Original-Cin Q&A: Feature first-timer Sanaa Lathan on her hip-hop TIFF debut On the Come Up

By Bonnie Laufer

Sanaa Lathan has paid her dues. The actress made a name for herself on the screen in films like Love and Basketball, The Perfect Guy and The Best Man. But now she is proving herself a force to be reckoned with behind the camera.

Her directorial debut, On the Come Up starts streaming on Paramount Plus on September 23rd.

Jamila C. Gray cracks the male-dominated hip-hop scene in On the Come Up

Based on the best selling novel of the same name, On the Come Up follows 16-year-old Bri, who wants to carry on the legacy of her deceased hip-hop father by competing in rap battles and becoming the legend he never had the chance to be.

Facing controversies and with an eviction notice staring down her family, Bri doesn't just want to make it, she has to make it.

Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Sanaa Lathan about what connected her to the material and finding the revelation that is Jamila C. Gray who plays Bri.

CLICK HERE  to watch Bonnie’s Interview with Jamila C Gray

ORIGINAL-CIN.  Hey Sanaa, I'm speaking to you from Toronto where the film just debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival.

SANAA LATHAN:  I love Toronto! We had such an incredible time there.

O-C:  It's all come full circle because  The Hate U Give - written by the same author of On the Come Up (Angie Thomas) - also premiered in Toronto a few years ago.  What was it like for you to stand up on that stage this past week and get the accolades as a director?

Actor-turned-filmmaker Sanaa Lathan

LATHAN:  It was one of those “Pinch me, is this really happening?” over-the-moon dream moments.  We put all our heart and soul into this movie. And it's coming up on two years now and to have that kind of reception in that community and in that beautiful theater, it was just literally a dream come true.

O-C: You’ve worked for  so many years in front of the camera, so why did you decide that now was the right time to direct?

LATHAN:  I didn't really decide. I kind of knew that I was going to direct, but I thought it would happen  maybe a little bit more down the line.

Then I happened to direct this short film during the pandemic when we were in the initial lockdown. It was with me and my dog and my house, and it was kind of quirky. 

When my agents saw it, they asked if they could submit it for me for a few things to show my work behind the camera. I said sure and then this the opportunity to pitch for On the Come Up came about, so it felt a little bit like destiny.

O-C: Why did you connect so well with this material?  Did you see any of yourself in the lead character, Bri?

LATHAN:   Yes, as a young girl,  I had a lot of trauma in my early childhood. And honestly, acting pretty much saved me. 

I joined a team theater group in downtown New York City, and it was the first time I started to realize  that I could channel what I was going through into my acting. I felt that  acting can be kind of like a healing force for me and it gave me hope and gave me direction just like Bri’s poetry does for her.

I recognize ALL of the women in the story. I know those women who are in my family and my extended family. And so I loved the fact that this was a young black girl coming into her own through her authentic voice.

O-C:  Your lead actress, Jamila C. Gray who plays Bri is a revelation. What stood out about her to cast this wonderful newcomer?

LATHAN: She is phenomenal and I absolutely loved working with her.  I was watching about 200 audition tapes and found her in the midst of them. 

When you're watching tape after tape after tape, you know quickly who  is not right and who might have potential.  But when I got to her tape, I stopped and I said, “Oh, this is interesting.”

There was something interesting and compelling about her. That pulled me in and made me want to watch her.

We then brought her into the auditioning process and she killed it. She's pretty new, but she's a hard worker, and she takes direction and adjustments really well. And she is just so polite and on time and those things matter.  I feel blessed to have found her and she is the glue that holds this whole film together.