Email to a friend | Print Friendly *A new film hitting theaters this weekend in New York and LA is sure to give folks something to talk about. The movie, “Talk to Me,” opening nationwide on August 3, features and all-star cast, including Don Cheadle, Mike Epps, Martin Sheen, Vondie Curtis Hall, Taraji Henson, and Cedric the Entertainer. “Talk to Me” chronicles the story of Washington D.
C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene (played by Cheadle), an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist in the 1960s and takes a dramatic look at community radio at a very volatile time in American history. Henson, who has a long resume of film and television, made her biggest mark in the 2005 Oscar-nominated film “Hustle Flow” and once again gives a stellar performance in the film as the fictional Vernell Watson, Greene’s girlfriend.
“She’s a composite character, just a combination of many strong women that he had in his life,” Henson said of her character. “[But] she was so well written.” Henson Don Cheadle boogy down in 'Talk to Me' Henson admitted that, although she’s a DC native, she was not familiar with the infamous Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr.
“This whole story was new to me.” Incidentally, Henson wasn’t the only cast member who didn’t know the story of the radio legend. As it turned out, Cedric the Entertainer developed his own idea of what his character, Bob “Nighthawk” Terry was like.
But unlike Henson’s character, Nighthawk is a real person. “I didn’t know about any of these guys,” Ced said. “I read the script and I was interested in it mainly because of Don’s involvement, but I thought it was very interesting.
I didn’t even know it was a true story until two days before I shot. I had already added my own interpretation of who the guy was. It was great to find out that.
I thought the story was important and significant, but it was even more exciting to find out it was true.” Cedric The Entertainer is the Nighthawk in 'Talk to Me' The bio-pic is important and significant as the height of Greene’s career was during a very tumultuous time in the nation’s history; a moment in time in which he became a reluctant hero. “I think it was a reflection of what was going on at the time,” Henson said of how the radio personality took on an important role in the civil rights movement of the ‘60s.
“That period in history, to me, was the time to be alive. Also what happened at that time is that we lost every great leader that was the voice of the people.” Henson added that the film was more than just another great role.
She learned a lot about history and how leaders of that time period really touched the lives of people. “I knew Martin Luther King was important,” she said, “but there were millions of people, regular people like us, that would have died for him. That’s amazing that one person can touch so many people – and I’m not talking about just in America, I’m talking about the world!
” Henson herself plays a pretty important role of empowerment in the film, too. But Henson takes it in stride. The actress said that dealing with a man and his issues isn’t anything new to women in general.
“Hasn’t every woman stayed in a situation maybe longer than they should have?” she asked. We know no other way.
We can get knocked in the head, run over by a car, catch HIV and still find it in our hearts to love. We can be cheated on by a man and still stick it out with him for another 20 years. But sometimes we fall into the trap of enabling a man, but everyone has their ceiling.
I think Vernell finally reached it. And that’s what’s beautiful about that turning point in the film. That’s when she became the woman she needed to be because he became the man that she needed him to be.
” Henson is no stranger in playing a supporting role of a pressured leading man. Her role in “Hustle Flow” had her believing in the dreams of her pimp boyfriend, played by Terence Howard. And interestingly, Howard was one of the reasons she was attached to “Talk to Me.
” “Terence Howard was attached at first,” she explained. “It was Terence, myself, and Don Cheadle. Terence calls me shortly after ‘Hustle Flow’ and says I have to read it.
I read it and said, ‘Are you kidding me. This is my role.’ Somehow Terence fell out.
And when he fell out, I had to fight for the job.” Fortunately for moviegoers, Henson saved her spot in the cast. And now, the actress is fighting to get her own project green-lighted.
She, along with her manager, is producing a comedy especially for Henson. While comedy might be a surprising take for fans of the actress, she actually started out doing comedic acting. “Even though I bring humor to every character that I portray, {I’m] not considered a comedic actress unless the movie is considered a comedy.
I’m a comedian, but I keep getting these dramatic roles, which is actually really good. If I would have broke as a comedic actress, I would have had to prove myself so it kind of worked out the way it’s supposed to,” she said. For more on “Talk to Me,” check the film’s website.
And stay on the lookout for Henson’s next film projects “The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons” with Brad Pitt, and “Not Easily Broken,” directed by Bill Duke. She's also been added to the cast of ABC's "Boston Legal.
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