Honey Mag

An early morning interview doesn’t dampen Sanaa’s mood.  Her smile is infectious and her radiant glow is a stark contrast to the grey rainy clouds that hover above us. Oh yes, she is even more ridiculously beautiful off the screen. From her roles in movies like Out of Time, Love and Basketball and Brown Sugar to her stage work and her voice work in animation, Sanaa is talented, versatile and … grown. And she’s one of the few black actresses who have managed to stay relevant, in an industry that has few spaces for women of color. Honey caught up with this golden girl over breakfast just a stone’s throw away from Buckingham Palace to dish on  life in London, skin and her current projects. Oh you didn’t know? We’re international like that.

HoneyMag: Sanaa, you’re a New Yorker born and bred. What do you think of London?
Sanaa: It’s beautiful. I love London! The architecture and the streets. It’s very different and I’m enjoying my weekends off rehearsal to explore the city. I took a walk through Covent Garden the other night and it was so nice. It’s just so wonderful to be able to experience a different place and culture.

You always look stunning. How would you describe your look?
Thank you. I have to thank my fantastic stylist, Jennifer Pastor. In terms of my look my Dad always told me that people should always remember you as a beautiful woman and not just a beautiful dress and that’s kind of like my philosophy.”

Your work portfolio is huge. One piece of work that stood out to me as a woman of color was your amazing work on ‘Skin Stories’ with Vaseline last year. How important was that project to you?
I was so happy when they came and asked me to work on the project. You know, as a woman of color so often we’re fed this idea of what we should look like, a certain ‘type’ of woman. We all have different shades and hues and different shapes and sizes so it was wonderful that it was highlighted in such a beautiful way. [Editor’s note: The documentary-film focused on reflections of people in four different continents and what their skin means to them.]

Did you travel to all those places?
No, I was there for the ones in the states. I wasn’t present for the tapings in South America, Europe or Africa.

Speaking of Africa, you’ve been closely associated with a Nigerian Prince? (Editor’s note: Sanaa Lathan dated Chicago Bears’ Adewale Ogunleye, a Nigerian prince)
We’re no longer together. We’re good friends (laughs).

Words that come to mind when I think of you are ‘smart, head-strong and empowered.’  You’re truly a role model. What advice would you give to Honey girls that are trying to pursue a career in acting?
Thank you. My advice would be that you have to study, take the craft seriously. Take a class, read plays and go to the theater. You have to really determine if this is your passion because if it’s not then it will wear you out. It’s very competitive out there. So be honest and ask yourself if this is what your really want.

You’re here for the West end debut of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. You’ve also starred alongside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway.  How do you feel when you’re on stage as opposed to in front of the camera?
I love theater! I had my start in theater, you know, back when I was at Yale. It feels great because you have your audience there and you can act out the entire story in one go rather than a film where you have to film one bit here and a little bit here over a period of weeks and sometimes months. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to perform here in London with such great actors.

Here’s a question that was submitted by a fan. Alexes Hargrove of Brooklyn wanted to know if you were planning on taking the director’s chair in the future?
It’s something that I’m a little interested definitely — especially now with Debbie [Allen] directing. It’s shown me a lot. Debbie is so great. I grew up with her as she knows my parents. She’s an inspiration.

What can we expect from you in 2010?
Well, I have a wonderful film out in January called A Wonderful World (laughs) with Matthew Broderick. I play a Senegalese woman.

Oh wow! How was that?
It was great; it’s a lovely film. Also, an animated show called The Cleveland Show if you want a good laugh. I’ll be in London until spring performing in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello Theater.

—Mimi Hassan