There are several themes that stood out in the movie, one of which is the relationship between Mahalia and her longtime pianist, Mildred. What did you learn about that relationship?
Without this movie, people would never have gotten a chance to get to know the woman who was behind her all these years and really helped Mahalia with her sound. It was really special for me because the actress that played Mildred, Joaquina Kalukango, is my best friend. We went to Julliard together and her son is my godson and my daughter is her goddaughter. So when we presented this opportunity to her and she accepted, it just further solidified for me that this project was a godsend and was very special.
Another relatable issue was her weakness for pretty boys, which resulted in multiple marriages. Being newly engaged, what did you learn from Mahalia about love?
There was even more that we couldn’t cover. What is left out of the movie is that she gives her first husband Ike another chance after the last scene we see with him. But if there is one thing that I learned from her story is that I want to be able to skip those lessons. I want to do that one time and one time only.
