What was the creative process of making Temptation into a film?
I wrote the play first, which was called The Marriage Counselor. I realized that the characters had more to tell. When I’m able to go from the stage to film, characters are able to develop more. The concept was simple. It’s boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, and girl leaves boy for another boy. I wanted to add to it and discover why this woman would be so unhappy.
In this film, you explore the good and bad sides of cheating while in a relationship. What was the overall lesson you wanted to give?
Exposure can be a great thing, or deadly. When I looked at Judith [played by Smollett-Bell], I noticed a sweet country girl who made one bad choice that changed her entire life. A lot of people think they want to have money and the private jets, but they don’t know the price you pay for that. This was a country girl who never had exposure of any kind and had only been with her husband. She meets a person who takes her to a place she never thought she would go. I want the film to provoke thought. The overall message is to watch your choices and be careful. When you’re tempted, you don’t always need to take that temptation. There is always a way for an escape if you’re tempted. If you take the temptation, be really clear in what you getting yourself into.
