Interview
**Exclusive**
ATLFF 2016: Stella Meghie, Sherri Shepherd, and Taylour Paige Talk 'Jean of the Joneses'
Director Stella Meghie and actors Sherri Shepherd and Taylour Paige were at the 2016 Atlanta Film Festival premiere of Jean of the Joneses. We spoke with them on the red carpet to talk about making the movie and also got their thoughts on filming the hilarious wake scene.
SF: Walk me through the process of developing this film? What inspired you for it?
Stella Meghie (SM): It’s definitely inspired by some of my family. I have a lot of women in my family. My family is from Jamaica, and I’m first-generation Canadian. It’s just a lot of the voices I grew up around. A lot of the dry humor I grew up around inspired the film .I’ve been writing it for a few years, and luckily I was able to make it this year.
SF: One of the best scenes is the wake scene and the dynamic between all these characters…
SM: Yeah, the wake scene was definitely the longest scene. I just give it up to the cast. They were really able to find the nuances in that scene. I know I was there but watching it again you want to laugh, you want to cry. I was just very aware of trying to bring levity to a very dramatic scene at times. The cast was confident enough to be able to do that.
SF: How did you find Taylour? She mentioned that this was her first film role.
SM: We ended up doing castings in LA and New York, and some girls sent in tapes from London. I was in LA and met Taylour and just knew immediately that she was Jean. I called her back, she did a second audition, and then we offered her the role.
SF: You say this is based off your family, at little bit at least. Which character do you connect with the most?
SM: I mean, I guess Jean at a different time of my life is based on some of my experiences. I’m not quite Jean but it’s definitely a version of me in a different sense.
SF: What drew you to this role?
Sherri Shepherd (SS): The fact that the role is amazing. The fact that Stella is one of the most prolific writers I know. The fact that Stella could take something so autobiographical and make it something everybody could relate to. I completely saw members of my family within this Jamaican family, and I think people will definitely see characters they relate to no matter what nationality they are. I took so long to read it because I was working and they said, “we’re going with another actress,” and I said, “No, let me read it.” I literally called and begged, “Please don’t go with whoever you pick. Please let me do this character.” It’s just been a joy.
SF: How was it working with an ensemble cast?
SS: Well I do ensemble all the time. On The View it’s an ensemble. I do sitcoms which is ensemble. That’s not hard for me at all. Working every single day for 14 hours a day, with people that make you laugh all the time is just a wonderful and lovely experience. Now it wasn’t so great because I couldn’t laugh. I had to stay mean. I couldn’t smile every time.
SF: But getting to play that mean character. It’s something different for you.
SS: You know, I know it came across that way but I looked at her as this woman who had so much brokenness inside. She wasn’t able to heal so she took that brokenness out on other people. That’s why my favorite part is when my daughter Taylour and I really come together at the end and me being vulnerable with her. It was a challenge.
SF: Tell me about filming that wake scene? I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.
SS: The wake scene is just...the continuity of it and how Stella just let us go. There was a lot of overlapping in the scenes. We laughed all the time. I wish Gloria Reuben was here. She was a freak show; I loved it! Just watching everybody doing their thing and me not being able to laugh and have to stay in this face. It was just so wonderful filming it. And when they said cut we went back to being silly. It was just so much fun doing it.
Taylour Paige (TP): That was pretty hard because we were all laughing, and we had been there for a long time that day. Erica Ash is brilliant and crying in the background. Then you have Sherri Shepherd whose just brilliant. Everyone just brought their, I don’t know, that was a great day.
Taylour Paige (TP): That was pretty hard because we were all laughing, and we had been there for a long time that day. Erica Ash is brilliant and crying in the background. Then you have Sherri Shepherd whose just brilliant. Everyone just brought their, I don’t know, that was a great day.
SF: Was everything scripted or was there room for improv?
TP: We definitely stayed true to the page, but Stella definitely let us explore and add some libs. It was funny. There were things in there that I didn’t think would end up in there that she let us keep so yeah, there is a little bit of improv in there. But she gave us a lot to play with so we didn’t have to add too much in to make it funny.
SF: What was it like working with Stella?
TP: Incredible; best experience! This was my first film so I feel like I’m spoiled now because now I have these high expectations as to how fun a film is and playing a character and the director just being open and honest with you about what she wants and then me being able to ask all the questions I wanted and create this layered individual that had to go from here to here by the end of the film. This is kinda what I think you crave for as an artist; a vehicle to be a real person, to breathe in this person, to create nuances for her, and make her natural and real. And she let me do that in my own way.
SF: This is your first feature film so what’s next for you?
TP: Well I’ve been auditioning a lot, and a lot of people now have seen the film so there’s some really fun buzz. I’m getting some opportunities that I’ve never had and meeting some really great casting directors and producers. The sky’s the limit.
- Interview by Matt Rodriguez
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