Premiering on Netflix September 9th is ‘Why Did I Get Married Again?‘, which is the third film in the franchise and was written and directed by Tyler Perry (‘The Six Triple Eight‘).
In addition to Perry, the film stars returning cast members Michael Jai White (‘The Dark Knight‘), Tasha Smith (‘Dolemite Is My Name‘), Sharon Leal (‘Dreamgirls‘), Richard T. Jones (‘Godzilla‘), Jill Scott (‘Get On Up‘), and Lamman Rucker (‘Meet the Browns‘), as well as Taraji P. Henson (‘Hidden Figures‘) joining the cast.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Taraji P. Henson, Michael Jai White, Tasha Smith, Sharon Leal, Richard T. Jones and Lamman Rucker about their work on ‘Why Did I Get Married Again?’, reuniting for the sequel, Taraji P. Henson’s new character, and working with filmmaker Tyler Perry.
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Moviefone: To begin with, Taraji, can you talk about joining this franchise and what were some of the aspects of your character that you were excited to explore on screen?
Taraji P. Henson: I was this excited to spend time with people that I really like in Lake Como. That was the draw for me. This sounds like a field trip. No, but it was really exciting and I was a little nervous to join a franchise that is so beloved. Because people aren’t rushing to Netflix to see me. They’re looking to catch up on the characters that they fell in love with 15 years ago. I was just honored and grateful that they embraced me. I’m a very new character to the script. I’m not taking Janet Jackson’s place. No one on earth can do that. But, because of her scheduling conflicts, I was asked to do it and I thought, “What a what a great franchise to join.” I really like these people. I had so much fun with them. We had a really good time and I was just grateful because that’s not an easy thing to do to join an already successful franchise. So, I just was honored and just grateful that they embraced me the way they did. It was a great time.
MF: Tasha, what was it like for you to reprise your role and how has Angela changed since the last time we saw her?
Tasha Smith: She’s grown. She’s a mother of a young man. So you get to see that. You get to see her mothering an adult. You see how her relationship with Marcus has evolved as much as it could in 15 years. But it’s fun, and she’s still loud and crazy, but fun and very lovable.
MF: Sharon, what is it like being directed by Tyler Perry in scenes where he is also acting opposite you?
Sharon Leal: Well, you know, he just wears all the hats. He just insists on wearing every single hat. So, you get what you can get, but he’s usually multitasking and doing a lot all at once and conserving his energy, I imagine, too. You know, it was a whirlwind shoot. I mean, we barely got to hang out with each other. It was just like boom, boom, and we’re done. But it’s pretty remarkable how much he takes on and how well he executes at the end of the day.
MF: Taraji, you’ve worked with Tyler several times before, what do you enjoy about working with him and the specific way he makes films?
TPH: He knows what he wants. I love that we’re not on set all day because I like to go home. I have his rhythm down. What is this, our fifth movie together? So, We kind of can talk to each other telepathically. I know when he got it. We’ve done this so much that we’ve developed a rhythm, and so it’s just effortless working with him because I know how he works. A lot of people can’t because it’s very fast, but I like that because again, I like to go home. But Tyler’s a director that’s editing as he’s filming. So that’s why he knows exactly what he wants. He’ll be like, “I got what I need, moving on,” because he’s editing as he goes.
MF: Lamman, what was it like for you to be directed by Tyler while also acting with him in a scene?
Lamman Rucker: Well, that’s a great question because one minute he’s sitting next to you and then he’s not, but somebody’s there that looks just like him. Then all of a sudden he’s running around with six other cameras directing traffic. I’ve had the pleasure to work with him not just on film, but also in a series, ‘Meet the Browns’. So having been in that space where you’re working on a regular basis for six seasons, I’ve seen a transformation, but also just how he’s doing a lot of the same things, but he’s much faster. He’s much more decisive. He’s very clear on what he wants, and has already kind of figured it out. So, it’s been great. It’s been a lot of fun witnessing his transformation over twenty years because it’s almost twenty years to the day that I auditioned for him the first time. So, now to see all of this, the entire, his entire empire, let alone all of the different properties that he’s developed over the years, it’s been an incredible thing to witness.
MF: Richard, what was it like for you to reunite with the cast and reprise this role, and what did you enjoy most about playing Mike this time around?
Richard T. Jones: Well, when it comes to Mike, you don’t want to mess with something that everybody likes. I didn’t want to mess with it, but it’s always a pleasure to reprise one of these roles.
MF: Michael, can you talk about how Marcus has changed since the last time we saw him and where we find him when this film begins?
Michael Jai White: He changed quite a bit. He’s grown up quite a bit in front of your eyes, and now he’s got his daughter about to get married, and that’s what this thing is about. It’s kind of like ‘Father of the Bride‘. He’s very well accomplished but the audience knows him as a different kind of guy. They saw the little bumps and bruises on the way up. But he’s arrived at a state of maturity that I think we can be proud of.
MF: Finally, Michael, what was it like reuniting with Tasha Smith and to explore Marcus and Angela’s relationship with her again?
MJW: The fact is, a lot of people don’t know that me and Tasha were good friends way before the first movie even started. So we go way back. We’re celebrating bringing it together. We had a television show (‘Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse‘) that was on for six seasons. So, it’s like we’re playing with house money.
What is the plot of ‘Why Did I Get Married Again?’
The couples reunite for the destination wedding of Marcus (Michael Jai White) and Angela’s (Tasha Smith) daughter, bringing drama old and new as they ask, “Why did we get married again?”
Who is in the cast of ‘Why Did I Get Married Again?’
- Taraji P. Henson as Roselyn
- Tyler Perry as Dr. Terry Brock
- Sharon Leal as Dianne Brock
- Michael Jai White as Marcus Williams
- Tasha Smith as Angela Williams
- Richard T. Jones as Mike
- Jill Scott as Sheila Jackson
- Lamman Rucker as Troy Jackson
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