By Tonisha Johnson

Taraji Henson has a definite lifeline with John Singleton as she expresses in this interview. But rightfully so, she has earned accreditation for some outstanding performances given in Baby Boy as well as Hustle & Flow; Shug (Taraji) is a pregnant, emotionally sweet trick living with ‘Crossroads’ actress Taryn Manning, who has really developed in the role as Nola, a white hooker discovered at a truck stop. Newcomer DJ Qualls is currently turning down “silly” roles hoping to get the chance to explore more parts with dramatic turns.

Are you all getting more scripts now because of this film?

Taraji Henson: Well, to our agents. But it’s not like some executive is saying we need her in our movie. We still fight for jobs out here. It’s hard out here for a pimp.

DJ Qualls: Actually, I am getting much better material than I’ve ever gotten before because I get Road Trip repackaged everyday to my agency. I’m finally getting roles that I would actually consider doing.

TH: Yeah, that’s true too, cause I’ve been sent to my agency…well I’ve just signed with an agency. I was agent less for a minute. And they get me. They understand that she’s more than a baby momma and a girl from the hood. She can act. Well, I’ve been trying to tell you that. Thought you saw it in Baby Boy but. In an industry where people are really accounts and they’re not artists, and those are the decision makers; all they know is to put you in a box. They can’t think outside the box cause they don’t get outside the box. So now they get. My agents, people in the industry are starting to get it. And they’ve sent me some solid scripts. And I know there are some scripts that are out there that they are not sending me on purpose. And when I question them with why haven’t you sent me this script? And I get it and I read it. I go ok, here, you can have it. Take it back.

What was the attraction for you taking this film?

DJ Q: I’m a southern boy. I just got sick of seeing the south portrayed as some sort of Gone with the Wind type place. It’s really not like that. It’s like the rest of the country. It has its own cultural identity though. Every white guy that you see in every movie that is shot in the south is a racist or a buffoon. And that’s the first role, I ever played. So did Cicely Tyson. She couldn’t sit a lunch counter. It’s not like that. I’m sure it’s like that in some places. But my south is not that. And when I read the script, I was like, I know that. That’s where I’m from. So, I wanted to be involved with it.

Taryn Manning: I read the script and of course I loved the script. And then I sat down with Craig. Craig told me a story. He’s like an actor, he’s very dramatic. A great storyteller. If you ask Craig, oh how are you today? He’d respond with ‘oh I had a dream’. You always have to be prepared to listen for a long time. I was out there at this restaurant listening to him go on and on and I was just so…like God I’m spending a lot of time with you, having a great time. Then they put me on the phone with John Singleton who was already in Memphis working on the music. And John was like, hey Taryn. I’m like hi. And he’s like; you think you can handle this role? I’m like yeah. And then we conversated and then I left there. And the next day my manager called and said they’re giving it to me.

Taraji to Taryn: Tell her about how they had found you before they knew you were even an actress.

Taryn: Craig had to create a look to get the movie off the ground. So, he created like a look for the characters like costumes and a look for the background. That’s what up and coming directors do to kind of make their vision. So they can sell it. So I guess for Nola, he cut out a picture of this blond girl with sunglasses on out of this coffee table book. And it happened to be me. And he didn’t know it. So, when he took it to the studio, they were like oh, that’ Taryn Manning and you can read with her. And he’s (Craig) like what, she’s an actress? He just pulled out some random girl that like visually that’s what he was looking for. Cause I know for 2 years that he’d been toying around with a lot of different actresses.

DJ Q: And I know it was heartbreaking for him cause I was on this project for a long time. He’d be like, “you know who I’m thinking about for this role?” And he’d tell me and I’d be like, are you shitting me? (Laughing) Your gonna fuck up your whole script man.

TH: Well, you know I worked with John before. And I trust him. I trust him with everything. I trust his judgment. The guy comes to me with a script, I’m down. Cause I trust him. So, he (John) calls me and says there’s’ this script I want you to look at. And there are 2 roles, Lexus and Shug. I get the script. And immediately I’m taken by Shug. I’m intoxicated by her. I’m like oh my god, she’s amazing. And 10 pages into the script, I call back and I’m like, I’m down. I got to be a part of this. What do I need to do? And I’m like who’s playing DJay? And when he said Terrence Howard…I was like what do I have to do. I don’t’ want you to think that although John put up the money and he was the producer, I still had to come in and convince. I wasn’t like DJ (Qualls) attached to the project like 2 years before.

TM: laughing.

TH: But later on John was like you had the role. And I understand that Craig, he was a huge fan of mine in Baby Boy. And that was all great and dandy but this his (Craig) project, his decision. So I had to go in and test read with Terrence, who I never met before. And I never worked with him before. So I understand that process. I’ll fight for a role. It makes me no never mind. So, I went in an read with Terrence and we did the scene at the end. We did Dream Sequence. That’s the scene at the end; where she gives him the chain and she thanks him for…it was pretty much like what you saw on film.

How did it work where Taraji your no singer but Taryn you’re the singer here? Where you (Taryn) like, how come I can’t sing here?

TM: I don’t know. Like Craig’ whole things is like Nola hasn’t experienced a whole lot of things. And he kept pounding it in my head …like even in the church scene I supposedly, you know; Nola had never seen anything like that. And really doesn’t know how to act. Like she doesn’t have rhythm. She’ll fall down on her platforms so…she’s very unmusical but maybe you never know. Maybe if they had tapped into it, she could of sang but, you know, she wanted too when she saw Shug do it but I don’t know what their mentality was about that.

TH: Well, it actually was refreshing because I actually went to college for musical theatre. So, it was like blowing the dust off a talent that I have. It’s not my first passion. I enjoy it. I like to do it but its not…I’m not going to go out after this movie and try to get a record contract.

TM: Even though the song will be all over the radio.

TH: That will be my claim to fame. I’m cool with that. I’m no Taryn Manning. I’m a mom first and when you start putting too many eggs on one plate, it becomes too much and something has to be taken off or the plate is gonna crack. And I can’t take away from being a mother. It’s not up for discussion. And acting is my first passion. And singing, anything I do, I do 210%, so I would have to tour. I’m not a recording artist. That’s a slap in the face to all the artists out there. So, I’m not looking for a free ride. I’m not looking for anything easy. I would go in head first. Like, I’m going to do tours. I’m going to do it all. The beauty of music is to reach people and touch them and move them. And the only way to do it is if you’re standing right there in front of them.

How was it worrying if the pouch wrapped around you would fall out?

TH: Well, what am I a kangaroo? It’s not like I haven’t been there and done it. It was easy. They put that pillow on me and I immediately went to grazing. I was like I don’t have to worry about being fat. I can eat whatever I want. I was doing things that I had no idea I was doing. It was like sense memory, it just happened. They put that pillow on me and I was pregnant again. I just started walking like that. And the pillow wasn’t even heavy. It was just…I had been pregnant for 9 months. That’s a long time. That’s a year.

So, you never forget it. Like for a whole year after I had my son I would sit with my legs open all the time. That’s something that never really leaves you. So, Craig slapped that pillow on. In one scene where DJ comes to the house to do a session, the 80 yard session, and I tell them that he’s there and I saw it, and I was scratching the pillow. Clearly the pillow isn’t itching. It’s a pillow. But I had no idea that I was doing it. They just put it on and it was like automatic. I just went back to it.

Did you do any research for the role of Nola?

TM: Little research like watching some documentaries. Well, it’s not like it takes some schooling or any kind of research to become a hooker. Every hooker is different and they’re all living their own lives and they all have their own reasons for doing it. It’s really an emotion. I lost my dad when I was 13 years old. I was very confused at that moment because he killed himself. I was angry. So what I did was, I played Nola as Taryn would have taken the low road in life. I would have not been ambitious and driven and not wanting to rise above an out of the ultimate depression. That’s who Nola was. Taryn’ like dark side.

How do you incorporate your career and being a mother? It’s not like a 9-5?

TH: Mmm. Well, you know. You could say any things hard in life. Truly, if you say it’s hard, then you’ll believe it. We get through it. I just think it’s amazing that my career took off when it did. I am a spiritual person. Am I religious, do I go to church every Sunday? No. I just kind of cut out the middle man and I deal directly with God. So, I’m very spiritual. And a long time ago I decided that my son was placed in my life for a reason. And God knows where I’d be in Babylon. I consider L. A. Babylon, if I hadn’t had him when I did. And I struggled for the first like…he doesn’t remember the hard times when we moved out to L. A. And the fact that my career has taken…and I think it all happens for a reason. My career took off at a point where he’s old now. He’s not like a little baby. So it’s not that hard. I get a babysitter to come over…and I’ve never considered them nannies’. I’m the mother. You ain’t raising my child. I’ll go over the homework when I get home. You just make sure he does it. I cooked and you can just nuke it and give it to him. It’s not really hard. We role with the punches and if I have to…go with. It’s good for him to see what mommy does. It’s good for him to see how hard I work to keep that pool for him in the back yard.

DJ, what did you want to add to the film? Did you want to be the comic relief as oppose to being the white boy in the film?

DJ Q: Well, you know, it’s funny because I get asked so many questions about race from journalists. I didn’t think I was in a movie with an all black cast and Taryn. Writers keep telling me that I am. It’s funny because people like…I think maybe because of my past work, I always make my characters funny than they actually are. But if my character was black, I don’t think people would be asking me those same questions. You know what I mean? I just wanted to be true to the character and hopefully add another layer to the film. And that’s all any of us can really do as actors. I love Craig. And I love these guys sitting here. There my friends. I just wanted to do right by everybody. It’s something that I’m proud of. I don’t think that it has anything to do with race.

DJ, you said you get Road Trip repackaged often. Are you doing anything new to change that image?

DJ Q: I’m playing a serial killer on CBS this fall on a show called Criminal Minds. I was offered 12 movies in a row before I took this movie. And they were all comedies. I just can’t do it anymore. At some point you have to say no. it’s terrifying for me because I grew up in a trailer with five brothers and sisters. And I have a huge security issue with money. But I didn’t work for like a whole year, waiting for the right part to come by. After this experience, I sought of realized that, with all that has happened in my life, I should sort of swing for the fences. So now I’m only doing stuff that I really like. Maybe things will get bad to where I’m selling bread makers at 4 in the morning but I’m never gonna play Kyle from Road Trip again. I don’t want to hate on it because it started me out but I won’t ever do it again.

Did you know crunk before this film?

DJ Q: I actually wasn’t very familiar with it. I mean, obviously hip hop is all you can really dance to. So I’m familiar with hip hop. But the actual Memphis sound is pretty location specific. I learned a lot meeting Al Kapone and 36 Mafia. And it’s like so cool cause when I go back to Memphis. I’ve been back several times to do press stuff, they like always come up and like they’re my friends. And I went to the studio a few days ago when I was back in Memphis. They showed me how everything works and we did this thing for MTV. And it’s really cool and that’s what the beauty thing of being an actor is. If you pick roles in a world that you don’t know anything about, you learn something every time. So, not only do you have this film that you hope is going to be something good, and these friendships that you’ve made, you also walk away knowing that you’ve deepened yourself in some way. And that’s the only way you can learn. People can’t tell you stuff. People ask me about research all the time on this movie. You can talk to a hundred ho’ and you’re not going to know what its like. To know what it feels like at the end of the day. Cause we’re only ourselves when we’re by ourselves. And, you know, when were in our head. And the only thing you can do is try to live your life and that’s why when I’m not working I don’t stay in L.A. Cause I don’t think L.A. is in touch with the real world. So I try to go back to Tennessee as much as I can.