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 Christian do the trick. Nor does sipping 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 b ecome 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.