Just Wright: A Fine Date Night

It’s difficult to believe the New Jersey Nets would be playing their home opener to a sold-out crowd, but the storyline in the romantic comedy “Just Wright,” which opens Friday, is a familiar and credible one. Scott McKnight (hip-hop star Common) is the star player of the Nets, who falls for Leslie Wright’s (Queen Latifah) shallow but gorgeous BFF, Morgan (Paula Patton). Upon suffering a career-threatening injury, Scott finds himself at the hands of Nets fanatic Leslie, who is a physical therapist, and the two can’t help but click with ‘common’ interests like jazz and basketball. Thus begins the conflict – which woman wins him over? It may sound predictable, but the ride is quite enjoyable and uplifting.

Newark native Queen Latifah and Common took time out of their busy schedules to dish about the film, their music and their turning points in life.

Q: Do you think your shared background as musicians contribute to your chemistry on this film?

Queen Latifah: Yes, I think it did. We have that in common – the fact that we are rappers-turned-actors does make a difference because it gives us a relatable aspect as friends and professionals. There are certain scenes I was like, ‘Man you’re Common – you’re that dude – girls throw themselves at you – be that dude!’ I’d gas him up because he’s so humble and I’m like f- that! You’re Common! Girls love you and that’s who you’ve got to be sometimes. He’s so kind and sometimes you have to be a little cocky to get there and he did.

Common: I definitely felt that it helped us understand each other more, but I really believe Latifah and I have a great connection. Some things are God-given and we both have a certain sincerity about us and we understand each other beyond hip-hop with certain things we’re interested in. And she’s just a beautiful person, so it’s hard not to connect with Latifah.

Q: Common, do you remember the first time you met Queen Latifah?

C: I was here in New York from Chicago for the New Music Seminar. I was an unsigned artist and we saw a lot of people on TV and this was our first time in NY, so when we came across Queen Latifah, we asked her to say something on camera and she was really cool, and it always stuck in my mind that she was cool. I had already admired her, but it was a good thing to see she was a sweet individual then and now. 

Q: You were both serious basketball players in your life, so can you talk about that?

QL: I had the great fortune of playing on a championship basketball team in high school, so for me, loving basketball and being part of a basketball team taught me a lot about being a team player. There’s no difference between that and making a movie. You need 150 people to work in the same direction so you have to make everyone feel like they are a part of it, because they are. All have to pull in to make every scene happen. You could also do it the bully way, but I’m not that person. My coach always drilled composure in our heads, and we were a winning team. It’s being calm under pressure – if you’re losing, you can come back and pull through.

C: I grew up playing ball and my dream was to be in the NBA when I was young. So this movie was like a dream in two for me to play in the NBA – because I really thought I was in the NBA for two months doing this movie – and to be a leading man in the film. All the basketball scenes are me; I knew that when people saw this movie they had to believe my character was a basketball player and it needed to look real. And I was in the 2008 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and my shot was blocked by a girl. After that happened and the buzzer went off, I just put my face under my shirt. So this movie was my redemption to say, ‘I’m tellin’ y’all – I hoop!’

Q: What was the process like for this film?

QL: We came up with this concept and partnered with Disney and the first draft was a great script, and the film got green-lit twice. Then it was about the budget and a regime change and then we shopped it around and Fox Searchlight said, ‘We get it; let’s do it.’ We shot it last summer. Sometimes it takes time to get things done like that.

Q: What was the kiss like with Common?

QL: It was ‘just right’ (smiles).

Q: Queen Latifah, you’ve broken through every glass ceiling out there – can you talk about how you did it?

QL: I cut my head because I didn’t even see the damn ceiling. I’m like the bird that flew into the window and was like, ‘what the hell was that sh**?’ I never see boundaries. My partner and I have never functioned like that. We could have gotten jobs at labels and gotten the expense account, but to go there is to be trapped. We were always business-oriented, but we were always creative. I fell on my face early, and I learned how to get myself up and dust myself off and then go put myself out there and find a way to work through it. Facing your fears and realizing you can overcome them is extremely important. Realizing you can make mistakes and survive them is important. I never wanted to have a 9-to-5; I do not knock people who want that, but I was not that girl.

Q: Common, your character is at a point in your life where he thought he wanted one thing but realized he wanted something else. In real life, was there a turning point for you?

C: That moment came when I knew I was having my daughter. I realized my life had changed and at that point I decided to do the right thing. I knew I had the information to do better, so when she was coming into the world, I knew I had to buckle down and do right. 

Q: Would you ever do a movie with your girlfriend Serena Williams?

C: Yeah, if her acting chops were up (laughs).

Q: Can you talk about the music in the film? 

QL: The music was very important in the movie. Scott (Common) loves jazz and so does Leslie. So it was important to have that component and Common and I both love jazz outside of our characters, so we needed that to be a part of it. And it made his character one that has many levels – if he listens to John Coletrane or Miles Davis it makes him more round and complete as a person and you get why he can fall for Morgan, this gorgeous woman, but how he could also fall for Leslie, who is a good friend.

Q: How do feel about female rappers these days like Nicki Minaj?

QL: I’m just happy to see female rappers – so I’m with it! I’m cool!

Q: What about your music – what’s next for you both?

C: The album ‘The Believer’ is what I’m working on now – it’s me, No I.D., Kanye West and Twilight Tone. Basically it’s soulful, raw hip-hop and we’re looking at it coming out this fall. I also have a song at the end of this movie called ‘The Next Time’ featuring Latifah.

QL: I’m about to go record a live album in two or three weeks and record standards. I want to achieve what we do live, which is very different compared to what we do in the studio, so I want capture that. I can always make more hip-hop, but I’m going to make whatever feels good to me at that time. I’m true to what I do.