Actress Emayatzy Corinealdi is having a momentous month!
Two of her films are coming to DVD. In “Addicted” she plays Zoe Reynard’s (Sharon Leal) right hand girl Brina. She assists Zoe with running her art agency. Based on a novel written by Zane, Bille Woodruff directed the racy and provocative thriller. It is available on Digital HD January 27 and DVD And On Demand Available February 10. Corinealdi also starred in Ava DuVernsay’s “Middle of Nowhere,” which arrived on DVD, Digital HD and On Demand January 13. Read what she had to say about both projectes below:
–
How did you get involved with “Addicted”?
–
The way I got involved with “Addicted” was my agents sent me the script at first. It was like a “read this, what do you think of it?” kind of thing. That was the first time I had heard of it.
–
What did you love about the script / story?
–
What I loved about it was that it was taking a look into sexual addiction from this woman’s perspective and then on top of that, this was a black woman and that is something that is in our culture at times. Along with a myriad of other things, it’s something that we don’t talk about, it’s something that is not mentioned. Addiction in general and other things such as illness and going to see a therapist, are really things that aren’t talked about in our community. That was the first thing that I thought, it was a different take and then to have this woman at the center of it, she has a family, she has an amazing job, and everything seems to be great, but for her she has this imperfection. That’s the idea of exploring that and knowing that there’s something in our culture that isn’t spoken of, I like the idea of getting into that
–
What was it like working with director Bille Woodruff?
–
Bille is fun to work with, it’s almost as if he’s just in the moment. He’ll give you some direction, he’s very easy, he already has it planned out, he never does shots so the way he delivers it is a way that isn’t already calculated. That makes for a very relaxing environment.
–
How was it working with Sharon Leal?
–
Sharon is a lot of fun, she’s very serious, focused, took her role very seriously and her craft very seriously. I’m attracted to that in an actor. That’s what I like and that’s what she’s about, so I really had a good time. This was my first time meeting Sharon and working with her was really something that I loved and would enjoy doing it again. She and I had a great time together.
–
Do you have anything in common with your character Brina?
–
I did. What I loved about Brina, she was a friend and a true definition of the work. When her friend needed her most, she was there and even when her friend tried to push her away she was still there. She didn’t take it personally. She was never the kind of friend to leave you in your mess. So I would like to think that I am that kind of friend and that I have those kinds of friends around me. I can only hope that I am that for them, so for me when it came to the character of Brina, I have people in my life that represent and that will just be there for you and have your back no matter what.
–
Congrats on “Middle of Nowhere” also coming out on DVD this month. Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo are having a great year with “Selma” and that all started with “Middle Of Nowhere.” Can you speak about working with Ava?
–
Seeing what Ava has done with “Selma” then taking that back to her first feature “I Will Follow” and then we have “Middle of Nowhere” right there in the middle of those two, she just remained constant in her voice. I think that is what has been so exciting for me to see with “Selma,” seeing this woman that I know and seeing her create a voice so clearly up there on the screen in a completely different genre of film is really exciting to me. It is really exciting and really encouraging and I hope that it is encouraging to other people to know that you don’t have to lose your voice or change yourself when you go and experience different kinds of opportunities because “Selma” and “Middle of Nowhere” are very different, but yet I know and clearly everyone else knows that this is the same woman. We can see pieces of her throughout and for this to become sort of featured and that be so clear, I think it’s just really exciting
–
Speak about working with David David Oyelowo?
–
David is a class act. He’s one of those people that has a kind soul. His heart is in the right place and often times in this business, the majority of the time, you don’t come in contact with those people. You don’t have that thing where who they are as a person, you’re attracted to first. That’s what David is – he’s just a good person.
–
What do you love about Ava’s writing?
–
The way that Ava writes is in a way that one can relate to. When I was reading the script I thought like, “I know this woman, I know this world” it may be in a difference sense from her, but it’s in a very universal sense having that experience of being in the middle of nowhere. So she writes in a way that is relatable and she also writes in a way that moves you and she creates full characters. Every character in the “Middle of Nowhere” has a story, has a life and you don’t always get that. Sometimes you get a script and there are a couple of main characters with a story, but not anyone else. She’s able to create these full lives of characters and that’s exciting. That’s what I just love when I read scripts.
–
What is so special about your character Ruby?
–
There’s a lot of things I believe are special about Ruby, but the number one thing that sticks out is her courage. This woman has a mass amount of courage and strength and they go hand and hand. I believe that along the way she realized that even more about herself. She may have started off with a particular viewpoint about who she is when times get hard, but by the end of the film she’s been changed. She now has this experience that has led her to a new place in her life but it took courage for her to get to that place. In the face of everyone else she was either making the wrong decision or doing the wrong thing and even to her she wasn’t certain on what she should do. It takes courage to find yourself in that middle place and you’re at this crossroads and you don’t know whether to go left or go right and you just stand there. It took courage for her to say, “You know what I’m going to go right and I’m going to see where this leads me”. And that’s what she did.
–
You’re also starring in Don Cheadle’s directorial debut ”Miles Ahead.” Cheadle plays Miles Davis in the biopic as well. How was it working with him and can you tell us a little about the project?
–
I play the role of his wife Frances Taylor Davis and it’s a story of their relationship. It is also a story on his journey … where he wasn’t making any music and him coming out of that and what comes from that moment. You get a chance to see who Miles Davis is and his relationship with this woman. Frances Taylor was a dancer and that’s how they met and that’s what he was attracted to. This beautiful woman with this joy and you get to see over the course of their relationship how things change. Which is natural because sometimes when you’re in a relationship things change. So the movie is titled “Miles Ahead” which is actually the name of one of Miles’ albums. so you get to really see this man and see who he was and see what shaped him to the man we know today.
–
How was it working with Don Cheadle?
–
Because Don has been in this business for so long, he has so much experience and so much wisdom and insight. So to work with him as an actor was a blessing in itself. To be playing tennis opposite this man was a wonderful experience. To also be working with him as director as well and gaining insight to his knowledge in that world was a wonderful opportunity. I don’t even know how to explain it, it was so special in that sense because he’s an actor that I’ve always respected and admired so to see someone like that in their own personal space was really a special thing.
–
