Keri Hilson sat down with rolling out to discuss her new movie, Don’t Waste Your Pretty, which airs on TV One, Sunday, Feb. 28. She also gave us some insight as to how difficult it is to film a project during a global pandemic.
What was it about the movie that intrigued you?
I like roles that are socially responsible. This was a book written by Demetrius Lucas and it’s really just about opening yourself up to life’s possibilities, the beauty about life, not just physical pretty and I liked that about it. I liked the character, Mykah Jones, who pours herself into work and her career, and she makes no time and no room for love. And so we really get to explore. I guess the repercussions of being so guarded and closed off, we get to see that through her. She’s also unlike any character that I played prior. She’s very unaware of what she looks like, what she has to offer a man. She’s highly unaware. But in her career, she’s a boss. She knows exactly what she wants and what things need to happen. So just playing that juxtaposition, that naivete was actually kind of difficult for me. I’m not a naive woman. I’m not unaware of myself. I’m not. So yeah, this was one of those that just drew me in.
What parts of her did you identify with the most?
Well, there was a time in my life where I didn’t really understand the balance between love and career as well. That’s one way. … Our desires are in line. They’re very similar [with] what we both want in life. I’m a single woman … like her and I feel like she and Keri would be friends. That’s the funny part. I also despise online dating as an option for myself. I don’t judge anyone that does it. I do find it dangerous and we have that similar belief as well.
So you’ve done two movies since then. When was this movie filmed? Was it during the pandemic or no?
Oh, yes. I filmed three pandemic films. Yeah, this one coming out at the end of February, another one on April 17. And another one in theaters this fall. … Pandemic films are different.
How are they different?
Any and every [way], but mostly COVID-related delays. We are being tested a few times a week, every other day to be frank. So it’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday, some Saturdays and Sundays … but you’re in there three to four times a week. And that made it difficult because obviously, some people are getting false positives. Some people are getting real positives and lose the job and they’ve got to be replaced. They have to rehire someone to come in and pick up where that person left off no matter where we are in the film. So there were quite a few COVID-related delays on all the projects that I’ve done.
Check out the entire interview after the jump.
