GIRL TRIPPING JADA PINKETT SMITH, QUEEN LATIFAH, REGINA HALL AND TIFFANY HADDISH STAR IN A LAUGH-OUT-LOUD SUMMER MOVIE ABOUT TAKING A TRIP TO THE ESSENCE FESTIVAL. REGINA R. ROBERTSON TAGS ALONG FOR THE WILD RIDE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WARWICK SAINT
82 ESSENCE.COM JULY 2017 This page: Pinkett URING THE THICK OF SUMMER, Smith wears a built a brand based on perfection. is to wreak as much havoc as humanly possible over July Fourth weekend. it’s nearly impossible to escape the Mugler dress, Then there’s seemingly levelheaded Along with the group’s barhopping up and down Bourbon Street and earrings grip of New Orleans’ heat. Stand- Altuzarra Sasha (Latifah), a reluctant gossip dancing in the aisles of the Superdome—while Kendrick Lamar, Maxwell, New and Le Silla pumps. ing beneath a tree, hoping for even c olumnist who’s determined to live Edition, Diddy and Mariah Carey rock the Festival stage—the level of fun in the slightest hint of cool, doesn’t Opening spread: her best life despite her rocky which Ryan, Sasha, Lisa and Dina indulge sways between reckless abandon and On Jada: a do the trick. Nor does sipping Christian finances. A former wild child and straight-up debauchery, including one hilarious scene with a scantily clad Siriano dress, Dana strawberryD lemonade with an ice water chaser. Rebecca Designs current divorced mom of two, Lisa Siriboe. (Thank you, Mr. Lee.) Back at the Pink Motel, Pinkett Smith cracks up It’s sweltering, from sunup to sundown, and the earrings. Ring, (Pinkett Smith) has become so about all that his character Malik endures: “Awww, poor Kofi. We tried to take stylist’s own. humidity is as real as the out-of-nowhere rain engrossed with her children’s lives good care of him, but he was such a good sport. He was up for all of it!” showers that provide a respite. Then you’re right Stylist, Law Roach. that she’s completely lost her sense of back where you started—hot. Hair, Gracie Odoms self. And then, of course, there’s Dina using Oribe/TheOnly Wiping sweat from my brow as I walk down (Haddish), who loves living on the .Agency. Makeup, I AUDITIONED OVER SKYPE, Magazine Street on the way to Second Line Stages, Steven Aturo using edge and uses the phrase turn up as a I repeat to myself, You’re in New Orleans. You’re Smashbox Cosmetics verb, an adjective and a noun. Seri- BUT HONESTLY THE ONLY and Dr. Brandt/ in New Orleans! That fond feeling of all the fun ously. It has been five years since TheOnly.Agency. THING I’D EVER DONE ON SKYPE this treasured southern city is famous for keeps Manicure, Chaun they’ve all been together, so the plan me from fainting before my visit with Girls Trip Peth. Pedicure, WAS A PODCAST INTERVIEW.... Temeka Jackson. leading ladies Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, WELL, THAT AND I’D SHOWN Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith. The fact that hunky costars Mike Colter, Kofi Siriboe and MY BOOBS—BUT THAT WAS Larenz Tate are listed on the day’s call sheet is a BACK WHEN I WAS MARRIED.” bonus. More on those three in a bit. If there’s one thing that Girls Trip director Malcolm D. Lee learned during the 35-day shoot is that hair The young actor—who’s now known (and adored) and makeup for four actresses require time and as Ralph Angel on OWN’s Queen Sugar—pauses, patience. So on this twenty-third day of filming, he then smiles when I ask about his heartthrob status waits. As do the extras, who are ready to hit their in the film. “Ir eceive that,” he says. “Yeah, I’ll take marks for the first scheduled scene, which takes that.” Then he confesses that Pinkett Smith was place in a club. Once the actresses trickle in and his inspiration. “I watched so many of Jada’s films slip into character—four besties since college who when I was growing up, so to be able to play this hop on a flight to NOLA for a weekend of character, with her, was like a dream come true.” reconnecting at Essence Festival—it becomes There’s no question that the R-rated movie increasingly difficult for everybody else to contain pushes the envelope. That was always the plan, themselves. The verdict? This movie is going to be even when it was just an idea floating around in funny as hell. producer Will Packer’s head. “Our audience loves Jump ahead to the ampli- everything from The Hangover to Bridesmaids,” fied on-set energy between IN THIS FILM WE ARE FLAWED, FUNNY, Packer notes. “So I thought it would be fun to see a Haddish, Hall, Latifah and film in that vein, with chocolate girls!” That idea Pinkett Smith when they VULNERABLE AND OUT OF OUR MINDS! began its journey to becoming a reality once he gather nine months later for WE GO WAY OVER THE TOP, JUST TO shared it with Lee. “We’ve all seen the paradigm of their ESSENCE cover shoot men behaving badly and getting into all kinds of at Los Angeles’ legendary REMIND PEOPLE THAT IT’S COMEDY.” trouble, so when Will brought me the idea of doing Pink Motel. (Without spoil- it with women, I was 100 percent in,” he says. “This ing too much, the backdrop for these photos is a playful wink to a scene from people always ask, ‘Hey, baby, how film is an opportunity for Black women to see them- the film, opening July 21.) As soon as Hall steps before the camera, she begins long you gonna be here? Well, enjoy This page and selves the way they see themselves and not the way adjusting her stance. “Yeah, I want some hip in this shot,” she says. All the while our city, okay?’ They just want you to opening spread: other people see them and not in some trumped-up Tiffany Haddish wears the playlist shifts from house classics to nineties R&B to bass-thumping Dirty have a good time, you know?” A good a Paule Ka top, ICB reality show. The characters are so relatable that South anthems—the latter comes at the request of Haddish. “I only want to time is what she and her castmates, as “Back Satin Crepe” you really root for them.” Then he drops the dis- hear trap music,” she declares, already in full bounce mode. Yes, it’s that kind well as the characters they play pants and Daniel claimer: “Girls Trip is not for the pearl clutchers!” Hall Espinosa earrings. of day, complete with random outbursts of laughter, a handful of impromptu on-screen, surely had. And truth be doesn’t necessarily agree. “The pearl clutchers can dance breaks and so, so much girl talk. told, we all know at least one of these Stylist, Julee Wilson. come and they’ll get to clutch their pearls. Isn’t that four fictional friends. In fact, we might Hair, KaMaura Eley/ why they bought them?” she says, giggling over the Off Council. Makeup, WHAT HAPPENS IN N’AWLINS… even be them, either right now or, per- Dionne Wynn/iTalent phone a few days later. “Actually, they should wear Much like New York City was often credited as a character in Sex and the City haps, once upon a time. Company. Manicure, their best pearls when they see the movie!” and Las Vegas in The Hangover, the same can be said for New Orleans in Girls Let’s start with Ryan (Hall), the pic- Tracy Clemens Pinkett Smith has a different perspective. for Dermelect Trip. “Culturally there’s no other place like New Orleans,” says Latifah over ture of success who, with the help of her Cosmeceuticals/ “Because of our history in this country and how lunch at the Hotel Bel-Air a day earlier. “I love the music, I love the vibe and the ex–NFL player husband (Colter), has Opus Beauty. we’ve been labeled, I think we, as Black »
84 ESSENCE.COM JULY 2017 This page: Queen Latifah wears an Escada blazer and pants, La Blanca bodysuit and women, tend to be a little hard on ourselves,” she says. “That feeling of directing Regina Hall. She’s appeared Narcisa Pheres earrings. Peele–led comedy flick, Keanu. With Girls Trip, always having to be on point has prevented us from being expansive in how in both Best Man films (the first of Haddish holds absolutely nothing back. She Opening spread: On we see ourselves and how we allow ourselves to be entertained, but I think which served as the big-screen debut Latifah: Djula earrings does, however, try her best to keep it PG-13 we’re getting to a place where we’re afforded the opportunity to kind of cut for her and Lee) as well as last year’s and a vintage kimono. during our late lunch at CJ’s Café on Pico Bou- loose and see all the wonderful colors of who we are. In this film we are Barbershop: The Next Cut. “Regina is levard, a few days after posing for her first Stylist, Timothy Snell. flawed, funny, vulnerable and out of our minds! We go way over the top, a great collaborator, and she always Hair, Iasia Merriweather. magazine cover. “When I auditioned last year, just to remind people that it’s comedy.” has ideas, especially when it comes to Makeup, Sam Fine Malcolm was already in New Orleans prepping her character’s hairstyles,” he admits. for samfine.com. for the film,” she says, “so we had to do it over Manicure, Tracy BACK TOGETHER AGAIN “She’s also got such tremendous Clemens for Skype. Honestly the only thing I’d ever done “Are you doing it? If you do it, then I’ll do it,” Latifah says, mimicking the way range as an actress. She’s definitely Dermelect on Skype was a podcast interview…. Well, that she and Pinkett Smith went back and forth before signing on to the project. a leading lady.” Moving from comedy Cosmeceuticals/ and I’d shown my boobs—but that was back Opus Beauty. Pinkett Smith remembers Set Design, when I was married and on the road doing those exchanges, too. “I was Walter Barnett/ comedy. So when Malcolm popped up on the like, ‘Yo, La, you read that Girls THE PEARL CLUTCHERS CAN COME Opus Beauty. screen, I let him know that I was going to do Trip joint? What did you think?” SEE THE MOVIE AND THEY’LL GET TO my best not to ‘Skype-sext’ him, even though Although the actresses have the lighting was really nice!” A week and a half partnered behind the scenes CLUTCH THEIR PEARLS. ISN’T THAT later, she was in New Orleans sitting for her throughout the years (Pinkett WHY THEY BOUGHT THEM?” first table read. “There is no ‘off’ switch with Smith served as an executive Tiffany,” Packer says. “She’s always ‘on,’ which producer of Latifah’s most worked so well for the character. This is going recent daytime talk show and her 2008 film, This page and opening to be her breakout role.” The Secret Life of Bees), it has been nearly spread: Regina Hall Along with the numerous gut-busting bits wears a Cynthia Rowley 21 years since they costarred in Set It Off. And slipdress, (on right hand, and ridiculously sticky situations, the tender for Living Single fans, Latifah’s role in Girls Trip from top) Effy amethyst moments that round out Girls Trip prove that is almost like peeking into what Khadijah ring, Graziela Gems the bond of friendship is as important as its “Double Dynamite” ring, James’s life might be like today. She knows this (on left hand, from top) maintenance. Honesty is key, always, but and smiles at the reference: “Sasha graduated Dana Rebecca Designs getting to that place isn’t easy. It’s necessary, with honors and wanted a career in journalism, “Carly Michelle” ring, Effy and worth it, though. “What I love about this diamond and ruby ring but because she wasn’t willing to tell salacious movie is that it has so much heart,” Pinkett and Marskinryyppy stories, just for clicks, she lost some traction “Pauwau” heels. Smith says. “Even though this group of women and fell behind. She’s still got her morals, even gets to wild out together, they’ve also been Stylist, Joiee Thorpe. though she’s struggling.” holding on to some things that have made Hair, Oscar James Latifah and Pinkett Smith represent just one for Creme of Nature/ their friendship feel inauthentic. Having to put of the film’s much-anticipated reunions. There’s kenbarboza.com. all that stuff on the table is a part of growing, Makeup, Rea Ann Silva/ also Pinkett Smith and Larenz Tate, who’ve not VisionNationArtists. which is true for any relationship.” shared billing since 1994’s The Inkwell, which Manicure, Tracy What’s also true about any and all relationships came a year after they starred in Menace II Clemens for Dermelect Cosmeceuticals/ Society. “Jada and I have talked about working Opus Beauty. together again for the longest time,” says Tate, who plays Julian, a musician and an old college CULTURALLY THERE’S NO OTHER buddy of the four girlfriends. (“Larenz is still to drama and back again keeps PLACE LIKE NEW ORLEANS. I LOVE over there looking good,” Hall adds. And she’s Hall on her toes, for sure. “Going not wrong. Okay, back to Tate.) “I thought a story from a suspenseful drama like THE MUSIC; I LOVE THE VIBE.” about women letting it all hang out, unapolo- When the Bough Breaks to Girls getically, would be hysterical and because of Trip was really fun for me,” she says. is that traveling together can either be a game changer or a deal breaker. So if this cast and crew, I knew the movie would be “Although this film is an ensemble, you and your crew can survive and enjoy a three-day summer weekend in New grounded and have some real integrity under- the story is told from Ryan’s point Orleans—at the Essence Festival, no less—maybe, just maybe, y’all are neath it all.” And he’s right. For Mike Colter, who of view and I was excited about play- connected for life. • stars as Ryan’s husband, Stewart, it was the dash ing a woman who has her image all of drama that sparked his interest. “I don’t think pulled together, which is, obviously, Regina R. Robertson (@reginarobertson) is editor of He Never Came Home: Interviews, there’s comedy without a little drama in it, and not real life.” Stories, and Essays From Daughters on Life Without Their Fathers (Agate Bolden). vice versa,” says the Luke Cage star. “We’ve cov- The newest player on the team is ered it, from every angle, so hopefully, people Tiffany Haddish, a stand-up comedian will have some fun and, at the same time, be able turned actress who’s known for bring- Ronda Thompson (@thompsonproject) is ESSENCE’s creative to relate to the story on a deeper level too.” ing the shade to NBC’s The Carmichael director. An Angeleno with proud Panamanian roots, she’s held While Girls Trip marks Lee’s first time working Show as well as for her turn in last creative positions at Vibe, German GQ, Talk and HBO. She lives in Brooklyn, and loves teaching her dog, Dynamite, new tricks. with most of the cast, it also marks his fourth time ROWE MICHAEL THOMPSON, year’s Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan
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