“About Last Night” follows two new couples that form seemingly different relationships with one another and confront putting them to the test in the real world.
Sitting in suite 1719 of the Four Seasons Hotel, The Signal sat down with Michael Ealy (“Think Like A Man,” “2 Fast 2 Furious”) and Regina Hall (“Scary Movie,” “Think Like A Man”) to gain insight into their newest movie.
Ealy plays Danny Martin, a young man whose past relationship has left him bitter. He meets Debbie Sullivan (Joy Bryant) and forms a bond, realizing that relationships can go through turmoil even with the best intentions.
Hall plays Joan Derrickson, the loud-mouthed and sexually open best friend to Sullivan. She hits it off with Bernie Jackson (Hart) and they experience a roller coaster of a comedic relationship.
Based both on the play “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” (1974) and film “About Last Night” (1986), starring Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, this re-imagination hits theaters on Valentine’s Day.
Q: Other than this remake having an all-black cast and set in LA as opposed to Chicago, what sets this movie apart from the previous versions?
HALL: Well this movie is more than a remake; it is a reboot. It’s an adaptation of the original play, so it’s extremely different in tone, I would say.
EALY: The original movie was much more melodramatic to me. I think this one is much more fun and edgy—sans melodrama.
Q: Compared to the romantic movies that are out right now, this movie seems to be based in reality of how a couple can be right for one another, but still mess up incredibly and even possibly break up. What do you think it is about this movie that allows it to be so relatable compared to the movies that are getting produced lately?
HALL: Well, I think this is really about, you know, there’s the dysfunctional couple, and then there’s the couple that looks functional but deep down they’re dysfunctional in a different way. You know, it’s about flawed people who love each other but [are] getting through it knowing that that’s enough. It’s about friendship as well. It’s how men talk. It’s how women talk. It’s how they relate. It’s how they don’t relate.
EALY: I think that was part of the appeal, you know, for me specifically. I’ve only done one other romantic comedy (“Think Like a Man”). I think Danny is much more relatable to everyday guys who are out there, who are messing up their relationships. You know, constantly messing up because they end up playing games.
HALL: You know what I love about that character is that he looks like the dream guy. I don’t just mean physically, he starts off ready to commit. Somehow in the midst of it happening, it drifts… He holds on [to] baggage from past relationships and experiences.
Q: I wanted to ask if you, Regina, if you found it positive or empowering to play a character so sexually strong, that is not shamed for it in the movie or played as her main flaw. It’s arguably the strongest thing about her. How did you find that?
HALL: I did find it empowering! I liked it, you know, I always like to play varied characters and it was a great opportunity to do that and have fun with it. It was nice to have that image of a black woman on screen too. I mean there are so many varied images of women and not so many for black women to revel in their sexuality and not have to apologize for it. To be able to do it in a safe environment with good writing and actors, I was able to play and have more fun.
Q: With you Regina, having a journalism degree, and Michael, you have a degree in English – is writing something you might like to do?
EALY: You know, I’ve attempted and I don’t feel that I’m good at it. Until I take a class on scriptwriting and feel confident enough, I don’t think I will. My talent is in development and strengthening the work, not writing it.
HALL: I’ve written stuff before. I think my humor might be too extreme. There was something about an old folks’ home by day, brothel by night. I will say this: Writing is a talent and an art form; to write a script that is really good and creating characters that resonate with audiences beyond gender and race—that is a gift. Maybe because it was written by a woman, but something about the female characters being flawed and sexual…it feels so genuine and informed by experience. With good writing, anyone can play it.
EALY: You know you don’t see this movie and worry or wonder who it was written for. There’s not a “black aesthetic” to it. It’s a film that could have been played by anyone.
