Youre gonna be my cheerleader, Quincy replies before Monica beats him to the basket. Debut Album 25 Years Later: 'A True Homecoming', Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes' Relationship Timeline, The Cast of 'Outer Banks' : Everything to Know, The Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video to Stream Now, Madonna's Dating History: From Sean Penn to Guy Ritchie, The Cast of 'Yellowjackets': Everything to Know, The Best Super Bowl Commercials of All Time. Percy: And you wrote about that in your really just beautiful essay for Time magazine, called Love & Basketball Was More Than a Movie. Menu. Sanaa Lathan Describes Miserable Process Behind Love And Work is not the only thing. I want her to be free. It wasnt in vain, all these different things. [laughs] Its funny now, but it wasnt, then. And then one night, I sat down at my drafting table and started writing. In the next scene, a fresh cut is bleeding on Monicas chin and her mother is cleaning it in the bathroom while scolding her for running around like a little boy. Annoyed, Monica yanks her head away, eyes her new wound in the mirror and smiles. How can I shape my life according to what I love, even more? Percy: Youre a parent too. In August 2021, during an interview, Sanaa revealed that she had stopped drinking 3 years ago. Epps, now 41, and Lathan, now 43, led the romantic drama as childhood sweethearts Quincy McCall and Monica Wright, respectively. The boys grudgingly let her play, and she schools them. You say, At the end of the movie, Monicas running onto the court in a Los Angeles Sparks uniform with Quincy cheering her on from the sidelines. Just Drop Out: Sanaa Lathan Reveals She Almost Quit While She ended up training five hours a day for a while before actually getting the job. You say: Id become a master at taming, hiding and cutting out the parts of myself that werent compatible with the person other people wanted me to be: the rebellious, curious and sexy parts; the questioning and fearless parts. I couldnt even entertain the question without the fear of judgment in my ear: Have you lost your mind? It might have crossed my mind to yank my head away from my mother as a child, but I wouldnt have dared. Fifteen years ago on Tuesday, Love & Basketball debuted in theaters. As always, if you havent seen the movie, dont worry. I was uncomfortable inside hersad, confused and anxious. Monica may know what she wants in life, but getting it isnt easy. Tamani: Yeah what I was not ready for was the gem hiding inside of that romance. You talk about how you were feeling at that time, when you first encountered Monica. I was miserable. Trending :Joanna Gaines || Pat Sajak || Brandi Love || Kamala Harris || Elizabeth Warren ||. Was sanaa lathan ever married? Stan worked behind the scenes for PBS television. Its just like you ended your essay, because you said in your essay, Dont think Im preaching this message from the mountaintop. Although she was born in a family of parents in the entertainment industry, Sanaa Lathan did not have a passion for acting until her father coaxed her. What kind of fool drops out of Harvard Law School? The free parts. Sanaa made her theatrical film debut asCarolyn Brody in Drive in 1997. It was a big deal for her. Its almost like she hired me because she couldnt find somebody else. And that was a beautiful and inspiring thing. She realized watching it that this wasnt what was right for her that she had to listen to herself, to listen to what her body was telling her, and to change her career. Liara Tamani: That I was completely lost. Its funny, because Im like, Where do you get this from? Percy: Harvard, no less. I wasnt thinking about the director or the writer. Other things in my life at the time just the misery, too [laughs] was making me feel like that. And I was already feeling like, I have to, because you know, when you get to that low point, its like, I cant stay here. Made straight As. Despite being in many relationships, Lathan is still single. She was rumored of dating Colin Kaepernick and Denzel Washington. The movie tells the story of Monica Wright, played by Sanaa Lathan, and Quincy McCall, Omar Epps, two neighbors who grow up next to each other, first as friends, sometimes as enemies and competitors on the basketball court, who over time start to see each other in new ways. Predator(2004). Sanaa was 5 years oldwhen she met the legendary singer-songwriter. Growing up, she took part in gymnastics and dance and also indulged in performing arts and athletics. We were looking forward to it for weeks, just because it was a love movie, and a love movie featuring Black characters. | I was living in Cambridge, Mass., nearing the end of my first year at Harvard Law School, but I had no desire to be a lawyer. Well, Im very excited, as I told you, to be here talking about a movie that I love, Love & Basketball. [laughs] When you say that, its like, its so not true, though. But the gray gloominess that hung over New England was becoming hard to distinguish from the gloom I felt in myself. Love What would be the perfect song to cue up for freedom? It took a while for that talent to take another big step, though not for a lack of trying, and it was eight years before her second feature, The Secret Life of Bees, put Prince-Bythewood back in our sights. It was her baby and it was her first time directing. The same year saw her do back-to-back turns in The Best Man and The Wood films. But, going back to the theater, I was with my girls, I was with my friends we were excited to see it. But the older that I get, the more that I marvel at all of the things that I didnt see then the way in which the character of Monica is a star and a role model for all of us as women, of what we can become even from a young age. Worrying about your happiness instead of the expectations and opinions of others. She is best pals with actressRegina Hall. Sanaa Lathan is an American actress and voice actress who is best known for the characters that she has played in several films such asThe Best Man Holiday (2013),Love & Basketball (2000),Brown Sugar (2002), andAlien vs. Shes always been a sensitive director of actors, but she also knows how to move the camera. SANAA LATHAN is a well-established American actress. And, as expected, people called me crazy. Sanaa used to do roller skating daily when in third grade. Man, girls cant play no ball! huffs her neighbor, Quincy. I also grew up in the church, and that was my experience, as well. I got the job and I think Gina finally got to the point where she had to hire somebody. The hardest challenge was getting the job, which I think weirdly prepared me for Monica, said Lathan. A Love and Basketball film without Sanaa Lathan seems almost unimaginable. So many of us suffer from different insecurities or different fears. Tamani: It rings that way. Yoga and dance are a huge part of my life now. And every time I watch the film I watched it last week just to get ready again for this interview. Flash-forward to later in the movie: shes a high school senior (played by Sanaa Lathan), sitting at the dining table, listening to her dad urge her to consider options besides playing basketball. Sanaa Lathan Tzi Ma Talks, How Black Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their History Onscreen. Adults like to tell kids what they expect them to do or what they think is right or what they think is good, instead of encouraging them to look on the inside of themselves or to figure out what they love. Anyone can read what you share. And I was starting to get this terrifying sense that if I stayed in law school, I could get trapped in her the rest of my life. Percy: I think its the connection to yourself that youre describing, right? Sanaa Lathan has bagged significant roles in TV series. Percy: Liara Tamani is a writer and proud Harvard Law School dropout. Love & Basketball (2000) Official Trailer - Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps Basketball Movie HD. And theres a competition to their relationship, too, around it. As she is so gorgeous, she has dated a long list of handsome fellow till now with some of whom she had created abuzz in the American media as well. I love that scene. She doesnt get there that dayher team loses the game. In the end, he wins, but he chooses Monica instead, and the movie closes with her playing for the WNBA, with the name Wright-McCall on the back of her jersey. Love & Basketball 20th anniversary: Gina Prince-Bythewood and She tries to take regular breaks from social media. She was quite young when both her parents separated from each other and she used to part her time between Beverly Hills and New York. (Terms and conditions). Growing up, I was a good girl. Thank you for subscribing! The story of April Bowlby, PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Kenyas #1 news app. Wisdom Practices and Digital Retreats (Coming in 2023). And of course, she and Quincy have their drama to get through. | Sanaas father is Stan Lathan. WebLove & Basketball (2000) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood Writing Credits ( WGA) Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Music by Terence Blanchard Cinematography by Reynaldo Villalobos Film Editing by Terilyn A. Shropshire Casting By Aisha Coley But its so basic, you know? My latest is the love story of two high school basketball players. Watch on. WebActress Sanaa Lathan confessed recently that Love and Basketball made her miserable. This podcast is produced by On Being Studios, which is located on Dakota Land. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles. I think everybody will probably have to I dont know, its not gonna be that stark. And we also produce other podcasts you might enjoy, like On Being with Krista Tippett, Poetry Unbound, and Becoming Wise. I was miserable [laughs]. Image by Grace J. Kim, All Rights Reserved. When have we seen that since? Shes feminine simply by being who she is. I went on a winding path through the sports and entertainment industries and the interior design field. No, I love the way that ended, because its like she fought for what she wanted, and she got what she wanted. However, she got through it all by totally mastering Monica when it came to the actual acting. She is the daughter of Stan Lathan and Eleanor McCoy. What is Sanaa Lathans ethnicity? And I soon found out and soon realized that she really wasnt wanting to hire me. The 49-year-old said she Moreover, she is well best known for her Tony Award-nominated performance in the film A Raisin. Tamani: I would say, now that Im a writer, I have an appreciation for Gina Prince-Bythewood as an artist, as a storyteller. Love & Basketball Liara Tamani Tamani: Oof, yes. Her mother is Eleanor McCoy, an actress and dancer well known for performing on Broadway with Eartha Kitt. Sanaa prefers to stick to a vegan diet (along with some fish) and tries to stick to 1200 calories a day. That mastery had led me to the most prestigious law school in the country. I taught dance, which was, whoo! Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital But I really started to look out into my future at that point and see misery. While playing at USC and then overseas, she encounters more haters and difficulties. Its a very powerful scene, indeed. Predator. Then a bright star came into view. Finally I demanded, If you want me to continue, youre going to have to get me a basketball coach because I hear youre giving these basketball players acting coaches, and they did.. New Line Cinema/Everett Collection. But nobody ever emphasizes it,to most kids, I think. Through her social media, Sanaa has done endorsement work for several brands such as . The On Being Project is located on Dakota land. They would always do a basketball audition for me, which was just the worst. Prince-Bythewood: We'd go back and forth on the lot. And Sanaa looked great in the movie and she could do things really well, like dribbling [two] basketballs at the same time. Lathan: That two-ball scene that I'm in -- one of my bones to pick with Gina is that she put it in a silhouette. And because of that people don't think it's really me. When Gina Prince-Bythewoods Love & Basketball was released 20 years ago, it was celebrated as a mainstream romantic film featuring Black characters, but I treasured it for so much more. Thank you for listening, for your emails, for your support, and for learning and growing alongside us. No. [laughs] I dont enjoy the marketing aspect. To maintain this lifestyle, they work hard to get good money from the roles their play. Though most people who watch Love and Basketball see it as the role that made Sanaa Lathan a star, looking back at it now, 19 years after the films release, the They were giving the basketball players acting coaches.. Tamani: Some of my favorite scenes I definitely love the first-kiss scene when theyre kids, [laughs] when Quincy decides to ask Monica to be his girlfriend, and then they count to five well, he counts to five on his hand while they kiss. For the record, while she initially wasnt crazy about Gina while shootingLove and Basketball, she considers her like family now and is grateful to have been a part of her classic film. We had other Black love movies at the time, like Love Jones and even Brown Sugar. And so along the way to getting to writing, I also discovered other parts of myself. I was lost in ittrapped inside an impossible cloud of other peoples opinions and expectations. But I hated this sanitized, diminished version of myself. This site uses cookies to serve you better. Love & Basketball pays homage to idea that anything boys can do, girls can do better, and it and ends with Quincy and Monica engaging in a final game of double or nothing with very high stakes: She challenges him to one-on-one. How has it changed for you as youve gotten older, as youve become this well, youve become a mother, first of all. What is Sanaa Lathans net worth? And then what you experienced was really personal. Its about figuring out who you are and who you want to be at the core. And she does this through the character of Monica. It took dismissing the pressures from everyone else and standing strong in herself. It felt like being united with a huge piece of my identity. Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! But even with that, the overall message of the movie is that she falls in love, and she is loved, just for who she is, not because of this kind of way of showcasing femininity. And so, for me, becoming a lawyer equaled guaranteed success. Percy: And shes new to the neighborhood; they just moved there. For me, I cant go any further without just talking about Sanaa Lathan, who I absolutely love. She became famous as a voice actress from 2009 to 2013. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Im Lily Percy. Percy: One of the reasons why its so sincere. She went straight to 7th grade after she completed her 5th grade. Is this just our lot? Actress Sanaa Lathan is a show stopper and head turner that has fans swooning over a pic of her in a nearly nude swimsuit. And she has to go through it. Your email address will not be published. Though most people who watch Love and Basketball see it as the role that made Sanaa Lathan a star, looking back at it now, 19 years after the films release, the By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. And it was my first time being in that place, a place I didnt know really how to name, but I felt a deep darkness. Parental pressure is something that the writer Liara Tamani knows very well. The 49-year-old said she thought hard about quitting and even was suggested to by several people in my life, including some of my representation said, Just drop out. Lathan revealed that the stress of chasing her acting dreams was getting to her, but at the advice of a close confidant in her inner circle, the actress realized there were other options. Percy: So how did you go from watching this movie, realizing I cant keep doing this; I cant go down the path to be a lawyer, and then dropping out of Harvard? The comedy-drama The Best Man became one of the top ten highest-grossing African Americans with Sanaa in the film, together with Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau Jr., and Morris Chestnut films in history. I had a dance background, but I had never picked up a basketball. Tamani: Just Love & Happiness, because that is what its about. Sanaa Lathan Monica Wright: Omar Epps Quincy Actor Age Check - How old was Sanaa Lathan in Thats the thing, because Monica has to stand alone in herself many a time, when people dont believe in her. Omar Epps plays Quincy McCall, MC Lytes, I think Lyte as a Rock, when she then is the older character, when shes Sanaa Lathan, and shes schooling girls on the basketball court at school. Pay attention: Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! Ball better than you, Monica snaps back. Im just curious how youve both grown together, you and Love & Basketball. Catch Sanaa in The Twilight Zone, streaming now on CBS All Access. Not easybut possible. I wasnt Sanaa Lathan, I was just some actress and I could feel them being like, Why did this bh get the part? And I had known for years that I did not want to be a lawyer, even before I applied, really. Sanaas recognition happened in 1998 with her role as the mother of Wesley Snipes' title character in Blade. There wasnt a lot of joy and there wasnt a lot of trust in me. And when you are so focused or when I was so focused on success, success, achievement, achievement, and worried about what other people would think of me if I dropped out, or if I went down a path that was less traveled and less set up for the type of success that society thinks is successful, there was a great fear in departing from that, because its about setting up a version of success for yourself or defining success for yourself. Actress: Alien vs. The siblings are Tendaji Lathan, Colette Lathan, Lilane Lathan, and Arielle Lathan. We went on to do Disappearing Acts and Shots Fired and I love her. Co-starring Omar Epps and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the story centers on a young Black couple navigating the challenging worlds of romance and athletics. Sanaa McCoy Lathan is an American actress and voice actress, best known for her performance in A Raisin in the Sun for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Comments will be open until 12 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday so please swing by, we need everyone off the bench. Tamani: You cannot. WebShemar Moore and Sanaa Lathan were married in 1991 the couple filed for divorce in 1996. In a new interview with CBS Locals DJ Sixsmith, Lathan dishes on what it was really like for her working on the project as a young actress who had to prove herself worthy of the starring role. And so seeing Monica, who from the very beginning of the movie, she knows what she wants, and she is strong and aggressive, and she is about going after it no matter what anybody else has to say about it. He is a football player by profession. I arranged flowers, which I love still, arranging flowers. She has a bachelors degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley and a drama masters degree from the Yale University School of Drama. Sanaa Lathans age is 50 years old as of todays date 18th January 2022 having been born on 19 September 1971. And he was spot on when he wrote that when it came to its writer-director, the film was the first step, however unsteady, of an intriguing new talent.. Sanaa McCoy Lathan was born on September 19, 1971, in New York City, New York, the U.S. And even though Ive seen this movie at least, like, probably eight times, Im always caught off guard by the fact that Gina Prince-Bythewood decided to write a scene in which the woman is the star, and shes watching her man take care of their kid. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Sanaa Lathan's net worth is $5 million as of 2022. Ive spent a whole lifetime, really, trying to break free from fear. Yeah, I dont even know. Definitely, looking back, Im grateful to be able to see her intention. But unlike a lot of relationships that I normally see between men and women, where its kind of expected that the woman would just say, OK, no, honey, were gonna follow your career. (My partner-in-cinema, A.O. So, its really about switching it in your head. The two were co-casts and dated during the filming of Love & Basketball. They dated from 1985 till 1996. Released in 2000, it stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps as childhood friends turned young adults bound by feelings for each other and a shared passion for basketball. Its important to be able to stand in the truth of yourself and to be able to fight for that, even when its unpopular or other people disagree with you. While training at Yale, Sanaa performed in several Shakespeare plays.