As much as Tyler Perry’s Nobody’s Fool is a stellar comedy laced with Tiffany Haddish’s clever one-liners and crazy antics, the film is also about forgiveness.
Haddish (who plays Tanya) is a convicted felon who’s just been released from jail. Her sister, on the other hand, Danica (Tika Sumpter) is a successful executive who’s caught in a precarious online dating situation. So much so, Nev MTV “Catfish” Schulman and Max Joseph made a cameo in the film to help her figure out if her online suitor is really who he says he is.
Amid the search, there’s Frank (Omari Hardwick) who owns a coffee shop and hosts evening AA meetings when the shop is closed. Like Tanya, he’s also a convicted felon who is fiercely vying for Danica’s love. Both Frank and Tanya are seeking a second chance in life, and more importantly, some kind of forgiveness. (Tanya especially from her mother Lola (Whoopi Goldberg)
For Haddish, forgiveness isn’t a virtue that’s been easy, but it’s necessary. “In the early part of my twenties I would hold on to a lot of things,” she tells VIBE. “When I got older I realized forgiveness is for you and not for that person. And I have forgiven a lot of people in my life, but I have not forgotten. But I forgive and I love regardless.”
“It’s been the key to everything in my life because if you hold onto something, it’s weight that holds you down. Forgive let go, and move on and understand that people are not perfect,” added Perry. “And let people be who they are. As Maya Angelou said ‘if they show you who they believe them.’ Let people be who they are so you understand that.”
On a cold October day in New York City, the cast of Nobody’s Fool stepped into the press madness with a lot of comic relief, and deep advice on redemption. VIBE caught up with Tiffany Haddish, Tyler Perry, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick, Whoopi Goldberg, and Amber Riley. Watch our interview with them below.
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