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Nia Long has long been a fixture in Hollywood, but the actor is still celebrating important firsts. With her latest film, \u201cFatal Affair,\u201d Long steps into a new role, serving as an executive producer for the first time and starring in her first thriller.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was saying to myself months prior to reading the script, \u2018Wow, it\u2019s really crazy in all of these years being in the industry, I\u2019ve never done a thriller,\u2019\u201d Long tells Variety, explaining how the project landed in her lap. \u201cSo, ultimately, I decided this was a great opportunity to ask for a producer credit, to be involved in the beginning, to help with casting, to have ideas about the script and Netflix was very supportive of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the experience was as empowering as she\u2019d hoped. \u201cFor the first time in my career I felt heard,\u201d she says. \u201cI felt like I was being respected for my ideas and that I was heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a bold and somewhat bittersweet statement \u2014 considering the fact that, in the last three decades, Long has starred in such classic film and TV productions as \u201cBoyz N the Hood,\u201d \u201cFriday,\u201d \u201cBig Momma\u2019s House\u201d \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,\u201d \u201cLove Jones\u201d and, most recently, the Apple TV plus film \u201cThe Banker.\u201d But the actor has certainly never been a wallflower, often speaking up about her experiences as a Black woman in the industry and pushing for change. This time, it was simply more official.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s not about being the boss. It\u2019s about \u2018how can we elevate the material and make it better?\u2019\u201d Long explains.<\/p>\n
\u201c[As a producer,] they have to listen and I don\u2019t have to apologize or tiptoe around it or feel like I went too far,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s certain things that I\u2019m not going to back down from. I don\u2019t love conflict but I\u2019m not afraid of conflict, but I think out of conflict comes growth. And my intentions are not to just serve me but to serve my community. To serve other Black women, to give them something to think about, to know that when they\u2019re feeling fired up about the same issues I\u2019m fired up about, it\u2019s okay. You don\u2019t need to feel guilty about it. You don\u2019t need to apologize about it and stand in your strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the film, which is now streaming on Netflix, Long stars as Ellie, a married attorney who shares a brief, sexually-charged encounter with a friend from college named David (played by Omar Epps), only to find that her old friend is much more dangerous than she realized.<\/p>\n
Offscreen, Long was involved in nearly every aspect behind the scenes \u2014 from providing notes on the script to ensuring that the hair, makeup and wardrobe departments achieved the \u201cflowing, sexy and grown\u201d look she was after. And, when it came to casting, she also reached out to personal friends \u2014 singer and actress Estelle (who also has a song in the film) and Epps (with whom she\u2019d costarred in 1999\u2019s \u201cIn Too Deep\u201d) to book them for the film.<\/p>\n
\u201cOmar is a household name,\u201d Long explains. \u201cSo I feel just on the strength of his name, he brings credibility to the film based on his body of work, based on being a part of the culture creators of the \u201890s. People automatically feel a sense of like kinship to him and they trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n
And in her opinion, this made Epps perfect for the role of David. \u201cHe\u2019s been doing a lot of TV lately, where he\u2019s played doctors and very educated, put together, amazing characters,\u201d she adds. \u201cI just thought, \u2018I want to switch it up and I want people to go into this not expecting him to be the crazy one.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Working with Epps again after 20 years also presented Long with the opportunity to stroll down memory lane off-screen. Referencing a photo she posted on Instagram of the pair at the \u201cIn Too Deep\u201d premiere, she says, \u201cWe were so young, LL [Cool J, who also starred in the film] was so young. It\u2019s such a beautiful thing to see your friends doing well and growing and still contributing to Black art.\u201d<\/p>\n
Long also praised her friend for supporting her on set as a co-star and producer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOmar was so amazing, because he came in with his ideas and they were right in alignment with my ideas,\u201d she says. \u201cHe\u2019s so easy. He really has a respect and a love for Black women so you never feel like you\u2019re dealing with this like egomaniac guy that comes to the table to prove that his ideas are the best ideas. He\u2019s very collaborative.\u201d<\/p>\n
She continues. \u201cThere would be days where I would be like, \u2018I\u2019m so tired. Can you just take the lead today?\u2019 and he\u2019s like, \u2018Yeah, I got you, I got what do you need.\u2019 That\u2019s the beauty of having a seasoned leading man, because they know how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n
And now that Long knows how life as a producer works, she has her sights set on more roles that amplify Black women\u2019s voices, and her own.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to play a freedom fighter in the 1970s. I would love to play Assata Shakur, a woman who stands for everything Black in a very proud way. I would love to play an Angela Davis-type character, where I use my voice and my power and my commitment to black culture to make a statement,\u201d she says. \u201cI haven\u2019t done that yet. I\u2019ve played the supportive wife to that, but I haven\u2019t actually played the leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
View this article at Variety<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nia Long on Producing Netflix\u2019s \u2018Fatal Affair,\u2019 Reuniting with Omar Epps 20 Years After \u2018In Too Deep\u2019 Nia Long has long been a fixture in Hollywood, but the actor is still celebrating important firsts. With her latest film, \u201cFatal Affair,\u201d Long steps into a new role, serving as an executive producer for the first time
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