Shes a superstar, playing in Spain people know her on the street, people come up to her; she has, in so many ways, the dream that shes always wanted but shes completely alone. Featured Image by Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0. Fifteen years ago on Tuesday, Love & Basketball debuted in theaters. Percy: I know. Percy: I love that. Worrying about your happiness instead of the expectations and opinions of others. (My partner-in-cinema, A.O. It was her baby, and it was her first time directing. And of course, she and Quincy have their drama to get through. There wasnt a lot of joy, and there wasnt a lot of trust in me. The "Love and Basketball" star. Our families are important. And really it wasnt even hiding its at the center of the movie. 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. Sanaa McCoy Lathan was born on September 19, 1971, in New York City, New York, the U.S. Ball better than you, Monica snaps back. Shes worked steadily since, honing her craft and affirming her talent with movies like Beyond the Lights (2014) and the limited series Shots Fired (2017). You have reached your limit of free articles. [laughs]. Tamani: It rings that way. Yoga and dance are a huge part of my life now. It Changed My Whole Life very appropriate title. Text RICKEY to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news. First, she dated Shemar Moore, an American actor and former fashion model, from 1985, and they got married from 1991 to 1996. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. The boys grudgingly let her play, and she schools them. I cant my future cannot be here. Thats how I felt. It was a big deal for her and nobody knows me then really. Lathan has bagged accolades throughout her career due to her outstanding movies and TV shows roles. I love that. Sanaa Lathan is opening up about her miserable experience working on Love & Basketball considered one of the best sports rom-coms ever. And even seeing this movie, theres the way in which she always knew she wanted to be a basketball player. She had gone to University and pursued a degree in English. People talk about Harvard like its the pinnacle thing you can achieve. And every time, I ask myself, How can I be more free? Along the way to becoming a writer, I worked in marketing, which I guess I have to incorporate it for my writing, but I dont enjoy it. Tamani: Just Love & Happiness, because that is what its about. She obtained abachelorsdegreeinEnglish from theUniversity of California, Berkeley. It was a big deal for her, and nobody knows me then, really. Tamani: I think its such an important message, maybe the ultimate message, even, is to do you, be you; to fight for what you love even when its hard, even when you have to stand alone in yourself. Percy: Poetic Justice, I remember going with my girlfriends to see that. The film followed the two childhood besties through four quarters of their adolescence as they fall in love (and out, and in again) all while warding off naysayers and combating family struggles to chase their shared dreams of going pro. Sanaa has become an icon and appeared in other top films such as: Alessandra Brawn: family, dating, net worth, Will Arnett relationship. And each scene unfolds the movie opens up and the kids are there, and she walks over and wants to play ball with her neighbors. Theres only one game left in the season, andunlike Quincy (Omar Epps), who has his choice of colleges to play forMonica hasnt been recruited yet. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. (The WNBA didnt exist yet.). I dont think Id ever, before that point, I really dont think Id ever seen a character like her on the screen. She ended up training five hours a day for a while before actually getting the job. Im curious to see if I like it as much now as I did then. 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 [laughs], Percy: No, I really do care a lot. [laughs], But theres something about the struggle and the pain that you were going through that you describe back in your freshman year that was necessary to your own I hate using the word journey now, because it sounds so silly when people use it, but it was it was really necessary , Percy: And I think about, for Monica, breaking up with Quincy, the person that she loved the most in her life outside of her family, going and playing basketball in the womens league in Europe, because at the time this is the other thing that blew my mind at the time, the WNBA didnt exist . It feels so right that we end this podcast by talking about a movie that I love dearly, Love & Basketball, with the wonderful writer Liara Tamani. That scene, to this day, its so groundbreaking and unexpected. Im Lily Percy. And that says a lot about, I think, where I was, [laughs] just thinking about the love story. That song played, and I was like, ooh. It could be a plaything, oh, deciding youre gonna study this or this. But nobody ever emphasizes it,to most kids, I think. WebActress Sanaa Lathan confessed recently that Love and Basketball made her miserable. And then one night, I sat down at my drafting table and started writing. Very few of us actually have that. Here's everything you need to know, Jesus Ortiz Paz's parents, net worth, wife, and daughter, 20 female celebrities with black hair to follow in 2023, Germany hopes to help climate with discount travel card, 'Super Mario' is year's first film to pass $1 bn globally, Muigai Wa Njoroge's 2 Beautiful Wives Steal Show at Hubby's Event, JPMorgan to buy First Republic after regulators seize control. In the films most memorable scene, Quincy challenged Monica to a steamy game of one-on-one strip basketball. Its just going in the direction of things you love, youll discover things about yourself. They were together in the year 2005. So I wasnt worried about that. 15 Photos That Prove Sanaa Lathan Ages Backwards. Its funny, because Im like, Where do you get this from? So you have to start defining that for yourself. The On Being Project And I had known for years that I did not want to be a lawyer, even before I applied, really. Shes living a life of her own, one she created. As she has dated a lady, so she definitely is not straight in terms of her sexuality. She gets to the point where she makes this decision with me, but I felt like the default.. Percy: Exactly. [laughs] And I thought that was a perfect song. Terrell Owens, an American Football wide receiver (2006), Steve Rifkind, an American music entrepreneur (2009-2010), French Montana, an American rapper (2013), Do Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps have a child together? Whos about to do that? Its been years since Ive seen Love & Basketball, and Im eager to revisit it. She holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College and lives in Houston. I cant live here. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! The songs you heard in this episode were Love and Happiness by Al Green, courtesy of Hi Records, Candy Girl by New Edition, courtesy of Warlock Records, and Soul Sista by Bilal, courtesy of Interscope Records. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital She already had more than 30 plays under her belt, and that gave her some of the confidence she needed to get through it all. So its amazing to think about that. Was sanaa lathan ever married? She likes the sweet-salty taste of the end product. For those seeking summertime movie fun, this has been an interminable season of discontent. Unfortunately, no. I want her to be free. I was uncomfortable inside hersad, confused and anxious. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, Crenshaw High School Girl's Basketball Team, key hair stylist (as Brian Andrew Tunstall), assistant director: additional photography / second assistant director, supervising sound designer / supervising sound editor, camera operator: "b" camera / steadicam operator, assistant location manager (as Judy Heinzen), production coordinator: Spain (as Maxine Parker). I love that scene. Its drama; its the movie. Her brother Tendaji Lathan is a well-known DJ. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Sign up to receive The Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox. Tamani: So good. But I knew I could do the role, she said. When the movie was released a few months later, the New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell voiced quibbles but largely admired it and especially Lathan. Sanaas recognition happened in 1998 with her role as the mother of Wesley Snipes' title character in Blade. Through my novels, I hope to pass on the same message that Love & Basketball gifted me with 20 years ago: feel free to be yourself and create the life you want. Sanaa Lathan On Filming Love & Basketball: I Was Miserable Deriving from a dance background, the 47-year-old thespian had no prior basketball experience Parental pressure is something that the writer Liara Tamani knows very well. And I love what you say here. I got the job and I think Gina [Prince-Bythewood] finally got to the point where she had to hire somebody. 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The native New Yorker has appeared in several cult classics, but after what seemed to be a difference in creative direction, Lathan revealed that she almost gave up on the role L&B altogether. Special thanks to Grace J. Kim, who created the beautiful artwork for all of our episodes this season. Her mother is Eleanor McCoy, an actress and dancer well known for performing on Broadway with Eartha Kitt. Is this just our lot? And like you said, when she went on to play overseas, its probably not just Q, Quincy she was missing, its her friends and family from home. Though most people who watchLove and Basketballsee it as the role that made Sanaa Lathan a star, looking back at it now, 19 years after the films release, the 47-year-old actress said shooting the project was a miserable experience. Her lovely essay for Time magazine, which inspired this conversation, is called: Love & Basketball Was More Than a Movie. And at the time, I wouldnt even have articulated it like that; I just knew that I was way more than sad. Those are your words. They, however, kept the relationship professional during the production and release of the movie but eventually split. But its so basic, you know? Sanaa Lathan is black. It Changed My Whole Life.. [music: Love and Happiness by Al Green]. Tamani: But its hard when it gets embedded in you, in a sense, when your early self is constructed around it. An American actor and former fashion model, Shemar is one of Lathan's boyfriend. Tamani: You cannot. 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. The first time that I saw it, I was in college, and I was so struck by the relationship at the center of the movie the love story. Prince-Bythewood, who started out writing for TV, developed the script for Love & Basketball at the Sundance labs. And I know that the things that I do get were mine, and always mine., Your email address will not be published. Liara Tamani is the author of the acclaimed Calling My Name, which was a 2018 PEN America Literary Award Finalist and SCBWI Golden Kite Finalist, and All the Things We Never Knew, which was a 2020 Kirkus Best YA Book of the Year. To maintain this lifestyle, they work hard to get good money from the roles their play. What is Sanaa Lathans net worth? It was a situation where Gina [Prince-Bythewood], the director, did not want an actress who could play basketball. Tendaji Lathan, Colette Lathan, Lilane Lathan, Arielle Lathan. And really from a young age, I was a high achiever, and I was really very attached to that part of my identity. Scroll up and hear her tell it via the clip above. She gets to the point where she makes this decision with me, but I felt like the default., Fans were shocked to hear this news, but also voiced that they were happy the actress didnt give up including one Instagram user who wrote, I am so glad you did not give up! I never got in trouble. Tamani: But my father was a lawyer, and I was expected to follow in his footsteps. I just took the movie in, the first time I saw it. No, she concentrated on building her career first and creating a future for other young black actors. I was very lucky I did a staged reading of the script when she was still working on the script. The story of April Bowlby, PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Kenyas #1 news app. The decision made last Friday by four-star center Lathan Sommerville is significant for Rutgers in that it solidifies the best recruiting class in program history. Comments will be open until 12 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday so please swing by, we need everyone off the bench. As always, if you havent seen the movie, dont worry. It was like she was showing me parts of myself Id forgotten about, ignored or maybe never knew were there. If she could have dinner with any one person (dead or alive), she would like to do it with James Baldwin. I had a dance background, but I had never picked up a basketball. Predator, Love & Basketball, Brown Sugar and The Family That Preys. Anyone can read what you share. Company Credits Its almost like she hired me because she couldnt find somebody else. 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. How has it changed for you as youve gotten older, as youve become this well, youve become a mother, first of all. Lily Percy, host: Hello, fellow movie fans. And now, re-watching it preparing to talk to you, I realized that, as you said so beautifully, Gina Prince-Bythewood, she was telling us, This is actually what the story is about. Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! Thats freedom. Trending :Joanna Gaines || Pat Sajak || Brandi Love || Kamala Harris || Elizabeth Warren ||. Actress Sanaa Lathan is a show stopper and head turner that has fans swooning over a pic of her in a nearly nude swimsuit. The free parts. However, she got through it all by totally mastering Monica when it came to the actual acting. Then a bright star came into view. Our whole lives, the totality of our lives, we have to work to balance that to achieve happiness. | Its like: Me, or basketball, which is what he was asking her at the time. Im riding my own bike. And then a fight breaks out. One of my all time favorites! I had to go through so much to get the part and in all the basketball scenes, [they] surrounded me with real ballplayers, said Lathan. New Line Cinema/Everett Collection. Lathans net worth is $5 million as of 2022. Desperate to stop her, he shoves her into the grass. While Monica and Quincy are falling in love, theyre also trying to navigate the pressures that come with trying to make a career out of something that they love, basketball. But, going back to the theater, I was with my girls, I was with my friends we were excited to see it. HEAD BACK TO THE BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM HOMEPAGE, 'Snowfall' Withdrawal: See The Original Actors That John Singleton Casted, Prom Rundown: Erica Dixon And Tammy Riveras Daughters Nailed Their Prom Looks, The Fall Of Franklin: 'Snowfall' Finale Told Its Best Life Lesson With Lead Star's Demise, North Carolina Police Investigating Viral Fight Between Student and Substitute Teacher, Rest In Power: Notable Black Folks Who Weve Lost In 2023, Janet Jackson & Jermaine Dupri Get Touchy Backstage of ATL Concert [Video], Simone Biles Marries Houston Texans Jonathan Owens, Bitter Twitter Arrives With Hate, Protect Our Recipes: Black Twitter Forms Like Voltron To Keep Oxtail Out of Colonizers Freezers. Sanaa Lathan is opening up about her miserable experience working on Love & Basketball considered one of the best sports rom-coms ever. Exactly. Sitting in the Harvard Square movie theater, between two of my girls from class, I watched Monica Wright roll up on her new neighbor and his friends playing basketball and ask if she could join. 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. She is also known for lending her voice to the character ofDonna Tubbs inThe Cleveland Show (2009-2013) andFamily Guy. But the gray gloominess that hung over New England was becoming hard to distinguish from the gloom I felt in myself. Find those wherever you like to listen, or visit us at onbeing.org to find out more. 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. Percy: You write about it in that same essay for Time. They dated from 1985 till 1996. Im just curious how youve both grown together, you and Love & Basketball. 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. We went on to do Disappearing Acts and Shots Fired and I love her. You gonna try to work on where you want to go? No, its very powerful. WebLove & Basketball (2000) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Tamani: Yes. But its hard. Her second affair was with Omar Epps, an actor, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. A Love and Basketball film without Sanaa Lathan seems almost unimaginable. 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 I arranged flowers, which I love still, arranging flowers. Sanaa has appeared in numerous films and television series, taking great acting and voicing roles. How evident were her talents? Yes. But yeah. Co-starring Omar Epps Ryan Garcia's kids, wife, baby mamas, and his dating life. 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.. When youre in college, it feels like school. Menu. Percy: But that was also kind of radical, because when I watch it now Im like, this dude he was being set up to play in the NBA, and he actually ends up leaving college to go play for the Lakers. Gabrielle Union and Sanaa Lathan Reunite 15 Years After Love & Basketball and Haven't Aged a DaySee the Pics! It took dismissing the pressures from everyone else and standing strong in herself. 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 wasnt thinking about the director or the writer. But 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. And every time I watch the film I watched it last week just to get ready again for this interview. In August 2021, during an interview, Sanaa revealed that she had stopped drinking 3 years ago. And I was just at that point where this motivated me to start doing that. It was her baby and it was her first time directing. Sanaa pursued studies at the University of Sitting there in that darkened theater, I didnt even have a dream. I was lost in ittrapped inside an impossible cloud of other peoples opinions and expectations. 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. 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.. I hope you are, too. Pay attention: Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop! I couldnt even entertain the question without the fear of judgment in my ear: Have you lost your mind? Gina Prince-Bythewood made a modern classic with She was recognized off-Broadway and on the Los Angeles stage. I went on a winding path through the sports and entertainment industries and the interior design field. Sanaa also goes to the gym and works out with celebrity trainer Mike T atForce Fitness Inc. in Los Angeles. After finishing my first year of law school, I didnt go back. Sanaa attended Beverly Hills High School for her basic education before joining Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. Not easybut possible. Dont think Im preaching this message from the mountaintop. Sanaa Lathan biography with personal life (affair, boyfriend , Lesbian), married info . The actress is also known for dating high-profile men and one woman and remained single to date. Id gone to law school because my father was a lawyer and expected me to become one, too. There wasnt a lot of joy and there wasnt a lot of trust in me. They want her! 92 player in the nation perRivals. And I remember, with Love & Basketball, Love and Happiness by Al Green playing even before the first shot was up on the screen. And if those fears and insecurities are alive within us, and especially if we are unaware of them, of course theyre gonna be passed on to our children. And its funny, because I think that shaped me in so many ways, and so Im the very opposite with my daughter. Growing up, I was a good girl. Sanaa completed her schooling from theManhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. I would always get to the last step and then they would throw in another basketball player. But then, who is gonna drop out of law school? While playing at USC and then overseas, she encounters more haters and difficulties. Here I am, nobody knows me really, and she has to hire me. My latest is the love story of two high school basketball players. Monica Wright (played by Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy McCall (played by Omar Epps) are sometimes friends, enemies, lovers, and competitors. Predator. In the grassy patch between their bedroom windows, he reaches for a congratulatory hug, but Monica takes a kiss. The accolades include: The actress has been in various relationships throughout her life. I love the film Love & Basketball. She couldnt get my stage reading out of her head. And I feel like most of my adult life has been reminding myself not to be afraid. Fifteen years ago on Tuesday, Love & Basketball debuted in theaters. All Rights Reserved. She has amassed a huge fan base with more than 5 million followers on Instagram, more than 2 million followers on Twitter, and more than 6 million followers on Facebook. Unlike Monicaa ball player at heart, who knows exactly what she wantsmy heroine hates basketball and has no idea what to do with her life after graduation. Image by Grace J. Kim, All Rights Reserved. Moreover, she earned a Master's Degree in Drama at Yale University. The On Being Project is located on Dakota land. Im Lily Percy, and welcome to our last episode together. Writer Liara Tamani first saw the movie in 2000 when she was a reluctant student at Harvard Law School. 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. Its like, figuring out what you love thats freedom, living towards what you love. The siblings are Tendaji Lathan, Colette Lathan, Lilane Lathan, and Arielle Lathan. | Its a very powerful scene, indeed. Later, she graduated with a mastersdegreeindrama from Yale University. But I really started to look out into my future at that point and see misery. So, its really about switching it in your head. And I look at, you know, if I get a no, then it wasnt a match for me. What kind of fool drops out of Harvard Law School? Does Sanaa Lathan have a husband? Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan in 'Love & Basketball'. Copyright 2023. This is our last episode of This Movie Changed Me, and I want to say thank you. It was a big deal for her. Predator, Love & Basketball, Brown Sugar and The Family That Preys. 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. And its one of the reasons why, no matter what the dialogue is, she just brings such depth to it. #doubleornothing., Years later, the Shots Fired star says there was a powerful lesson throughout all of this, stating, Even at this stage of my career, I know at every level, you know, some of the most famous people in the world youre dealing with, not only having to prove yourself over and over again, but you are dealing with being rejected, but I dont see it as rejection anymore., She added, I see these opportunities as experiences to see if its something that fits me.
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