Regina Hall
The
“Girls Trip” Interview
with
Kam Williams
Ms.
Hall's Curtain Call!
Regina
Hall launched her career in the late Nineties while still earning a
master's degree from New York University. The accomplished actress
will soon appear in Naked,
a remake of the 2000 Swedish film Naken.
The romantic comedy co-starring Marlon Wayans is set to be released
on August 11th.
In
2016, Regina appeared opposite Morris Chestnut in the suspense
thriller When
the Bough Breaks.
Earlier that year, she was seen on the big screen in Barbershop:
The Next Cut
an ensemble comedy also featuring Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer,
Common, Eve and Nicki Minaj.
Regina's
other outings include The
Best Man, The Best Man Holiday,
Think
Like a Man and
Think
Like a Man Too.
She also starred in About
Last Night,
a remake of the 1986 film of the same name. Among her additional
film credits are
Scary Movie
and its three sequels, Paid
in Full,
Malibu’s Most Wanted and
First Sunday.
And she was seen in
Law
Abiding Citizen,
Death at
a Funeral,
Love &
Basketball
and Disappearing
Acts, too
On
television, Regina recently made guest appearances on Grandfathered
and Black-ish.
In January 2015, she starred in the Lifetime film With
This Ring.
Her other TV credits range from Married
to Law
& Order: LA
to Ally
McBeal.
Here,
Regina talks about her new movie, Girls Trip, an over-the-top
comedy co-starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany
Haddish.
Kam
Williams: Hey,
how are you Regina? .
Regina
Hall:
Good,
good. How are you, Kam?
KW:
Great!
I'm honored to have another opportunity to interview you.
RH:
Thank
you.
KW:
What interested you in playing Ryan Pierce?
RH:
I think
it was just the way her character develops. I was drawn to her
journey as a woman who seems to have it all, who has this public
persona as a celebrity, yet can get together with her girlfriends and
be wild.
KW:
Was
there anyone you based her on?
RH:
Not on
any one person, but on a mix-up of people.
KW:
What
was it like being directed by Malcolm [Lee] for the fourth time?
RH:
It's
always great working with him and Will [producer Will Packer]. It's
such a collaborative process. It's fun being directed by Malcolm
because he knows me, and I know how he likes to work. There's a lot
of trust. I feel comfortable asking questions, and We can sit down
and talk through things
KW:
And how
was it working with Jada, Tiffany and Queen Latifah?
RH:
It was
great. It's so special to get to work with women you've respected for
so long, and to get to know them as people. It was like we were on a
real girls trip.
KW:
Had
done anything with Larenz Tate before?
RH:
No, but
he's great. i loved working with him. I hadn't worked with Mike
[Colter] or Kofi [Siriboe] before either. They were all fabulous. .
KW:
Editor/Legist
Patricia Turnier asks: How do you feel about the Essence Music
Festival?
RH:
It's a
great resource and a great place to have fun. It's the epicenter for
black women that time of year. You can meet people from all over. It
has great concerts and New Orleans has amazing food. Yeah, I love the
Essence Festival!
KW:
Patricia
was wondering whether there is an African-American icon you would
like to portray?
RH:
Hmm...
that's a great question, Patricia. Yes, there are one or two I don't
want to reveal. I don't think anybody has heard of them.
KW:
Patricia
also asks: What message do you want people to take away from Girls
Trip?
RH:
I think
it's about sisterhood, and being true to yourself and to who you are.
The movie's also about friendship. You come to care about these
characters because we have a real bond and a real love for each
other. Hopefully, people take away that message.
KW:
She
like to know how did you like New Orleans?
RH:
I love
the city. I've shot there several times before. The people are so
warm. The food is a little bit too tasty. I try to arrive about 5
pounds underweight, so I can a few while I'm there. That way, I won't
look too heavy on camera. I always gain weight when I'm there. But I
love New Orleans because it has a lot of heart and a lot of soul, and
very beautiful people who are always so kind.
KW:
Patricia
concludes by saying: You went to college before your acting career.
You obtained a master's degree in journalism. Many kids think they do
not need an education to make it in the entertainment industry. How
has your education benefited you professionally?
RH:
It
served several purposes. It helped me to break down and understand
scripts. And the discipline of getting my master's gave me a certain
amount of confidence. I don't think college is the only path, but I
enjoyed it and it worked out very well for me. I had some good
friends with whom I could get a little crazy, but still be
responsible. It was the perfect bridge from living at home to
independence. I also love learning. I might have been a professional
student and earned a couple of doctorates, if I didn't have to pay
bills.
KW:
It's
unfortunate how expensive college has become, putting higher
education out of the reach of most children.
RH:
That is
sad. Education ought to be affordable for everybody. That only
advances a society.
KW:
What
was your very first job?
RH:
I can't
remember if I worked in a movie theater or at Constitution Hall in DC
first?
KW:
The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
RH:
I
honestly don't know if I could pick just one. There are so many. That
list is long.
KW:
Larry
Greenberg asks: Do you have a favorite movie monster?
RH:
I really do love King Kong. Hope he saves a black woman next time,
instead of falling in love with a little blonde lady.
KW:
What's
the craziest thing you've ever done?
RH:
Once,
my roommates and I had a cab driver who offered to take 50 cents off
for every article of clothing we removed. Now, I wonder why we didn't
get out of the taxi. But, I guess that's the sort of thing you can
get talked into when you're 19.
KW:
How
much clothing did you take off?
RH:
Not
much, since there were three of us. Just our shoes and socks.
KW:
Mike
Pittman asks: What was your best career decision?
RH:
Doing
Scary Movie, even though there were some people who thought it would
hurt my career, after The Best Man and Love & Basketball. But it
was a good decision to do something different, because it opened
other doors.
KW:
The
Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession, what
would that be?
RH:
I don't
know... Something with animals. I'd probably be in Borneo, holding an
orangutan.
KW:
The
Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would
you be?
RH:
Probably
an orangutan. I love orangutans. There so much fun, and there so
close to us in DNA. and they're so cute with that hair on their heads
that sticks up. And their females are the longest nursing of all
animals. they love their babies, even though their habitats are being
destroyed for palm oil.
KW:
Finally,
what’s in your wallet?
RH:
Not
enough. [LOL]
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Regina, and best of luck with Girls Trip.
RH: Thank
you so much, Kam.
No comments:
Post a Comment