When Love & Basketball director Gina Prince-Bythewood shouted “motion” whereas filming the ultimate scene for the 2000 cult basic, actress Sanaa Lathan had just one probability to get it proper on the basketball courtroom.
In an unique interview with ipromiseyoumedia, the star of The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat reveals that she bought “one take” to movie the romantic sports activities comedy’s closing scene, through which her character, Monica Wright-McCall, takes the courtroom at a WNBA recreation as a participant for the Los Angeles Sparks.
The scene takes place after Monica marries Omar Epps’ character, Quincy McCall, and the 2 have a child lady collectively.
“Once we shot that final shot the place Monica is in an precise recreation on the finish of the film the place Quincy and her daughter are sitting courtside, that was an precise L.A. Sparks recreation,” Lathan, 52, remembers.
“We had one take,” she remembers of the scene that includes Sparks participant Lisa Leslie as her teammate and Lakers legend Magic Johnson as a fan.
“I used to be so nervous as a result of they allowed us to get the true stadium and the true gamers. One take, as a result of it was in the course of an precise recreation,” explains Lathan, who wore a No. 32 Sparks jersey with Wright-McCall emblazoned on it as an announcer launched her for the on-screen recreation.
Prince-Bythewood, 55, lately reunited with Lathan when she invited her to the Aug. 15 WNBA recreation between the Sparks and New York Liberty.
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The reunion got here 25 years after filming their WNBA scene for Love & Basketball, which in recent times has achieved a number of milestones.
In 2021, Love & Basketball was added to the Criterion Assortment, and in 2023, the movie was chosen for the Library of Congress’ Nationwide Movie Registry for its “cultural” and “aesthetic significance.”
For her Love & Basketball function, Lathan received greatest actress on the BET Awards and the NAACP Picture Awards in 2001. Since then, the actress has obtained a Tony nomination in 2004 for her function in A Raisin within the Solar and earned an Emmy nod in 2022 for her visitor function in HBO’s Succession.
Lathan made her directorial debut with On the Come Up in 2022.
Now, she’s starring in The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat — alongside Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Uzo Aduba — which is streaming on Hulu.
