Sanaa Lathan discusses her upcoming role in “The Perfect Guy.” It hits theaters September 11.
Directed by David M. Rosenthal, “The Perfect Guy” stars Sanaa Lathan as the lead character Leah. She is moving on from a messy breakup when she meets Carter (Michael Ealy). As Leah and Carter grow closer, her ex-boyfriend Dave (Morris Chestnut) returns and now Leah must decide who’s worth trusting. We caught up with Lathan and asked her about her experience on the film and working with her co-stars.
What attracted you to the role of Leah?
Her arc is so maintained – she has the romance, the suspense, the terror. For an actress to get to play all those different colors was really fun.
What separates this role from other roles you’ve done before?
In the end the only person she favors is herself.
What was it like working with the director?
David M. Rosenthal is great, he’s very confident. He works fast, he’s very supportive and let’s you talk about scenes. We actually had rehearsal period for a few days which is a real luxury in film. I really enjoyed him and think he did a really great job.
Can you talk about working with Michael and Morris?
It was great. They’re great people, very supportive, really down for the team. They were very supportive and encouraging. I never worked with Morris one-on-one before even though we had done two movies – we worked on “The Best Man” and “The Best Holiday” together – we never worked one-on-one so it was a thrill to do that with him. Then Michael I hadn’t worked with at all and I’ve always been a fan of his and was really excited to see him play such a departure from his real personality.
What was your favorite scene to scene to shoot?
It’s a hard question to answer because a lot of the movie she’s in a state of terror or fear and for me the overall experience was enjoyable because I love acting, but the actual emotions you’re channeling are scary. I would say seeing the movie and watching the finished product was my favorite.
What would you like the audience to take away from the movie?
I just want them to really enjoy the movie. I love it when audiences see movies and it starts a conversation. I think this movie definitely has the possibility to start a conversation about relationships and people, but I also want people to be entertained and go see it again.
-Nishat Baig
