January 25, 2006 @ 6:23 pm

Sanaa Lathan - StoryTeller

Hiking is a cleansing routine for both; Lathan uses the time to decompress and brainstorm while Pops defiantly “goes” every 500 feet. This afternoon, Lathan is in fret mode. While running a quick errand, she left Pops in her loaner car (her BMW 745Li was in the shop)—he went Cujo and chewed up the emergency brake lever and armrest. //“Do you think they’ll charge me?” she worries. //Please, Sanaa. You could smile your way out of the Spanish Inquisition. Just claim “wear and tear.”//“I’m not a good liar,” she counters. //But you’re an actor. Acting and lying are basically the same thing. //“No they’re not,” she corrects, her gaze sharpening.“ Acting is not lying, acting is telling the truth.” TOUCHÉ.The exchange sums up Sanaa Lathan: honest, philosophical, and beholden to her craft. To waste a Yale School of Drama education just to get over on a car dealership would dishonor her profession. “She sets the bar high for everyone,” says actor Regina Hall. Lathan taught Hall the electric slide on the 1998 set of The Best Man, and they remain close friends. “She’s a Virgo, and that’s part of what makes her a perfectionist. She tries to create a character who’s honest, and she makes everyone else want to perform great.” Lathan, 34, brings this karmic commitment to her latest film, Something New. She plays "Kenya", a rigid accountant who falls for a white guy, played by Australian actor Simon Baker. “I always respected her as an actor,” says Sanaa Hamri, the movie’s director, about her decision to cast Lathan in the lead role. “She was well trained and brought a certain subtleness and quality to her projects.” These qualities matched up well with Hamri’s aims for the film, which is more ambitious than the typical romantic comedy. “It’s about breaking barriers and expectations and being free to love colorlessly,” says Hamri. Something New is a first, Lathan says. Unlike other interracial romance films like Jungle Fever or Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the perspective comes from a black woman. It’s causing ripples of chatter in black Hollywood ciphers. The issue: Why would a black woman choose a white man when there are so many good, hard-working brothers around? “I know I’m going to get flak from some of the black community,” Lathan says. “It’s very interesting, because people are like, ‘What are you doing next?’ A romantic comedy. ‘Who’s the guy?’ His name is Simon Baker. ‘Who’s that?’ He’s white. And I’ve had, literally, several black men be like, ‘Uhhhh. I’ll go see it because of you, but I don’t like the story.’” It’s a funny and tender movie that addresses racism, prejudice, class, sex, empowerment, and vulnerability—realities, ideologies, and emotions that Lathan has spent her life navigating in theater, in Hollywood, and most importantly, as an African-American woman. Lathan knows she’s been perceived as a black romantic-comedy staple or worse—still an up-and-comer, even after a decade of big-screen appearances, the last six years in starring roles. “I get the feeling the industry has slept on me,” she says. “But I get so much love from the public. I get so much support. I went to the Bahamas, and I was surprised at how many people knew my movies. My road is my road, and not everybody has instant fame. From working in the theater, I’m more adjusted. I think it’s more important to have a slow build than a rocket to stardom.” Lathan has quietly built an enviable repertoire that invites comparisons to a young Angela Bassett or Alfre Woodard. She is known for her versatility, sliding into a flawed character as easily as a goody-goody one. Blessed with a pair of beguiling brown eyes and an intrinsic charisma, Lathan exudes Hollywood glamour with just a touch of bohemian sensibility. She wears Diane von Furstenberg at premieres but keeps a pair of "Birkenstocks" stashed in her closet. She can recite Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s epochal “La Di Da Di” or sing along to James Moody’s jazz classic “Moody’s Mood for Love.” “I want to be able to blow,” she says over an après-hike spicy shrimp salad and diet peach Snapple. “Can you imagine the feeling of that voice coming out of you? Singing is the ultimate. It would feel so good to be able to sing and touch people.” To Read The Rest of This Story, Get This Issue At Your Local Newsstand Now! Do you want VIBE delivered to your home or office? CLICK HERE.

Article tags: Sanaa Lathan, Sanaa Lathan And Denzel Washington, Something New 

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