Though he’s no stranger to the screen, Common is better known for his conscious rhymes and hip-hop performances. But in “Just Wright,” the rapper/actor dribbles his way into his first starring role, portraying an NBA star named Scott McKnight who could have his pick of beautiful women. But when he suffers a career-threatening injury, he is nursed back to health by Leslie Wright, a sports therapist played by Queen Latifah who mends more than his ailing knee.
With the film opening today, Common took a moment to talk about making the transition from hip-hop to Hollywood and other themes in this love story.
Q: Hollywood doesn't make a lot of black love stories. How important do you think race is with this movie?
A: I think it's important that we understand there are certain things that are universal to human beings. A love story always has the potential to be universal, no matter what color the characters are, and I feel that "Just Wright" is a love story that uses African-American characters but it has a universal tone to it.
One thing I liked about the movie is it didn’t delve into stereotypes. These characters are well-spoken and are dealing with some intelligent issues, like can you see beauty in somebody that may not be what America describes as traditional beauty? What is love for somebody like Scott McKnight? I think those are important themes that came across that made me realize this movie has some layers to it.
Q: As a successful musician, you've probably had women come after you in much the same way they go after Scott McKnight. How might your personal experiences with that have helped you with this role?
A: I found a lot of similarities between Scott McKnight and myself. Even when you are popular, you still have the need to be loved as a person. I have experienced the groupie effect just like Scott McKnight has to a certain extent, and those similarities allowed me to get more of the heart and soul of the character.
Q: The two stars of this movie started out in hip-hop. How do you think hip-hop, or music in general, prepared you for acting?
A: The people that I really admire that have made the transition from musician to actor, those are people that have really studied acting. Mos Def was an actor as well as a hip-hop artist, so he was studying this art form early on. Queen Latifah was in plays and stuff, so she had a natural knack for it. Will Smith and these other people put in so many hours that they are actors because they’ve worked to become actors. They earned that distinction. I think being a hip-hop artist can help you when it comes to dealing with public demands and being in front of people. But to be an actor, you have to study. You can have a natural knack, but to really have a career in it you have to work.
Q: Atlanta is a historically black, hip-hop-oriented city. How important do you think a movie like this is to a city like Atlanta?
A: Because Atlanta is so prevalent in the history of African-Americans and presently has so much black culture to it, I’m hoping that they can see this movie and feel like, “That’s another side of who we are.” There may be a woman who doesn’t think she’s as beautiful as she really is, but sees this movie and realizes, “I can fall in love.” I’ve had women ask me, “Would you really date a woman like Queen Latifah?” I’m like, “Yeah. She’s a beautiful woman.” That tells me that this movie can give people hope in themselves. I just hope the people of Atlanta feel like it’s a fun movie‚ that has really caressed who we are.
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