Meagan Good (INTERVIEW)

Meagan Good

The “Think Like a Man Too” Interview

with Kam Williams

Meagan’s Mmm Mmm Good!

Meagan Good has developed into one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses for both film and television. Most recently, she starred in the sequel Anchorman: The Legend Continues opposite Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Kristen Wiig. Additionally, she was seen starring as the lead character Detective Joanna Locasto in the new NBC drama “Deception.” 

These roles followed a highly successful 2012 for Meagan when she held co-starring roles in the critically-acclaimed TV series, “Californication;” the box-office hit, Think Like a Man, and Charles S. Dutton’s comedy, The Obama Effect. The versatile actress has starred in multiple genres of films ranging from horror, ala The Unborn, to comedy, ala The Love Guru.

In one of her first major film roles, the eerie 1997 drama Eve’s Bayou, she delivered a powerful performance opposite Samuel L. Jackson for which she landed her first NAACP Image Award nomination. Meagan actually began starring in commercials at age 4, and has shot over 60 national TV ads to date.     

Her first major television role was as the character Nina on the Nickelodeon hit series “Cousin Skeeter.”  In 2001, she transitioned to prime-time television with a recurring role on the show, “Raising Dad.”  Good’s other television credits include  “Moesha,”  “The  Steve  Harvey  Show,” “The  Division,”  “The Parenthood,” “My Wife & Kids” and “All of Us.”

Additional feature film credits include: the box-office hits Jumping the Broom and Stomp the Yard; the cult film, Brick with Joseph Gordon Levitt; the features You Got Served and D.E.B.S; Waist Deep with Tyrese Gibson; Queen Latifah’s The Cookout; Biker Boyz; Deliver Us From Eva; and the horror film Saw V.

In addition to acting, Meagan’s ambitions have led her to produce her own independent films, including the 2006 feature, Miles From Home, which she starred in opposite actor/director Ty Hodges. She produced and starred in Video Girl, too, a “Gia”-esque film that depicts the sordid and misunderstood life of a music video superstar.

Meagan resides in Los Angeles with her husband, DeVon Franklin. Here, she talks about reprising the role of Mya in Think Like a Man, Too.

Kam Williams: Hi Meagan, thanks so much for the time.

Meagan Good: Oh, thank you, Kam. How’re you doing?

KW: Great! Great! I’m honored to have another opportunity to speak with you.  

MG: Of course. I was looking forward to chatting with you. 

KW: What was it like shooting the sequel? Everybody came back!  

MG: I know. We got the whole shebang! It was a lot of fun. Everyone really gets along, and the chemistry is just right with this group. And it’s not always like that on a project. So, this was kind of a treat for all of us to reunite… play… hang… and do what we do for a living, and to have fun doing it.  

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: You’ve achieved success in so many media. Which is your favorite and makes you feel the most comfortable?

MG: Assuming she’s asking about TV versus movies, I’d say I enjoy both for different reasons. I like the freedom that comes with film where you work for a couple of months and then are off for a few months. With TV, there’s much more of a commitment, since you work for six months straight and, potentially, if the show does well, you’ll be doing it every year for as long as the show runs. That longer commitment can be a little scary at first. Still, it’s hard to say which I prefer, television or film.

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier says: I loooove the soundtrack for Think Like a Man. You have appeared in numerous music videos over the course of your career. Are there more music videos in your future? 

MG: It’s probably been about ten years since I‘ve done one. The reason is that I do want to wait to collaborate with someone I’m really excited about. I’d be interested in doing a cool video where we get to do something cinematic for a song with universal appeal, maybe with Justin Timberlake or Prince. 

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

MG: Light.

KW: What sort of fashion has been appealing to you lately?

MG: I’ve been wearing a lot of vintage. I do like Oscar de la Renta, Giuseppe Zanotti, Michael Costello, and a lot of other designers. But more than anything, I’m a vintage girl.

KW: The Harriet Pakula-Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?

MG: Oh, gosh! I’d love to do Thelma and Louise or Pretty Woman. [Giggles]   

KW: Let's say you’re throwing your dream dinner party—who’s invited… and what would you serve?

MG: Barack and Prince, and I’d serve oxtail soup.

KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?

MG: Not much besides the hair, makeup and gown. I’m really the same person, I just have to get dressed up for events which, to be honest, is not really my favorite thing. I don’t mind wearing a dress once in awhile, but I’m really more of a jeans and t-shirt girl.  

KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours to live, how would you spend the time? 

MG: Helping somebody in need.

KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Is there anything that you promised yourself you’d do if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?

MG: Yeah, visit Africa again.

KW: Terry Crews recently told me that he was very moved when he went to Africa for the first time to shoot Blended in South Africa. 

MG: I can believe that. So was I. I’ve been to Nigeria once and while I was there I spent some time at an orphanage in a very poor area with a little, 3 year-old girl who’d lost both of her parents. She had an older sister, and a couple of younger sisters. You could tell she was very sad and traumatized, because she was very quiet and didn’t make many facial expressions. She perked up after awhile, but then she started crying and I started crying when it was time for me to go. It was heartbreaking. The people who worked there actually told me I needed to go outside and stop crying. When I apologized for getting emotional, they said that that it was a problem because the girl sensed that I was about to leave her and return to my regular life far away, whatever that was. 

KW: That happened in Nigeria which is now also dealing with the kidnappings of young girls, as well.

MG: Yes, and that’s another reason why I definitely want to go back. I want to get more involved and make a difference by raising my voice in opposition to all of the abductions and sex-trafficking.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Meagan, and best of luck with both the movie and your efforts in Nigeria.

MG: Thank you so much, Kam.

To see a trailer for Think Like a Man Too, visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8b6kVSZNLE

To see Meagan and her husband, Devon Franklin, being photographed at the Think Like a Man Too premiere, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBhH85cq6D0