Taraji P. Henson, Paula Jai Parker, Terrence Howard, Taryn Manning
I knew the picture would have some life, but I just didn't expect it to go like that. It was like "whoa." Being a former Memphian, I noticed a lot of local detail in the film, from gold teeth, to clothing, hairstyles, and slang… Was that your doing? What do you think? Not all directors are as hands on as you, and actors love taking credit for things when they go right... Well, it's not like I just sat around and watched everything happening. I had to dictate it happening, as I do on every movie. The whole point of shooting in Memphis was to get the local flavor. I felt that even though the movie was uplifting when it ended, it had a melancholy feel throughout… Was that a conscience decision because you didn't want to glorify that lifestyle? The reason I chose to portray it, the way I did, is because I really just wanted to show the south. No one has made a really good movie about the south in a long time.
Terrence Howard and Ludacris
The casting of this film was particularly interesting because you used Ludacris to portray a southern rapper… instead of the aspiring rapper (Terrance Howard -who raps throughout the film). You made the right decision, but I wanted to know your thoughts on that? All I did on that was to get Luda to play a bad guy since everyone loves him so much. I told him ‘people love you so much, you have to play someone people don't like.’ Chris is always about ‘what's the next level for him as an actor?’ He's really serious about his acting. And as you see in Crash and this, he's going to have a major career as an actor. With your first film, Boyz in the Hood, you were lauded as the next great director. How did that pressure affect your choices for projects? It was cool, because it let me know that I had a career of making movies for a while. I've heard in interviews that Terrance Howard wasn't interested in the role in the beginning. You're a director with a pretty strong name recognition, why didn't you chase larger actors - Tyrese, Ice Cube, or Will Smith? Terrence was good because Terrance hasn't really made it as an actor. And it would have been more of a surprise to see him rather than someone who was already established.I assume you receive boat loads of scripts… No, I don't actually. Really, why wouldn't you? Because I make sure I don't, because 99 percent of them are bad. There has only been 1 percent in years that are good. When you receive something what exactly turns it from a 'No' to a 'Yes?' When I finally get a chance to read something, nine times out of ten a lot of people have read it beforehand. So they give it to me, and say 'Hey this is worthy of reading,' since most stuff isn't worth reading. It's a very particular skill to be able to write a movie. Some people say they have it, but they don't.
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