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HBO:
You must get a million offers you're working
on, so why Life Support?
Queen Latifah: What appealed to me about the project is
that I could relate to the story. I could
relate to the characters. You know, I grew
up here in New Jersey and New York in my
teenage years and I ran around a lot in
Brooklyn. I hung out at a lot of places I
probably shouldn't have been--with a lot of
different people doing all kinds of things--
and you know, frankly some of my behavior
was probably at risk - just like some of the
characters in this movie. Fortunately you
know, I was able to come through that
healthy and get back on course.
So I felt like I could relate to the character of
Anna and this story about second chances
and redemption. Someone who went
through a lot early in her life, got back on
track, but left a lot of damage in her wake.
The healing that has to happen when
someone in your family has been on drugs.
HBO:
So what is Life Support about?
Queen Latifah: The story revolves around a woman named
Anna Wallace, her family--her daughters, her
mother, her husband--and Life Support, which
is the outreach program that she works for.
It's an HIV/AIDS outreach program. So, she's
an activist trying to get people to wear
condoms by any means necessary. Abstain
from sex. Get tested for HIV and STDs. She's
just really out there walking the streets to the
point where she can barely walk, her feet hurt
so bad. She's also HIV positive, so she's really
passionate about getting the word out. She's a
former addict, and that's part of her deal but
the story is about trying to repair the
relationships that are damaged when you are
someone who is addicted to drugs.
HBO:
So tell me about the qualities that Anna has
that she's able to turn her life around?
Queen Latifah: I'd say that one thing she is is relentless.
Before her passion might have been drugs,
but now with that being removed, that
passion just went to being an activist. To
being a mother. I mean, a hardcore mother.
You know, a PTA mom at every meeting, at
every school play, walking her daughter to
school even when her feet hurt. Really,
she's kind of the same person, she just
removed the drugs from her life and
replaced it. Moved it to a different area of
her life. Applied it to trying to repair the
relationship with her older daughter, and
that's what a lot of people have to do in that
situation. People--who abuse alcohol,
drugs, people who abandon their children--
later on in life realize that they made a
mistake. But it's not as easy as it may seem.
HBO:
Along those lines what's your relationship
with Lucille, the grandmother character in
this film?
Queen Latifah: Yeah, Lucille and Anna have a really, really
difficult relationship. They're used to each
other, they're probably very alike in a lot of
ways, but there's a serious trust factor that
is not present. To have a mom who's had to
deal with all that crap all these years and
raise your child while you were out on
drugs. The trust that's broken when you
have this kind of relationship, when your
child robs your house, when they steal your
jewelry, when they sell your television.
When they sell your prize possessions,
secret little things that you planned on
saving for your grandkids, or they sell your
clothes, and they let people in your house
and, cook up all your food, feeding some
druggie from up the street. All that kind of
stuff ruins the relationship, or ruins the
trust level at minimum. So now, even
though they've cleaned up, you got all these
memories, and you ain't quick to leave your
purse sitting around. You know what I
mean? It's just so much of a habit you've
developed to protect your things.
And even protecting that grandchild is one
of those things after awhile. So there's a bit
of a fight there, a bit of a struggle. There's a
woman who needs to be redeemed and
forgiven. And there's a mother who just has
to believe it, who's not so quick to
forgive...and it's definitely not easy to forget.
HBO:
Tell me a little bit about Wendell Pierce?
Queen Latifah: Wendell plays Slick, my husband. You know,
he's really who I always had in mind for this
part--with the producer cap as well as the
actor cap that I wear in this film. He is just
such a presence to me and always has been.
I've always respected his acting. Everything I
see him in, he just has this strength and
confidence. The kind of man who, you know --
your wife could be like blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah, la, la, la, la, la, the end of the
world, the end of the world, the end of the
world and he's "Honey, it's all right, I got it. It's
taken care of." You know what I mean? That's
the kind of guy that I think Anna needed. And
Wendell pulls that off like nobody's business so
- I'm just blessed and fortunate that we were
able to make it work for his schedule.
HBO:
How was it working with Nelson George?
Queen Latifah: Nelson has really been great. I mean, this is
his story. This is his family story. There
have been some things that have been
changed in the story, of course, but this was
very personal to him. He's doing a great job
connecting the emotions to what we're doing
- to feeling all those emotions and making
sure all of that is real. He can get on the
phone with his mother or I can talk to his
sister and get insight from her because she's
around the set. Having that one-on-one
contact, that personal relationship, I think
has been helpful to everybody.
HBO:
So you did meet his sister?
Queen Latifah: Yeah, I met his sister. You know, I think
his sister's really cool. I tend to think Pisces
are cool anyway and I'm a Pisces. It's funny,
I'm shooting a scene and she's coming up
the street and she's rolling her carrying case
and her cane and I got the same thing. It
was like looking in the mirror for a second.
But, I'm proud of her because she did turn
her life around. A lot of people don't have
the strength to do that. And it does take
some strength to do it.
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