculous. My age will give
me a script and I'm like, they want to make this?
Speaker 4 (26:35):
What? What? What?
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Why do they huh?
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And so I remember there was one script there was
a star that was circling it and he was like
a supposed to be a Kirk Franklin type, right, and
he's like.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
You know, he was very much kind of a task
master and not a good guy.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Yeah, and he ends up in purgatory.
Speaker 4 (27:02):
He gets into the car accident in the purgatory and
they're like, well.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
You can go to either heaven or Hell, or you
can go back to this little white town and teach
these white people gospel music.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
And I was like, they want to make this.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
They want to make this. They're like yeah. I was like,
they want to make this. And so like you get
those things happy, you know, and during those dry patches,
it's like you just got to try, you know, to
reinvent yourself, like I. And during that time, that's when
I started to move towards television.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
I'd written a specscript that didn't get.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Sold, and then I said, okay, let me say I
can make it a tell television show. And that kept
me aflip for a bit because I was able to
turn televis show and get a little bit of money.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
And then that's when I came up when with the branding.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Thing with Best Man Holiday, and after that I was like,
I ain't saying no to nothing, but when when a
script comes in and it's they want me to do it,
and it's going and the train's about to leave the station,
all right, give me a week or two and I'll
just go and do it, because you can't. You can't
just squadw these opportunities when you're hot. You gotta like,
(28:10):
you know, keep hopping on it. But at the same time,
you have to have a life balance as well.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Right, let's talk about that.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
It's it's it's it's not.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
It's just funny too, because you know, my wife keeps
me in check very much, you know, in terms of
like making sure that I'm present, right, And at the
same time, she's like, yo, you got to go make
that money too, right, And I remember, it's so funny.
I had just done Girls Trip and it was it
(28:38):
wasn't coming out yet, but they had tremendous buzz, right,
and Universal wanted to make this movie Night School with
Kevin Hart. And I was like, and they gave me
a script and I I read it twice. I fell
asleep and I'm like, I can't do this, Like this
is not a good script, right, And but they were like, oh,
this is very important to the studio and blah blah,
blah blah.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
They were gonna make it.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
And I was just like, and I talked over my
wife and she was like, well, look, you gotta do
what you feel, right, And they were gonna pay me,
you know.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
A good salary.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
But I was like, you know, grocery was so hard
on a very hard year, between grocery and barbershop, and
I'm not gonna do it. I tell Will Packer, Uh,
you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna pass.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
And I hung up the phone.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
I was in my office and I called my wife
and she was like, I said, yeah, I passed. She's
like all that money, huh. I was like, but you
said call my heart, I said, call him back. So
I called back. I was like, yeah, yeah, yah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I got calling back.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
I mean, that is the layer. This is one like
that was saying when she says one thing, but she
really means another.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
No, actually, you know she she just you know again,
she keeps me checking like you know, it's it's it's
all about checks and balance. It's like, okay, you know,
think about it, but what is it gonna mean long term?
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Right?
Speaker 3 (30:00):
And again when you when you say no. And that
was the other thing too. Having done that movie that
was very important to the studio. I got my deal
at the studio. There's a whole the relationships that are
very important that needs preserved and cultivated. So it's that's
(30:21):
the long game.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Yeah, did that in turn that deal with them? Did
that in turn help you with the Peacock deal?
Speaker 3 (30:27):
For I was already in a a I'm sorry, A
television deal with Universal Television Studio is different.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
But I've deal with with both of them right now.
So it's I'm one of their soldiers.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Love it, love it. That's working out good for you.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
See, it could be better, but you know, I.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Think that's let's talk about that to just a state
of Hollywood. You know, we had the writers had a strike,
then that actors had a strike, and then transfer they
almost had a strike.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
How has that one affected you?
Speaker 2 (31:04):
And then when you say it could be better, I
think everybody in the industry feels like that's their answer,
it could be better.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, I mean it's it's a tough time right now,
I think, especially in the past two years, and then
you know, if you even count the pandemic, you know
before that that was very, very tough. A lot of
people are losing jobs. The industry is shrinking, especially after
the writer's track. There it is, it is, it's it's
a business. Contracting it and this happens, it goes through
(31:30):
ebbs and flows yes, and so I would say that, yeah,
I mean it's it's it's a tough time and they're
very much running scared. You know, they're not just saying
yes to everything. They're not you know, like taking chances
on a lot of things. Right, they want the shore
fire thing. There's no such thing, by the way, but
they're relying very much on intellectual property that's.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
Been successful in the past.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Right.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
So that's why you see it in the Jurassic Park
being made mission impossible being you know, if you know
that there they fail, people are going to go to
those people are going to.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Show up, you know.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
So that's what we're We're doing that and a number
of other things that we're trying to do. Original content,
trying to do you know, you know things like like
you know, book adaptations to to.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
The screen and things like that too.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
So you know, if it has a follow up, if
it has a built an audience, it's easier.
Speaker 4 (32:24):
For them to say yes.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Right.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
But even that, you know, the development process, finding the
right writer, finding the right producer, finding the right actors,
find the right talent, trying to find the you know,
the schedules that will line up.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
It's not easy.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
It's not It's so true. Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Talk about book adaptations, one of the questions we all
had was like, is he gonna make turn this book
into a series? Because he knows you're gonna do three books,
three books. This is the first one of the three.
How is the writing process for a script and a
book different?
Speaker 3 (32:58):
I think, you know, they're similar in that you you've
got to have character, you have to have story. You
got the right scenes, you have the right dialogue, you have.
Speaker 4 (33:10):
To create a world. However, with a screenplay, it's.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
A lot more contained and a lot more restrictive. But
something great can come out of that. Right. But you
you have that that classic three act structure with your
you know, inciting incident and your engine that pulls you
(33:37):
through the second act and you know the the Daniel
Mall and the third act crisis or the end of
second act crisis and then the resolution and all these
are these are part of movie low. You have to
do these things, you know, they're they're they're exceptions to
that rule.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
But with a book, you can kind of take your
time a little bit. There's a lot more expansive story
telling that goes on.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
You get into these characters brains and psychees, and get.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
To know them on an intimate level.
Speaker 3 (34:08):
I mean, people think they know, you know, Harper, Robin
and Jordan, but they don't know some of their backstory,
their upbringing, They don't know where they where they came from. Really,
you know, they might have some idea, but and what
they're there thinking is I mean, you only tell what
they're thinking when they tell you what they're thinking, right,
they say it on television show or a movie or
(34:29):
if they're doing voiceover.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
But with the book, you're able.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
To to get into their subconscious You're able to also
take advantage of all kinds of the sense, all the senses,
you know, the touch.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
The feel, the seed, and hearing, the taste. So you
know it. It's a fantastic, more expansive way of storytelling.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Absolutely what made you say it is time to write
a book?
Speaker 3 (34:57):
I love the written word from you know early on
and fantasized about writing a novel. Really yeah, because you know, right,
my screenplays I've always been too long, right, Like you know,
I remember my first draft of the Best Man was
like one hundred and.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Thirty five pages.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
Oh wow, yeah, and the studio was like, you got
to cut this down. So, you know, I played with
fonts and stuff and got it down to one twenty
big mistake.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
Once they reset that thing.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
They were like, oh my god, you've got to cut this.
And I was like, oh, well, you know, so I
like having the you know, the breath of storytelling in
writing a novel, so like that was a beautiful process.
And I got to, you know, collaborate with a co
writer named Jane Allen.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
Yes, and she was established in the world.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
I I, you know, I hadn't you know, had that opportunity,
and I knew I wasn't gonna be able to do
it myself. I do have a day job, and so I,
you know, I said, well, I want to try this thing,
you know how it could potentially work, but it was
it was time and also time to do it with
this these characters, and this was the This was a
kind of an easy Foray, or an easier Foray than
to create characters from whole cloth. There was a backstory
(36:09):
that existed, there's the characters that existed. There were circumstances
that you know, people were familiar with and even those
people who aren't familiar with it, I think can still
vibe with the with the with the storytelling that goes
on here.
Speaker 4 (36:20):
So yeah, I mean it was it was time to
do it, and I knew that.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
You know, it would be incredibly difficult to mount another
television show or movie with the storytelling that I wanted
to do, and to get all those actors back together,
it would be very difficult. So I was like, well,
let me, let me give this a shot and try it.
(36:45):
And because the fans wanted more, you know, from these characters,
I thought we were done after final chapters. And I
think it was mainly because of how difficult it was
to wrangle everybody and get the studio to a pre
you know, this budget, and it's.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
Just not easy. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Oh man, So does that mean we may not get
any more final chapters?
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Because right there written, you'll have it there and and
it's a very cinematic experience. You know, people are really
going to this is a deeper look at these characters
than we've ever experienced before.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
I will say that we talked about this too.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
When you read a book and then you go watch
the TV or film adaptation, the book is always better.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
So I'm excited to really die there.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
Yeah, because you know, look, when you're reading a book,
you have what you envision for, right, and there's there's
probably millions of people's interpretations of you know.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
What that is.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
But when you're watching a movie television show, that's one
person's vision, right. It's a director or the writer, maybe
maybe five people's vision of what that thing should be.
And then you have a bunch of other people like
costume designers and you know, directors of atography and uh,
you know, production designers that are all going to like
put their their stamp on it as well. So it's
(38:06):
a collaborative process, whereas the book is a singular experience,
you know, for the reader and for the writer.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Yeah, which one do you enjoy better?
Speaker 4 (38:18):
If you had?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
I definitely enjoyed this, and I enjoyed the screenwriting process too,
you know when it's when.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
It's flowing hard, this is tough. I mean, I like
them both.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
I like the creative process, and you know, especially you
know in television and in you know, in this case
with the with the with the book, I had a
collaborator and you know, and and you know, in the
the television writers, so it's always good to like, you know,
get input, and that's that generates good, healthy discussion, and
(38:56):
that generates ideas. When you're you know, singular and writing
your own screenplay, that's great also, and I do enjoy.
Speaker 4 (39:03):
That too, but you know, I love that.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
What part of being a storyteller do you think that
people don't get to see? We see the finished outcome,
and we see everything that you do on TV, but
we don't really see the ins and outs. What is
something that you could share with us that we really
don't get to see.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
I mean, it's it's it's it's a lonely process.
Speaker 3 (39:23):
Wow, it's it's it is you know, it's a singular,
you know, process that requires discipline and perseverance, and because
every day is not going to be a banner day
when you write something, you know, even oh.
Speaker 4 (39:38):
My god, that sucks. Why who would who even cares
that about.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
These characters I've got I've got to an the screenplay
being like, who's gonna care?
Speaker 4 (39:47):
Right?
Speaker 3 (39:48):
And but then you guys say, okay, wait a minute,
you wrote it for a reason, the idea was it
with inspiration behind it?
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Okay, so what's good about it? And so it's lonely.
It's uh, it's it's it's takes.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
It takes a lot of discipline because no one's just
telling you like, oh, like you've got to reach this
many pages in a day, right, I mean, if you're
getting paid you you know you do you are supposed
to like, you know, hit some deadlines and that's a
lot of pressure.
Speaker 4 (40:16):
Yeah, and you know it doesn't always you know, work
like that.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
When you say discipline, can you take us through a
day with Malcolm d Lee, like what that discipline looks like?
Because I'm sure some people don't even understand the discipline
it takes to be a storyteller.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
What does it look like from your lens?
Speaker 4 (40:32):
You know, every screenplay has been different, you know.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
You first, you can't just start writing interior, you know
Max's house day, you know, set in the scene.
Speaker 4 (40:43):
You have to like do pieces. You do a lot
of pre writing. You have to like who's this character?
What does he? Where does he come from? Or where
does she come from? What does he like? What's the
what you know?
Speaker 3 (40:54):
And so character first, That's where I always start with character.
Speaker 4 (40:59):
And just you know, try to like first, what's what
story are you telling? Right? And then how is and
and what's the interaction going to be is.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
It what's the tone? Is it a comedy, is it
a dramaa is it a drama? Is it a tragedy?
You know, Uh, you have to figure out tone, character, story, plot, uh,
inciting incident, you know, what's and what's going to keep
this going?
Speaker 4 (41:24):
Like why why why are we going to be watching
or or or reading? You know.
Speaker 3 (41:30):
So there's a lot that goes into it, and some
of it at this point I think it's a little
bit intuitive.
Speaker 4 (41:36):
Other other things are just that they take some some
discussion or.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
You know, looking, uh, reading other things, like reading other books,
doing research. You know, for instance, in this book here,
we have a huge section of it that takes place
in Ghana. Yes, and you know, I had to go
there for ten days to like just get myself immersed
(42:03):
in the culture, so I can speak authentically about what
uh an American woman's.
Speaker 4 (42:10):
H experience might be there somebody trying to open a restaurant.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
That's good, that's good. How was that experience bring?
Speaker 4 (42:17):
I love I love Ghana. Yeah, you know, it's just
very like.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
Traveling the world gives you a definitely a different perspective
on America.
Speaker 4 (42:28):
And the world right, absolutely about like.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Where we've come from, what was taken from us, what
we've endured, it's it's it's it's and what's still going on.
Speaker 4 (42:42):
So it's eye opening.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
Yeah, that's so good.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
When it comes to your book and you've grown with
these characters, how do you approach them now as an
adult different than what you did as a a twenty
year old.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
It's interesting.
Speaker 3 (43:01):
I don't know, you know, look, I I look at
their commonalities and their and their humanity and what they're
going what what are What did twenty year olds go through?
Speaker 4 (43:11):
Is all? You know?
Speaker 3 (43:12):
It was all the experience that I had, right, And
then you know what would happen if, like you know,
you've got kids and you know one of your friends
was dying, Like, what is that going to be?
Speaker 4 (43:25):
Like what if on I'm having financial trouble? What is that?
You know?
Speaker 3 (43:29):
What if what if the you know, this same group
of friends has something you know that that that that
comes up from there from your past that is affecting
your future.
Speaker 4 (43:40):
So these are all.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
Questions you ask and the Okay, let's put it in
the holidays and see what happens. Right, And so you know,
the same thing with with the with the final chapters
and with this book here you say, what's life like
for you know, uh, post divorce, you know, for somebody
who's very successful, like Harper is, who is like you know,
a politicerprize winner. You know, he's financially independent. He's you know,
(44:03):
not and kind of flushed with cash and like getting
a little you know, he's outside, you know, you getting
you know, trying to find companionship but it's not really working.
Speaker 4 (44:17):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (44:17):
What is life for life for for Jordan who's finally
given up the grind and gone into self care? What
does that look like for a woman who's you know,
a black woman, a professional black woman who's approaching her fifties,
you know, saying and and and what looked like for
a woman who's raising they're very American child you know
(44:38):
over in uh a crowd Ghana and trying to open
a restaurant, and you know the little child is like,
you know, having their own opinions and you know, becoming
a teenager and dealing with that and you know, so
and then new love and and rebirth and all these
things that like we explore the in the novel, and
then things that that have happen in the past that
(45:00):
affect you now. So it's all you know, those are
all themes that you just kind of like, you know,
I want to tackle. And then on top of it,
you know, I'm a better writer now than I was then.
I know like what has to happen well and what
the expectations are on where we're leading. But at the
same time, you have to trust the material and the
(45:22):
characters because they will tell you where it's gonna go.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
That's good, it's the truth.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
I mean, it's it's I will say, same thing happened
to the best man, the first best man that happened
in this book.
Speaker 4 (45:34):
I was going along a path. I give you an example.
Speaker 3 (45:38):
Robin was never that's the Sia Lathan's character. She was
never coming to the wedding in the original draft.
Speaker 4 (45:44):
Really, that's correct. It wasn't until we were we were
doing I was doing the the rewrite for the.
Speaker 3 (45:51):
Studio, and you know, my producer was like, you know
what if she came to the wedding, because all was
gonna happen was Harper.
Speaker 4 (45:59):
Was gonna get his He's like his ass beat.
Speaker 3 (46:01):
He was gonna you know, have his his lesson learned
and he was going to be like, you know what,
I need to make a stronger commitment to my relationship.
Speaker 4 (46:08):
He goes home.
Speaker 3 (46:09):
He's trying to make a meal for Robb and he's
messing it up and he's like, She's like what happens?
And he's like, here, give it. He gives her a
key to his place. It's nice, but it's not what
it needed to be once she got there, and once
you understood you must put pressure on your main character
(46:35):
in order to see what they're going to do.
Speaker 4 (46:38):
That is how you tell story.
Speaker 3 (46:41):
It's conflict, it's you know, it's like okay, So I
was like, God, what's going to happen right, you know?
Speaker 4 (46:47):
And you write it and say, oh, this is good,
this is better. She does calm him down.
Speaker 3 (46:51):
She first, she's pissed off and she wants to leave,
but he tells, I need you, please don't leave me.
Speaker 4 (46:57):
And that's a real thing. That was okay, Like she
can help and she's the woman for you. Yeah, right,
same thing in this. But I'm not gonna tell you
the ending.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
But I was going along a path and Jane and
I were talking and Chelsea, our editor, was like, well,
this is the way, this is happening, and you know,
you really got to think about what is what this
choice and with that choice, and what he.
Speaker 4 (47:20):
Should do here and what she should do there. And
I'm like, man, yeah, we got to do that. Yeah,
because that makes sense. That's so good.
Speaker 1 (47:31):
I love that. How much of your storytelling mirrors your life?
Speaker 4 (47:36):
Well some elements, yes, but not not a ton.
Speaker 3 (47:43):
I mean, look, I'm going through, you know, things that
like a lot of these characters going through like midlife metamorphosis,
you know, like what my body is changing?
Speaker 4 (47:54):
Like you know, yeah, uh, you know do it? I
do feel like like the best I felt that in years.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
But at the same time, like your body's like you
ain't you ain't twenty five no more, you ain't forty,
you know, and so like and you see friends who
you know, we have friends who have were together for
a long time, they got divorced, especially around this age.
Speaker 4 (48:14):
Yeah, so there's a reflection for sure that we're seeing,
you know. Fortunately, unlike Harper, I am still married.
Speaker 3 (48:21):
Amen, And you know, I'm I'm as much as as
I've been on the grind and want to be on
the grind and know the grand might want to push
for the grind, like you know, I like Jordan has
trying to find like a balance, right, So like that's
been you know, uh healthy as well, just trying to
(48:43):
you know, figure all those things out. And you know,
Robin being in Ghana, I get that. I get that
she's like a she chose choosing herself. She chose herself,
and she chose her happiness and she wasn't going to
be you know, supportive of a man that wasn't going
to give a reciprocal a reciprocy intidents the relationship.
Speaker 4 (49:06):
And so you know, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (49:10):
If I fans Has about being a Ghana, but when
I was there, I was like, should I do this?
Maybe the things keep going away there going here?
Speaker 4 (49:19):
Maybe?
Speaker 2 (49:21):
Yeah, that's so true. That's so true readers. I've heard
the books are flying off the shelves.
Speaker 4 (49:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
Yeah, I was just just yesterday my co writer Jane,
you know, she went, she has a ritual where she like,
she she goes she when she's in New York, she
gets a little hot chocolate from a certain place. She
goes to a Barnes and Noble in Midtown and you know,
signs books. So she did, she went and got the
hot chocolate. Yesterday went to Barnes and Noble sold out. Wow,
(49:51):
And I was like word, she was like yeah, so
and then we the Schomberg last night. All the books
were sold out. You know, the house was packed. It's fantastic. So, like,
I'm glad that people are taking to that. They care
about the story and they want to know the story,
even though it's not on the big or the small screen.
(50:11):
They can have their own uh small screen or big
screen experience, you know. And what everyone tells me, and
I believe it and I think it's true. It feels
like a movie, yeah, because you see you see who
the who the actors were, you know't have the picture
who they are. There's a few new characters that you
might say, oh, who would that be? You know, and
that's fair, go ahead and do that. And so you know,
(50:33):
and the social media has been pretty robust as well.
So we're very excited.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (50:38):
For people who are looking forward to diving in the book,
what can you tell them to look forward to.
Speaker 4 (50:45):
More of the same. If you love Best Man or
if you like the Best Man, you're gonna love this book.
You know.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
It's more the thing that the humors there, you know,
there's there's a depth of emotion that's there.
Speaker 4 (50:56):
It's gonna be some surprises.
Speaker 3 (50:58):
I definitely think people going to laugh and they're going
to talk out loud to the book. You know, they're
going to, uh, you know, get angry at characters. They're gonna,
you know, be sad for characters. They're gonna you know,
they should they should be you know, when when the
songs get referenced in there, they should play the playlist
for themselves. I think there's gonna be a lot to expect.
(51:20):
They're going to have a great time. It's a great journey.
And I'm hearing that people just like they binged final chapters,
people like I mean they watched it like multiple times,
and they watched it like from like beginning to end
in one setting.
Speaker 4 (51:35):
That that is what I'm hearing.
Speaker 3 (51:37):
People are finishing this book in two days and this
book is almost one undred pages. Oh yeah, and the
people are like just it's a page turner. They're they're
just just voraciously reading it.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
That's amazing. Congratulations everything.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
I'm so excited excited for you aid much success.
Speaker 1 (51:53):
Before we get out of here, I do want to
play a little game with you.
Speaker 2 (51:56):
Playing games Okay, it's a up of our games. So
just the first thing that comes to mind.
Speaker 4 (52:02):
Oh, boy, I'm terrible at these things. I'm gonna some of.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
These you would know because these are like some of
them are direct. What is the first trip you ever wrote?
Speaker 4 (52:12):
Oh, morning side prep?
Speaker 1 (52:15):
Favorite film that you didn't direct?
Speaker 4 (52:19):
Mm hmm, yeah, I was gonna. I'm gonna say Parenthood, Okay,
do it?
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Okay? A book that changed your life?
Speaker 4 (52:29):
It changed my life. But I would say Native Sons good.
Speaker 1 (52:34):
Most surreal moment in your career so far?
Speaker 4 (52:37):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
I'm sure it has to do with Girls Trip, probably
shooting at essence of Girls Trip.
Speaker 1 (52:46):
Yes, that was Yeah, that was crazy that y'all did that.
Your favorite author.
Speaker 4 (52:54):
Probably Richard right, okay?
Speaker 1 (52:56):
And favorite fictional character? H Do you have a favorite
in your in your world like a favorite character? Boy?
Speaker 3 (53:12):
No, I.
Speaker 4 (53:14):
Love all these.
Speaker 3 (53:15):
I love all my characters, right, maybe Quentin, because that's
very selfish to say my own character.
Speaker 4 (53:21):
I'm sure there are others you know.
Speaker 3 (53:22):
In the movie and television that I can't think that
Nobody's coming to mind in my mind's a blank?
Speaker 4 (53:27):
All right?
Speaker 1 (53:28):
Last one? What is bringing you the most joy right now?
Speaker 3 (53:34):
I think life in general, like, I got a very
good balance, kids are healthy, wife's in my corner. I
got a book coming out, I got my career is
doing well. I'd like to make a little bit more money,
but other than that, I'm good.
Speaker 1 (53:51):
I love that Malcolm, thank you so much. Thank you.
It's the book. It's on the sales right now or
maybe not selling out.
Speaker 4 (54:01):
Better get that book. Yes, don't be left out the chat.
Speaker 1 (54:04):
Listen, do not be left out the chat. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 2 (54:08):
Amazing Today on the shoes, I am wearing a heart
Aliyah pump. My skirt is Lepard fented by Zara, T
shirt is Christian Dior, Jurry van Kleet Scaparelli, and my
ear rings.
Speaker 1 (54:28):
Are also by Scaparelli. Get into it.
Speaker 2 (54:33):
Wow, it feels like maybe the Sweeties need to start
a book club and call a meeting because we need
to discuss this book and these characters. Make sure you
guys like subscribe and tell a friend to tell a friend,
and make sure you hit that notification button until next time.
Speaker 1 (54:49):
Keep it posa Sweeties.
Speaker 4 (55:00):
Then then then
Calling all my sweeties to the forefront. I'm your host, Christopher,
and this is a keeping positive, sweetish show. A sweeties,
you already know what time it is.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's your weekly dose of joy, a real talk and
a little soul work.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
On the side.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I have been so excited about every single guest that
we've had this season. We've had nothing but Jim's dropped
every single episode and today will be no different. He
is a writer, director, producer of work that has spanned
over different generations. We all love his characters. We root
for them, we've cried with them, and we've grown with them.
(00:40):
You may know him from films like Best Man, Girls, Trip,
Night School, His Family.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Please give a very.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Warm welcome to Malcolm d Lee. Malcolm, how are you
feeling good?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
You fresh off the flight of glad?
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So this is the second stop on your book tour. Yeah,
the first one was amazing. So I guess I got
some big shoes to feel for tonight.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Oh, you'll be fine.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
It's gonna because it's no pressure, you know, let's just
let's just have a conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
So let's everyone knows you from your Best Man film
and the television series Girls Trip, which was one of
my favorite Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
And then I heard that may be doing another one.
As soon as I heard, I was like, I need that.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
We're working on it, working on it.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yes, and Space Jam the legacy. People know you from that,
but I want to know who Malcolm is.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Where are you from?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Tell us your journey to get to the best man
that has a movie that we've all grown up to
and watched for years.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yeah. I was born in Queens, New York. I was
raised in Brooklyn.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I grew up with both my parents and my brother
and I for dominantly white private school since the fifth grade.
From twelfth grade I went to and I was the
only black male in my class.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Uh from fifth to twelfth grade.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Ended up going to Yeah, Yeah, it was it was
interesting existence uh and then went to UH to Georgetown
University undergrad went to n y U Film School.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
And always had a love for the fine and.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Performing arts, you know, from a very early age. And
what those you know, prep schools did for me was
exposed me to film and television, very early animation, video making.
And I always like to act and write and draw,
you know, create little scenarios with you know, action figures
and things like that.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
So yeah, that's that's you know I grew up.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I grew up like, you know, like that, and you know,
participating in many different arts endeavors, and you know, I
think it was certainly encouraged by my family. I think
they kind of said, let me explore, Like you know,
my mom would put me in art classes and and
things like that. And she was a medical records administrator.
(03:03):
She transitioned to be a college professor later on. My
my father was a school teacher and musician.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
And yeah, and so we grew up in a limestone
in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Very nice.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
So wow, it's similar to me in my childhood. I
grew up predominantly white community, was one of the few
black kids from kindergarten all the way to the twelfth grade,
and then moved to d C. You went to Georgetown.
That's when I was like, WHOA, a whole new world.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
No.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I mean even going to Georgetown like that was more
black people than I'd been around in my life. And
then it was Howard was right across the you know,
right across town. So yeah, if I wanted to you
know see more I can, I can, I can, you know, experience,
and it was all at the time it was still
known as Chocolate City.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
So yeah, I would say primarily good, good, happy childhood,
you know, pretty well adjusted and you know, kind of
felt like I knew what I wanted to do when
I was undergrad I mean I got to work with
my cousin Spike.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Very early Spike Lee' that's my cousin. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Wow, you know that bline all right.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Now, you know. Yeah, So I got to work with
him very early on.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
He was in film school in the early eighties and
living in my parents' basement.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
And so I got to see very early on the
emergence of the you know, great American and now world
renowned filmmaker who I didn't know what time was going
to be that right, and but he demonstrated that it
was possible to have a career in this industry. And
you know, I got to work with him really from
She's Got to Have It On through Malcolm X and
(04:49):
Clockers and Girls six and so that was you know,
great education and a great encouragement from him to you know, uh,
be creative and right black film and you know and
and and really kind of demonstrating how powerful the moving
image was, particularly when it came to black people. So
(05:13):
it's not something you we that should be taken lightly
because that you know, movies, television shape attitudes and culture
and uh and can affect people's views of.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
You know, humanity. So I've always taken that very seriously.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
In the in the legacy that that my family has
come from, it has very much been that. You know,
my father's side of the family, he had six brothers
and sisters and they all went to HBCUs they all
played instruments. The instruments skipped my generation. I don't play
anything but the radio. And so you know, uh, that
(05:55):
was a legacy that that that that that was that
I came from. Education was important and because they had
seen one filmmaker come out of the basement, they were like, now,
you know, why don't you pursue that?
Speaker 4 (06:07):
And you know, and I was encouraged to do.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
So, okay, I love that. That is fascinating. Wow, So
Spike Lee is in your basement. I wanted to ask you,
growing up around predominantly white people and in a predominantly
white community, where did you find the inspiration to write
the way you write for our culture and our community
because it is it hits home every single time.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
I'll tell you, well, you know, I was living my
neighborhood that I live than was black, you know, and
I you know, I'd play ball, you know, down at
the local playground, you know, and there's plenty of you know.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
I play a black experience.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
And it was like that was that was like the
duality that I was living, you know, like you know,
being you know black, you know, trying to be black
enough for my from my neighborhood, and trying to be
you know, at least a model minority for the white folks,
you know.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
And so.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
That was the kind of the the you know this
you know you talk about coach switching. That was doing
that very very ry on. But you know what what
it afforded me and what it allowed me to think
was like, you know, I saw you know a lot
of different size of the world, you know, Jewish kids,
Christian kids, boss speak kids, whatever, and you know, you know,
(07:16):
and also wealthy kids. And so have an experience that
not only in fifth through twelfth grade, but also in
college gave me a wealth of experience. And then also
going to college. You see different kinds of black people too, right, Like,
so like brothers from Texas and Atlanta and from California,
(07:40):
and you know, the DC area, and there's lots of
different dialects and lots of different you know way you know,
more rains and ware people speak. So you know, I
observed all of that and became friends with lots of
different kinds of people and different kinds of black people,
which you know, and and my experiences that yours sound.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Definitely influenced and was inspired.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
By my relationships that I made it at Georgetown. And
so what I was finding, particularly in movies about black
people or not even about black that had black people
in it, you know, it was very.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Kind of.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Very very narrow depictions, yes, right, you know, so there
was the you know, there's the hood brother, there's the
quirky friend, or there's always the sassy girlfriend, and it's
like and then particularly when it came to educated brothers,
they just like forgot they were black. They had no
cultural specificity of blackness, so they would like check their
(08:36):
atnicity of the door. And that's somehow that meant because
you're educated, you're speaking the King's English, you are you
know one way, you have a bat up year behind
and you're just like, you know, you just you aspire
to be white, right, which is like not my experience
and not these parents are the people that I went
to school with. So I was like, this is not
(08:59):
this is not real or not authentic to me. And
so I drew all my experiences to create characters that
I thought were more authentically you know, presented, and you know,
movies that preceded The Best Man, like Loved Jones and
(09:21):
Soul Food even waiting to exhale at least for the
women you know, were true were depictions of the black
people that I interacted with.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Take us to when the idea of Best Man came.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Where were you?
Speaker 4 (09:39):
It's an interesting question. Now. I had done after film school,
I'm sorry, before film school.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
In between film school and undergrad, I went to do
a screenwriting program at Disney. I got a fellowship. I
wrote two scripts, my first two screenplays there. When I
went to film school, did a couple of shorts. I
wrote three more screenplays. That fifth one I was determined
to make right. It was called Feast and Famine. It
(10:07):
was a romantic comedy, very much in the vein of
like an Annie Hall or When Harry Met Sally, a
classic New York love story.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
And you know, I wanted to make the movie.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
I was trying to raise money for it, and so
when I couldn't do that independently.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
It was really difficult.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
And I was just like, you know what, I'm gonna
write something so commercial that I'm going to sell it,
and I'm going to use the money that I sell
that with to make Feast and Famine.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
And that script was the best man.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
And so I was in the midst of writing it
and I was just like, oh, I can direct this,
but and I will say I knew how it was
going to be commercial. Was I knew that there was,
you know, a dearth of movies about black or a wedding, right,
(11:04):
like the wedding movies are very popular at the time.
And so I was like, Okay, I got to do
a movie, a wedding movie with black people in it.
And because I hadn't been one to date at that time,
and I love ensemble movies, and I wanted to have
a very clear react structure, and there was built in
set pieces your bachelor party, you're the fellows hanging out
(11:26):
one night, the rehearsal dinner, the you know one all
and the wedding itself, and then I knew that was
going to have a magic prop in there that was
which was the book that keeps getting passed around.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
So I.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Made sure that I had all of the the elements
of you know, a commercial movie before I wrote it.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
And so I wrote it. I was like, Okay, this.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Feels right awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Now how long did it take from writing The Best
Man to it actually getting green lid?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Remember finishing the script?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
It was, you know, I was up early one morning
and I was and I just finished it and I
was in my parents' basement.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I walked upstairs, said this ain't it.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
I don't know what they want. And I was going
to be like, either become a teacher or go to
law school. And because you know what what I was
trying to make, they weren't trying to make, and so
I am I would say that was I knew I want.
What I wanted to do was time it. I'm trying
to remember now. I wanted to time the finishing the
(12:33):
script by the time the movie's Soul Food came out.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Got it now.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Also being strategic about how I was going to approach it,
and I thought if Soul Food would was going to
be successful cause I had read about, you know, the
movie in a trade magazine and I remember thinking, yeah,
like it's even though what I'm writing is not soul food,
(12:58):
They'll be looking for the next soul food type of
things that where black people are just doing, We're doing
more than just you know, being in the hood and
running from danger, you know what I mean. So I
was like, Okay, if this movie is successful with Nea
Long and Vivoca Fox and Vanessa Williams and Babyface is
going to be doing a soundtrack, this could do well.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
And if that does well, that would bode well for
my script. So I was done with it by the
time Soul Foods.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Premiered at Urban World in New York and I think
that was fall of or late summer of ninety eight,
no ninety seven, Sorry, And then we went around to
a couple of different studios.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Spike had read it. He was like, this is the
this is the one. Wow.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
And so we met with Columbia. He had a deal
there at the time. It's a funny story behind that,
but I'll get to that later. Then then I would say.
That was late mid fall, and then by the time
the Academy Awards came around, me landed at Universal Wow
(14:04):
in March of ninety eight, and they.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Said, we like this, we want to try to developing
and make it. Wow.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
How did that feel in that moment when they said
finally Well, it.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Was funny because it was It's not that it doesn't
happen like that, because what happens is because in fact,
the first few students we went to they were like,
we like it, but it's not for us, right, yeah,
we don't need to do some development. And Spike is
being who he is, it's like, all right, later for y'all,
we're going someplace else. So I'm like, uh, maybe we
(14:40):
should listen, but he was like, nope, we're gonna find somebody.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
This is this movie is gonna get made. It's okay, fine.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So we go to Universal and he says, okay, look,
we're gonna tell them they got to pay you for it.
If they want to do any notes, they gonna pay
for we right, and they don't like it, but taking
it away, I said, great, so we're gonna listen to
their notes.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
So that's what happens.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
So you know there was there were notes and they said,
here's a little money, and and at first I was excited,
but when you get like the money that they offer,
it's great. But like you see where Uncle Sam really
comes in and just I was like, that's what I'm
that's that's what I got. Okay, but fine. I was
(15:21):
living in my parents' basement.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
It was all fine.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
And did the rewrite and in about two months and
then I was green Lid.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
So that was exciting. The night that that that that
I found out that we were green Lid.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
At a budget.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I think we were asking for seven or eight and
they said you can have it for nine. Oh wow, yeah,
because they looked at it and you're gonna need nine
and then we actually needed more, but we were like great,
So that was exciting.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
Various. I remember where I was. I was in I
was in New York.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
My girlfriend who's my who's my wife at the now,
and and another couple and we just came from a
restaurant and uh, I got the Did I have a
cell phone then or was it a beeper? I don't,
I'm I'm front remember I was on a payphone for
(16:13):
I was on a cell phone. I think it was
a cell phone now, yeah, And I got a call
from my executive at the studio says, yep, you're you're greenlit.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Let's go. We're best man. Though we did, we did
become them one of the box office.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
How much of that one gross? After getting for nine million?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Then you years first weekend it made it's a budget
back and then it grossed about thirty four or thirty
five million.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Yeah, wow, And that's a huge.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
It was big. It was big. It was very big.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Was that even for that time for a black film?
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Oh, it was very big.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Even the fact that we were number one that weekend
was shoote yeah, I mean no, nobody makes nobody gets
nine million dollars and like, oh you're number one.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
That's unheard of today. It'd be like yeah, whatever dollars.
But it was.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
And we beat out Fight Club and Martin Scorsese movie
and this this very popular movie that.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
Actually Judd had done called Double Jeffardy. Yeah yeah, yeah,
so it was it was, it was. It was a great,
great story.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, how did that shift?
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Like where you were in your life at that point?
Speaker 4 (17:22):
It was everything? Man?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Like I was like that was that that? After you
become what I like to say, is the prom queen.
Everybody wants to dance, right, everybody wants to meet. Everybody
wants to, you know, like, you know, give you projects.
They all want to say, hey, would you consider this?
YadA YadA YadA. So it was it was pretty fantastic.
And you you know, your head can get you know,
(17:45):
swollen and blow up and stuff and you and again,
you know, I'm young, I'm like just new to this business.
But when you start getting accolades and you think, oh
my stuff, don't think I'm good. Oh yeah, I mean
it's impossible not to write at whatever age you are,
or when you're first coming in the business. You know,
(18:08):
it's tough to like, you know, navigate all that absolutely
because they will.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
They will.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I'm sure you've heard the saying they'll build you up
and they'll tear you down, and it happens, you know,
and sometimes I could be your own doing.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Like I wanted to be an author. I wanted to
be a writer director.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
So if they were coming to me with a script
that they were like, well, we'd love you to direct this,
I'd be like, well, I didn't write that, so that's
not I do better than that, you know, or if
they want you to write something that you know, but
they don't want you to direct it.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
I was just like, I'm not doing that either, But
that's shortsighted.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I learned that now, So now you would take the
opportunity to like.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Well now now I'm no, I'm post fifty now, so
I'm just like, now I'm gonna do what I want.
But at that age you have to be much more malleable.
You have to feel like you got to you gotta
kind of, you know, look at the entire landscape and
you know, because what is popular today, what is working now,
ain't gonna work in a couple of years, right, So
(19:13):
you have to like really kind of read the tea leaves.
You have to like, you know, learn to say, well,
maybe I can do something with this.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
I mean, at a.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Certain points, you got you know, there's something that they'll
give you to be like, I don't know what the
heck I'm gonna do with this, right, But I think
that's the balance, right of trying to figure out, you know,
one's career. But at the same time, it's like if
you don't go through certain things, you're not gonna.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Learn absolutely absolutely you said, what works now may not
work ten years from now. You created years from now, right,
but you actually created something back then that still works today.
How does it feel that you created something that is
still so relevant and resonates from me being in my
teens at that time to me being a adult where
(20:00):
I can watch it and still like, oh my goodness,
I still get it.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
You know, I feel very fortunate. You know, my intention,
this is no there is no lie. My intention in
making The Best Man was to make a classic, to
make a movie that you know, would stay in the
test of time, that would resonate for decades and generations.
And thankfully that happened, you know, thanks to I mean,
I think a large part to the where the script.
(20:25):
You know, where we started with the script. You know,
I wrote a good script and it was the right
script at the right time.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
You know a lot of times when when when you
know films.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
The zeit guys, they're like, oh, like that strikes a
nerve and it's nostalgia, you know, from then on, so
people can't really see any other thing.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
And so that was the intention.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Was never the intention to do a sequel, or do
a television series or now even a book.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
You know, it was just like, let me just make
a movie that's.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Gonna that's be a one off, because I don't want
to I did not want to repeat myself second time around,
you know what I mean. So when you know, so
there was talk of a sequel very early on, but
I was like, no, I don't want to do that.
I don't want to be a one trick pony, and
these characters need to live some life. I need to
live some life before I decide I want to tackle
(21:17):
this again.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
So it just so happened that, you know, as they
would have it.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
And as I said, around twenty ten twenty eleven, business
for me was very slow. And what was the big
thing then branding? What was my brand? The Best Man?
Everyone knew that I had done four of the movies,
but they weren't as popular or as you know, kind
of like memorable as The Best Man.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
And I was like, I think it's time to start
doing it. And I started like doing little.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Notes and things on the sequel for years at that,
but never really committing to paper.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
And I was like, Okay, now's the time to try
to do a sequel.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
And I pitched it to the cast and they were like,
let's do it.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Yeah, when you look back from over the years and
you see the impact that you that you've made on
our community, what is a part of your legacy that
means the most to you?
Speaker 4 (22:12):
You know?
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Look, I love that black folks in particular love these depictions,
right like it is my mission. I firmly believe it
is my mission on earth to show the humanity of
black people and to normalize black life in America. You know,
(22:34):
I've always wanted to tell a universal story with black people.
They all experienced the same human emotions, you know, and
so with this's all though the stories are very universal,
there's a lot of cultural specificity, and I always want to.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Do that with my work.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
And I'm glad that people get it. It resonates people,
you know, feel it in here. They don't just you know,
laugh and smile and cry whatever like that. It's it's
a part of who they are and their you know,
their their DNA and you know that that it that
it resonates.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
And it's great that you.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Know, every time Candy from Cameo comes on, everybody does
the electric slid.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
I find that pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Right for sure. I love that when it comes to
your creative process. Do you wait on something to spark
or what what moves you? And then how do you
really go through that whole process When it comes to writing.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
It's it's a mixed bag, you know, and I would
say it's changed, it's evolved over the years, you know.
Sometimes you know, I wait when I'm writing something, I'm like, oh,
you gotta wait till the mus hits me. Around three
o'clock is when the music is going to hit me
and play a visit and I can start, you know,
really getting creative. But then it gets to a point
where you realize, like this is a job, and you
(23:54):
know you're always going to write the crappy draft. You
have to write the happy you have to because you
have to. You got to get to the end. Because
screenwriting and I'm and now I've found.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Out a novel. Writing it's all about rewriting, you know.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
You got to get to the end and then look
back and say, okay, oh that's terrible.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
Oh well that's not so bad, and that's it, and
then you just make it better.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
You find enjoying that process huh.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
Yeah. Sometimes, oh sometimes it's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Sometimes it's like I find myself laughing when things things
are are are supposed to be funny. I find myself
crying when when they're when they're emotional, you know, Yeah,
it's it's so that's very joyous, you know, but it's hard.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
It's a hard problem to get there, right.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
But the thing I have to keep my mind of,
you guys got to keep plowing forward. And even if
you're gonna not write what's you know, the the story
that you're working on, you got to write something you
have to, like, you know, I've learned recently from a
writer friend of mine, like just at the beginning.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
Of the day, start your brain dump.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
You know, I meditate first, I do a meditation and
then you try to try to clear my mind and
then go ahead and write.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
What's all my brain, what's on my head?
Speaker 3 (25:24):
So I can just get rid of that and then okay,
now I can get back to the page of it,
right and then like just and it ain't gonna be great.
It might be great, it might not be And some
days are better than others.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Yeah, for sure. I think that's with everything you talked about.
For some years, there was a time where it was
really slow for you. What were those moments like when
you realize you had to play the long game, and
it wasn't just gonna come like you thought like it
was coming to nineteen ninety nine.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
That was a long game too, you know. I mean
I knew I wanted to be a Bombers this time
I was nineteen. So by the time I was twenty five,
and then in my third year of film school, I
was like, this ain't working like I you know, John
Singleton made Boys in the Hood by the time he
was twenty two. Orson Wells made Citizen King by twenty five,
(26:11):
Like what am I doing?
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Right?
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Yeah, So it is a long and you have to
just you know, what I've learned is you have to
be a little patient. You have to have perseverance, stick toitiveness,
you know, and then like I said, you gotta if
something comes along. Sometimes it's ridiculous. My age will give
me a script and I'm like, they want to make this?
Speaker 4 (26:35):
What? What? What?
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Why do they huh?
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And so I remember there was one script there was
a star that was circling it and he was like
a supposed to be a Kirk Franklin type, right, and
he's like.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
You know, he was very much kind of a task
master and not a good guy.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Yeah, and he ends up in purgatory.
Speaker 4 (27:02):
He gets into the car accident in the purgatory and
they're like, well.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
You can go to either heaven or Hell, or you
can go back to this little white town and teach
these white people gospel music.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
And I was like, they want to make this.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
They want to make this. They're like yeah. I was like,
they want to make this. And so like you get
those things happy, you know, and during those dry patches,
it's like you just got to try, you know, to
reinvent yourself, like I. And during that time, that's when
I started to move towards television.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
I'd written a specscript that didn't get.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Sold, and then I said, okay, let me say I
can make it a tell television show. And that kept
me aflip for a bit because I was able to
turn televis show and get a little bit of money.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
And then that's when I came up when with the branding.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Thing with Best Man Holiday, and after that I was like,
I ain't saying no to nothing, but when when a
script comes in and it's they want me to do it,
and it's going and the train's about to leave the station,
all right, give me a week or two and I'll
just go and do it, because you can't. You can't
just squadw these opportunities when you're hot. You gotta like,
(28:10):
you know, keep hopping on it. But at the same time,
you have to have a life balance as well.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Right, let's talk about that.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
It's it's it's it's not.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
It's just funny too, because you know, my wife keeps
me in check very much, you know, in terms of
like making sure that I'm present, right, And at the
same time, she's like, yo, you got to go make
that money too, right, And I remember, it's so funny.
I had just done Girls Trip and it was it
(28:38):
wasn't coming out yet, but they had tremendous buzz, right,
and Universal wanted to make this movie Night School with
Kevin Hart. And I was like, and they gave me
a script and I I read it twice. I fell
asleep and I'm like, I can't do this, Like this
is not a good script, right, And but they were like, oh,
this is very important to the studio and blah blah,
blah blah.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
They were gonna make it.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
And I was just like, and I talked over my
wife and she was like, well, look, you gotta do
what you feel, right, And they were gonna pay me,
you know.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
A good salary.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
But I was like, you know, grocery was so hard
on a very hard year, between grocery and barbershop, and
I'm not gonna do it. I tell Will Packer, Uh,
you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna pass.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
And I hung up the phone.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
I was in my office and I called my wife
and she was like, I said, yeah, I passed. She's
like all that money, huh. I was like, but you
said call my heart, I said, call him back. So
I called back. I was like, yeah, yeah, yah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I got calling back.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
I mean, that is the layer. This is one like
that was saying when she says one thing, but she
really means another.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
No, actually, you know she she just you know again,
she keeps me checking like you know, it's it's it's
all about checks and balance. It's like, okay, you know,
think about it, but what is it gonna mean long term?
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Right?
Speaker 3 (30:00):
And again when you when you say no. And that
was the other thing too. Having done that movie that
was very important to the studio. I got my deal
at the studio. There's a whole the relationships that are
very important that needs preserved and cultivated. So it's that's
(30:21):
the long game.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Yeah, did that in turn that deal with them? Did
that in turn help you with the Peacock deal?
Speaker 3 (30:27):
For I was already in a a I'm sorry, A
television deal with Universal Television Studio is different.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
But I've deal with with both of them right now.
So it's I'm one of their soldiers.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Love it, love it. That's working out good for you.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
See, it could be better, but you know, I.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Think that's let's talk about that to just a state
of Hollywood. You know, we had the writers had a strike,
then that actors had a strike, and then transfer they
almost had a strike.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
How has that one affected you?
Speaker 2 (31:04):
And then when you say it could be better, I
think everybody in the industry feels like that's their answer,
it could be better.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, I mean it's it's a tough time right now,
I think, especially in the past two years, and then
you know, if you even count the pandemic, you know
before that that was very, very tough. A lot of
people are losing jobs. The industry is shrinking, especially after
the writer's track. There it is, it is, it's it's
a business. Contracting it and this happens, it goes through
(31:30):
ebbs and flows yes, and so I would say that, yeah,
I mean it's it's it's a tough time and they're
very much running scared. You know, they're not just saying
yes to everything. They're not you know, like taking chances
on a lot of things. Right, they want the shore
fire thing. There's no such thing, by the way, but
they're relying very much on intellectual property that's.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
Been successful in the past.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Right.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
So that's why you see it in the Jurassic Park
being made mission impossible being you know, if you know
that there they fail, people are going to go to
those people are going to.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Show up, you know.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
So that's what we're We're doing that and a number
of other things that we're trying to do. Original content,
trying to do you know, you know things like like
you know, book adaptations to to.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
The screen and things like that too.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
So you know, if it has a follow up, if
it has a built an audience, it's easier.
Speaker 4 (32:24):
For them to say yes.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Right.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
But even that, you know, the development process, finding the
right writer, finding the right producer, finding the right actors,
find the right talent, trying to find the you know,
the schedules that will line up.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
It's not easy.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
It's not It's so true. Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Talk about book adaptations, one of the questions we all
had was like, is he gonna make turn this book
into a series? Because he knows you're gonna do three books,
three books. This is the first one of the three.
How is the writing process for a script and a
book different?
Speaker 3 (32:58):
I think, you know, they're similar in that you you've
got to have character, you have to have story. You
got the right scenes, you have the right dialogue, you have.
Speaker 4 (33:10):
To create a world. However, with a screenplay, it's.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
A lot more contained and a lot more restrictive. But
something great can come out of that. Right. But you
you have that that classic three act structure with your
you know, inciting incident and your engine that pulls you
(33:37):
through the second act and you know the the Daniel
Mall and the third act crisis or the end of
second act crisis and then the resolution and all these
are these are part of movie low. You have to
do these things, you know, they're they're they're exceptions to
that rule.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
But with a book, you can kind of take your
time a little bit. There's a lot more expansive story
telling that goes on.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
You get into these characters brains and psychees, and get.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
To know them on an intimate level.
Speaker 3 (34:08):
I mean, people think they know, you know, Harper, Robin
and Jordan, but they don't know some of their backstory,
their upbringing, They don't know where they where they came from. Really,
you know, they might have some idea, but and what
they're there thinking is I mean, you only tell what
they're thinking when they tell you what they're thinking, right,
they say it on television show or a movie or
(34:29):
if they're doing voiceover.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
But with the book, you're able.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
To to get into their subconscious You're able to also
take advantage of all kinds of the sense, all the senses,
you know, the touch.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
The feel, the seed, and hearing, the taste. So you
know it. It's a fantastic, more expansive way of storytelling.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Absolutely what made you say it is time to write
a book?
Speaker 3 (34:57):
I love the written word from you know early on
and fantasized about writing a novel. Really yeah, because you know, right,
my screenplays I've always been too long, right, Like you know,
I remember my first draft of the Best Man was
like one hundred and.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Thirty five pages.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
Oh wow, yeah, and the studio was like, you got
to cut this down. So, you know, I played with
fonts and stuff and got it down to one twenty
big mistake.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
Once they reset that thing.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
They were like, oh my god, you've got to cut this.
And I was like, oh, well, you know, so I
like having the you know, the breath of storytelling in
writing a novel, so like that was a beautiful process.
And I got to, you know, collaborate with a co
writer named Jane Allen.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
Yes, and she was established in the world.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
I I, you know, I hadn't you know, had that opportunity,
and I knew I wasn't gonna be able to do
it myself. I do have a day job, and so I,
you know, I said, well, I want to try this thing,
you know how it could potentially work, but it was
it was time and also time to do it with
this these characters, and this was the This was a
kind of an easy Foray, or an easier Foray than
to create characters from whole cloth. There was a backstory
(36:09):
that existed, there's the characters that existed. There were circumstances
that you know, people were familiar with and even those
people who aren't familiar with it, I think can still
vibe with the with the with the storytelling that goes
on here.
Speaker 4 (36:20):
So yeah, I mean it was it was time to
do it, and I knew that.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
You know, it would be incredibly difficult to mount another
television show or movie with the storytelling that I wanted
to do, and to get all those actors back together,
it would be very difficult. So I was like, well,
let me, let me give this a shot and try it.
(36:45):
And because the fans wanted more, you know, from these characters,
I thought we were done after final chapters. And I
think it was mainly because of how difficult it was
to wrangle everybody and get the studio to a pre
you know, this budget, and it's.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
Just not easy. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Oh man, So does that mean we may not get
any more final chapters?
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Because right there written, you'll have it there and and
it's a very cinematic experience. You know, people are really
going to this is a deeper look at these characters
than we've ever experienced before.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
I will say that we talked about this too.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
When you read a book and then you go watch
the TV or film adaptation, the book is always better.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
So I'm excited to really die there.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
Yeah, because you know, look, when you're reading a book,
you have what you envision for, right, and there's there's
probably millions of people's interpretations of you know.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
What that is.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
But when you're watching a movie television show, that's one
person's vision, right. It's a director or the writer, maybe
maybe five people's vision of what that thing should be.
And then you have a bunch of other people like
costume designers and you know, directors of atography and uh,
you know, production designers that are all going to like
put their their stamp on it as well. So it's
(38:06):
a collaborative process, whereas the book is a singular experience,
you know, for the reader and for the writer.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Yeah, which one do you enjoy better?
Speaker 4 (38:18):
If you had?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
I definitely enjoyed this, and I enjoyed the screenwriting process too,
you know when it's when.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
It's flowing hard, this is tough. I mean, I like
them both.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
I like the creative process, and you know, especially you
know in television and in you know, in this case
with the with the with the book, I had a
collaborator and you know, and and you know, in the
the television writers, so it's always good to like, you know,
get input, and that's that generates good, healthy discussion, and
(38:56):
that generates ideas. When you're you know, singular and writing
your own screenplay, that's great also, and I do enjoy.
Speaker 4 (39:03):
That too, but you know, I love that.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
What part of being a storyteller do you think that
people don't get to see? We see the finished outcome,
and we see everything that you do on TV, but
we don't really see the ins and outs. What is
something that you could share with us that we really
don't get to see.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
I mean, it's it's it's it's a lonely process.
Speaker 3 (39:23):
Wow, it's it's it is you know, it's a singular,
you know, process that requires discipline and perseverance, and because
every day is not going to be a banner day
when you write something, you know, even oh.
Speaker 4 (39:38):
My god, that sucks. Why who would who even cares
that about.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
These characters I've got I've got to an the screenplay
being like, who's gonna care?
Speaker 4 (39:47):
Right?
Speaker 3 (39:48):
And but then you guys say, okay, wait a minute,
you wrote it for a reason, the idea was it
with inspiration behind it?
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Okay, so what's good about it? And so it's lonely.
It's uh, it's it's it's takes.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
It takes a lot of discipline because no one's just
telling you like, oh, like you've got to reach this
many pages in a day, right, I mean, if you're
getting paid you you know you do you are supposed
to like, you know, hit some deadlines and that's a
lot of pressure.
Speaker 4 (40:16):
Yeah, and you know it doesn't always you know, work
like that.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
When you say discipline, can you take us through a
day with Malcolm d Lee, like what that discipline looks like?
Because I'm sure some people don't even understand the discipline
it takes to be a storyteller.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
What does it look like from your lens?
Speaker 4 (40:32):
You know, every screenplay has been different, you know.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
You first, you can't just start writing interior, you know
Max's house day, you know, set in the scene.
Speaker 4 (40:43):
You have to like do pieces. You do a lot
of pre writing. You have to like who's this character?
What does he? Where does he come from? Or where
does she come from? What does he like? What's the
what you know?
Speaker 3 (40:54):
And so character first, That's where I always start with character.
Speaker 4 (40:59):
And just you know, try to like first, what's what
story are you telling? Right? And then how is and
and what's the interaction going to be is.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
It what's the tone? Is it a comedy, is it
a dramaa is it a drama? Is it a tragedy?
You know, Uh, you have to figure out tone, character, story, plot, uh,
inciting incident, you know, what's and what's going to keep
this going?
Speaker 4 (41:24):
Like why why why are we going to be watching
or or or reading? You know.
Speaker 3 (41:30):
So there's a lot that goes into it, and some
of it at this point I think it's a little
bit intuitive.
Speaker 4 (41:36):
Other other things are just that they take some some
discussion or.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
You know, looking, uh, reading other things, like reading other books,
doing research. You know, for instance, in this book here,
we have a huge section of it that takes place
in Ghana. Yes, and you know, I had to go
there for ten days to like just get myself immersed
(42:03):
in the culture, so I can speak authentically about what
uh an American woman's.
Speaker 4 (42:10):
H experience might be there somebody trying to open a restaurant.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
That's good, that's good. How was that experience bring?
Speaker 4 (42:17):
I love I love Ghana. Yeah, you know, it's just
very like.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
Traveling the world gives you a definitely a different perspective
on America.
Speaker 4 (42:28):
And the world right, absolutely about like.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Where we've come from, what was taken from us, what
we've endured, it's it's it's it's and what's still going on.
Speaker 4 (42:42):
So it's eye opening.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
Yeah, that's so good.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
When it comes to your book and you've grown with
these characters, how do you approach them now as an
adult different than what you did as a a twenty
year old.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
It's interesting.
Speaker 3 (43:01):
I don't know, you know, look, I I look at
their commonalities and their and their humanity and what they're
going what what are What did twenty year olds go through?
Speaker 4 (43:11):
Is all? You know?
Speaker 3 (43:12):
It was all the experience that I had, right, And
then you know what would happen if, like you know,
you've got kids and you know one of your friends
was dying, Like, what is that going to be?
Speaker 4 (43:25):
Like what if on I'm having financial trouble? What is that?
You know?
Speaker 3 (43:29):
What if what if the you know, this same group
of friends has something you know that that that that
comes up from there from your past that is affecting
your future.
Speaker 4 (43:40):
So these are all.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
Questions you ask and the Okay, let's put it in
the holidays and see what happens. Right, And so you know,
the same thing with with the with the final chapters
and with this book here you say, what's life like
for you know, uh, post divorce, you know, for somebody
who's very successful, like Harper is, who is like you know,
a politicerprize winner. You know, he's financially independent. He's you know,
(44:03):
not and kind of flushed with cash and like getting
a little you know, he's outside, you know, you getting
you know, trying to find companionship but it's not really working.
Speaker 4 (44:17):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (44:17):
What is life for life for for Jordan who's finally
given up the grind and gone into self care? What
does that look like for a woman who's you know,
a black woman, a professional black woman who's approaching her fifties,
you know, saying and and and what looked like for
a woman who's raising they're very American child you know
(44:38):
over in uh a crowd Ghana and trying to open
a restaurant, and you know the little child is like,
you know, having their own opinions and you know, becoming
a teenager and dealing with that and you know, so
and then new love and and rebirth and all these
things that like we explore the in the novel, and
then things that that have happen in the past that
(45:00):
affect you now. So it's all you know, those are
all themes that you just kind of like, you know,
I want to tackle. And then on top of it,
you know, I'm a better writer now than I was then.
I know like what has to happen well and what
the expectations are on where we're leading. But at the
same time, you have to trust the material and the
(45:22):
characters because they will tell you where it's gonna go.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
That's good, it's the truth.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
I mean, it's it's I will say, same thing happened
to the best man, the first best man that happened
in this book.
Speaker 4 (45:34):
I was going along a path. I give you an example.
Speaker 3 (45:38):
Robin was never that's the Sia Lathan's character. She was
never coming to the wedding in the original draft.
Speaker 4 (45:44):
Really, that's correct. It wasn't until we were we were
doing I was doing the the rewrite for the.
Speaker 3 (45:51):
Studio, and you know, my producer was like, you know
what if she came to the wedding, because all was
gonna happen was Harper.
Speaker 4 (45:59):
Was gonna get his He's like his ass beat.
Speaker 3 (46:01):
He was gonna you know, have his his lesson learned
and he was going to be like, you know what,
I need to make a stronger commitment to my relationship.
Speaker 4 (46:08):
He goes home.
Speaker 3 (46:09):
He's trying to make a meal for Robb and he's
messing it up and he's like, She's like what happens?
And he's like, here, give it. He gives her a
key to his place. It's nice, but it's not what
it needed to be once she got there, and once
you understood you must put pressure on your main character
(46:35):
in order to see what they're going to do.
Speaker 4 (46:38):
That is how you tell story.
Speaker 3 (46:41):
It's conflict, it's you know, it's like okay, So I
was like, God, what's going to happen right, you know?
Speaker 4 (46:47):
And you write it and say, oh, this is good,
this is better. She does calm him down.
Speaker 3 (46:51):
She first, she's pissed off and she wants to leave,
but he tells, I need you, please don't leave me.
Speaker 4 (46:57):
And that's a real thing. That was okay, Like she
can help and she's the woman for you. Yeah, right,
same thing in this. But I'm not gonna tell you
the ending.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
But I was going along a path and Jane and
I were talking and Chelsea, our editor, was like, well,
this is the way, this is happening, and you know,
you really got to think about what is what this
choice and with that choice, and what he.
Speaker 4 (47:20):
Should do here and what she should do there. And
I'm like, man, yeah, we got to do that. Yeah,
because that makes sense. That's so good.
Speaker 1 (47:31):
I love that. How much of your storytelling mirrors your life?
Speaker 4 (47:36):
Well some elements, yes, but not not a ton.
Speaker 3 (47:43):
I mean, look, I'm going through, you know, things that
like a lot of these characters going through like midlife metamorphosis,
you know, like what my body is changing?
Speaker 4 (47:54):
Like you know, yeah, uh, you know do it? I
do feel like like the best I felt that in years.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
But at the same time, like your body's like you
ain't you ain't twenty five no more, you ain't forty,
you know, and so like and you see friends who
you know, we have friends who have were together for
a long time, they got divorced, especially around this age.
Speaker 4 (48:14):
Yeah, so there's a reflection for sure that we're seeing,
you know. Fortunately, unlike Harper, I am still married.
Speaker 3 (48:21):
Amen, And you know, I'm I'm as much as as
I've been on the grind and want to be on
the grind and know the grand might want to push
for the grind, like you know, I like Jordan has
trying to find like a balance, right, So like that's
been you know, uh healthy as well, just trying to
(48:43):
you know, figure all those things out. And you know,
Robin being in Ghana, I get that. I get that
she's like a she chose choosing herself. She chose herself,
and she chose her happiness and she wasn't going to
be you know, supportive of a man that wasn't going
to give a reciprocal a reciprocy intidents the relationship.
Speaker 4 (49:06):
And so you know, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (49:10):
If I fans Has about being a Ghana, but when
I was there, I was like, should I do this?
Maybe the things keep going away there going here?
Speaker 4 (49:19):
Maybe?
Speaker 2 (49:21):
Yeah, that's so true. That's so true readers. I've heard
the books are flying off the shelves.
Speaker 4 (49:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
Yeah, I was just just yesterday my co writer Jane,
you know, she went, she has a ritual where she like,
she she goes she when she's in New York, she
gets a little hot chocolate from a certain place. She
goes to a Barnes and Noble in Midtown and you know,
signs books. So she did, she went and got the
hot chocolate. Yesterday went to Barnes and Noble sold out. Wow,
(49:51):
And I was like word, she was like yeah, so
and then we the Schomberg last night. All the books
were sold out. You know, the house was packed. It's fantastic. So, like,
I'm glad that people are taking to that. They care
about the story and they want to know the story,
even though it's not on the big or the small screen.
(50:11):
They can have their own uh small screen or big
screen experience, you know. And what everyone tells me, and
I believe it and I think it's true. It feels
like a movie, yeah, because you see you see who
the who the actors were, you know't have the picture
who they are. There's a few new characters that you
might say, oh, who would that be? You know, and
that's fair, go ahead and do that. And so you know,
(50:33):
and the social media has been pretty robust as well.
So we're very excited.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (50:38):
For people who are looking forward to diving in the book,
what can you tell them to look forward to.
Speaker 4 (50:45):
More of the same. If you love Best Man or
if you like the Best Man, you're gonna love this book.
You know.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
It's more the thing that the humors there, you know,
there's there's a depth of emotion that's there.
Speaker 4 (50:56):
It's gonna be some surprises.
Speaker 3 (50:58):
I definitely think people going to laugh and they're going
to talk out loud to the book. You know, they're
going to, uh, you know, get angry at characters. They're gonna,
you know, be sad for characters. They're gonna you know,
they should they should be you know, when when the
songs get referenced in there, they should play the playlist
for themselves. I think there's gonna be a lot to expect.
(51:20):
They're going to have a great time. It's a great journey.
And I'm hearing that people just like they binged final chapters,
people like I mean they watched it like multiple times,
and they watched it like from like beginning to end
in one setting.
Speaker 4 (51:35):
That that is what I'm hearing.
Speaker 3 (51:37):
People are finishing this book in two days and this
book is almost one undred pages. Oh yeah, and the
people are like just it's a page turner. They're they're
just just voraciously reading it.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
That's amazing. Congratulations everything.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
I'm so excited excited for you aid much success.
Speaker 1 (51:53):
Before we get out of here, I do want to
play a little game with you.
Speaker 2 (51:56):
Playing games Okay, it's a up of our games. So
just the first thing that comes to mind.
Speaker 4 (52:02):
Oh, boy, I'm terrible at these things. I'm gonna some of.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
These you would know because these are like some of
them are direct. What is the first trip you ever wrote?
Speaker 4 (52:12):
Oh, morning side prep?
Speaker 1 (52:15):
Favorite film that you didn't direct?
Speaker 4 (52:19):
Mm hmm, yeah, I was gonna. I'm gonna say Parenthood, Okay,
do it?
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Okay? A book that changed your life?
Speaker 4 (52:29):
It changed my life. But I would say Native Sons good.
Speaker 1 (52:34):
Most surreal moment in your career so far?
Speaker 4 (52:37):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
I'm sure it has to do with Girls Trip, probably
shooting at essence of Girls Trip.
Speaker 1 (52:46):
Yes, that was Yeah, that was crazy that y'all did that.
Your favorite author.
Speaker 4 (52:54):
Probably Richard right, okay?
Speaker 1 (52:56):
And favorite fictional character? H Do you have a favorite
in your in your world like a favorite character? Boy?
Speaker 3 (53:12):
No, I.
Speaker 4 (53:14):
Love all these.
Speaker 3 (53:15):
I love all my characters, right, maybe Quentin, because that's
very selfish to say my own character.
Speaker 4 (53:21):
I'm sure there are others you know.
Speaker 3 (53:22):
In the movie and television that I can't think that
Nobody's coming to mind in my mind's a blank?
Speaker 4 (53:27):
All right?
Speaker 1 (53:28):
Last one? What is bringing you the most joy right now?
Speaker 3 (53:34):
I think life in general, like, I got a very
good balance, kids are healthy, wife's in my corner. I
got a book coming out, I got my career is
doing well. I'd like to make a little bit more money,
but other than that, I'm good.
Speaker 1 (53:51):
I love that Malcolm, thank you so much. Thank you.
It's the book. It's on the sales right now or
maybe not selling out.
Speaker 4 (54:01):
Better get that book. Yes, don't be left out the chat.
Speaker 1 (54:04):
Listen, do not be left out the chat. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 2 (54:08):
Amazing Today on the shoes, I am wearing a heart
Aliyah pump. My skirt is Lepard fented by Zara, T
shirt is Christian Dior, Jurry van Kleet Scaparelli, and my
ear rings.
Speaker 1 (54:28):
Are also by Scaparelli. Get into it.
Speaker 2 (54:33):
Wow, it feels like maybe the Sweeties need to start
a book club and call a meeting because we need
to discuss this book and these characters. Make sure you
guys like subscribe and tell a friend to tell a friend,
and make sure you hit that notification button until next time.
Speaker 1 (54:49):
Keep it posa Sweeties.
Speaker 4 (55:00):
Then then then
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