Secrets from ‘The Best Man’ & ‘Girls Trip 2’ Tea with Malcolm D. Lee

Keke goes deep with director Malcolm D. Lee, spilling the secrets behind the rom-coms we grew up on and the casting what-ifs that almost changed ‘The Best Man’ (Will & Jada… hello?!). He clears up the truth behind the Harper slap and shares how his new book, “The Best Man: Unfinished Business,” reunites the crew today. And yes, we get into ‘Girls Trip 2’ tea, nostalgia, and authentic Black love on screen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:05Keke Palmer?

  From "The Best Man" to "Girl's Trip" to "Roscoe Jenkins", his films are the ones we watch over and over again because they just hit. He's a storyteller who's been holding you down for over 20 years, giving us the laughs, the love, the drama, and the culture. He's built a whole legacy out here, centering Black stories, pushing the game forward, and now dropping a new book and thriller? Come on. The brilliant, the visionary, the legendary Malcolm D. Lee. Baby, this is Keke Palmer.

• 1:03Keke Palmer?

  This episode is brought to you by Airbnb. Tis the holiday season, y'all. From spacious retreats in dream locations to their guests' favorite most-loved homes, perfect for family gatherings. Airbnb has amazing stays for every festive escape. Now, let's start the show.

• 1:24Keke Palmer?

  Malcolm D. Lee, I cannot tell you how excited I am to speak to you. Like, your work has inspired me since I was a kid.

• 1:32Speaker 01

  Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that. I'm very excited to be here. And I've been a fan of yours for a very long time, too. Ever since I saw "Akela and the Beat", "Jumpin' Rope".

• 1:42Keke Palmer?

  Did they tell you to say this?

• 1:43Speaker 01

  Who?

• 1:44Keke Palmer?

  Did nobody tell you? That was just you?

• 1:45Speaker 01

  That's just me.

• 1:46Keke Palmer?

  Wow, look at that, guys. I'm excited. Well, you did the pre-show pull-up questions, so I have to see what type of vibe you're coming from.

• 1:52Speaker 01

  I wasn't ready for those.

• 1:53Keke Palmer?

  You weren't ready?

• 1:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, but, you know, let's go.

• 1:55Keke Palmer?

  Okay, today I'm giving Harper... With the side of Shelby. Now, I do feel Harper. I should, I should have, you know, one of my questions today was gonna be about your characters.

• 2:03Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 2:04Keke Palmer?

  You know, if you pull him for your life, but you do have that wit like Harper. So I feel that, you know, Harper is, is in there somewhere. Now, what's the Shelby that's coming out?

• 2:12Speaker 01

  I don't know. I'm just, I'm just, I'm, I'm, I'm trying to match your energy. I'm trying to be ready, you know, so I can be, you know, cause Shelby's got that, that, so I wanna be ready for that. Shelby's definitely. I knew it was meeting with you, so I was like, I think I better bring a little Shelby.

• 2:22Keke Palmer?

  I love that. Okay. Today's mood in one word, determined. Now, you told me you had some business stuff you were doing the other day, so determined, is that about that?

• 2:30Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think, you know, I just, I, you know, I'm juggling a lot of things. Um, you know, I've got, I've got this book right here, you know, I've got, I've got a bourbon that I'm, I'm promoting.

• 2:39Keke Palmer?

  Oh, wow.

• 2:39Speaker 01

  I'm, you know, I, I'm, I'm cutting this movie of mine for Blumhouse.

• 2:44Keke Palmer?

  All right, I live for that. We're, we're doing a lot of things, but we're doing them well.

• 2:47Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 2:47Keke Palmer?

  Now, what did you listen to on the ride here? My, this writing, what does it say?

• 2:52Speaker 01

  I'm sorry. My, that's my chicken scratch. I'm sorry. I thought, I tried, I tried, really. And my editor and my voice.

• 2:58Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 2:59Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 2:59Keke Palmer?

  So, I mean, I'm excited about this thriller that you have coming out with Blumhouse. We've got Chloe Bailey, Coco Jones.

• 3:04Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 3:05Keke Palmer?

  Lucy and Livers Count, who I worked with on Scream Queens back in the day.

• 3:08Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 3:09Keke Palmer?

  He's a real cool dude.

• 3:10Speaker 01

  Yes, he is.

• 3:10Keke Palmer?

  I mean, what can you tell me a little bit about?

• 3:12Speaker 01

  And Lynn Whitfield.

• 3:13Keke Palmer?

  Lynn Whitfield, the icon. I mean, come on, a thin line between love and hate, how could you go wrong?

• 3:17Speaker 01

  Right.

• 3:18Keke Palmer?

  So tell me about, a little bit, tidbit about what, at least what's happening with the mood right now. You're editing?

• 3:23Speaker 01

  I'm editing right now. Um, we're, we're getting ready for, for a screening and show it to the studio soon.

• 3:27Keke Palmer?

  And you're gonna invite me?

• 3:29Speaker 01

  Not quite, but you'll be at the premiere. If you can come to the premiere, please.

• 3:33Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 3:33Speaker 01

  But I mean, yeah, we're working, it's, it's a new, uh, step for me, uh, different genre.

• 3:38Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 3:39Speaker 01

  Um, but I really like, you know, that aspect of, you know, trying something different, not, not always wanting to cut to the joke.

• 3:44Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 3:45Speaker 01

  And there's a, the rhythm of the thriller and comedies are, are kinda similar in that you're, you're, you know, we're waiting for the great laugh or they're waiting for the great scare. And this is not like a scare, like, ah, scare, but it's got some stuff and it's, it's what I would call an erotic thriller.

• 4:00Keke Palmer?

  Now, Timmy, what do you mean by that? Like, is it a love story that's the center of this?

• 4:03Speaker 01

  There is a love story of sorts, yes.

• 4:05Keke Palmer?

  Kind of a Fatal Attraction type situation?

• 4:07Speaker 01

  Eh, well, it's, it's, there's those elements, yes. Yeah, it's, it's very sexy. It's a very, it's probably the sexiest movie I've ever done.

• 4:14Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 4:15Speaker 01

  Without question.

• 4:16Keke Palmer?

  And you already got some sexy people in it, so I mean, people are pulling up to the theaters. I live for that. Okay. One thing that instantly makes you laugh? This question. Yeah, because what makes you laugh? Like, when somebody asks it, suddenly, nothing's funny anymore.

• 4:29Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. You know, I was like, I was trying to think, like, what makes me laugh? I don't know. Like, I, I, when I read that, I literally laughed when I read that question.

• 4:36Keke Palmer?

  That is too funny. Um, last screenshot on your phone, no deleting.

• 4:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, that was me and Cassandra. Cassandra, that's, that's my, uh, publicist.

• 4:44Keke Palmer?

  Aww.

• 4:45Speaker 01

  My fill-in publicist right now. She was the first publicist on The First Best Man.

• 4:48Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, you guys have known each other three years?

• 4:50Speaker 01

  Yes, we have.

• 4:50Keke Palmer?

  That is, I wonder if you've changed to her? I feel like I should pull her up and ask her how much you've changed. She said...

• 4:59Speaker 01

  You know what? I'm, I think I'm primarily the same person, by and large.

• 5:04Keke Palmer?

  Really?

• 5:04Speaker 01

  I try to stay very grounded. I try not to get too high, too low, you know? I doubt myself. But I've gotten to a place right now, when I, especially when I turned 50, I was like, eh, I don't care. Whatever.

• 5:15Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I mean, whatever goes.

• 5:16Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly.

• 5:16Keke Palmer?

  Damn, I'm looking forward to 50, let me tell you that. You're a Capricorn.

• 5:19Speaker 01

  I am.

• 5:20Keke Palmer?

  So you're one of my perfect matches. But then I found out that Dr. Camille, your wife, is Virgo. So you're, you're surrounded by Virgos.

• 5:26Speaker 01

  Yeah, well, not surrounded, but I got the, the key one that I needed.

• 5:29Keke Palmer?

  Now, that's right! Yes, key one! Well, I am so excited. You know, I didn't get a chance to run into you at the Essence Fest, but I know you were there.

• 5:36Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 5:36Keke Palmer?

  Had a great girls' trip, uh, you know, sitting type of situation going on. But you were there promoting your book, The Best Man: Unfinished Business. I mean, what was the highlight for that weekend for you?

• 5:47Speaker 01

  Um, you know, it was great because I got to sit with my co-author, Jane Allen, and Kennedy Ryan.

• 5:53Keke Palmer?

  Awesome.

• 5:53Speaker 01

  Um, and we did a panel, and, and it was, you know, the fans came out, you know? I'm sure they came out for Kennedy. This is again, one of the reasons I doubt myself, right?

• 6:00Keke Palmer?

  No.

• 6:00Speaker 01

  But no, like, they came out, and I think they're very much in, in, interested in the continuing story of The Best Man. I mean, that's where we pick up where, where the Peacock series left off.

• 6:08Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 6:09Speaker 01

  And, you know, so, uh, that, that was great to see everyone come out and, uh, you know, get asked questions and talk about the book, you know, without doing any spoilers. And then signing, you know, uh, copies as well as, um... You know, getting to take pictures with fans, that was great.

• 6:24Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I mean, how was the journey of doing, doing this in a book as a continuation? Because I loved The Peacock. And what I also really loved specifically was the fact that the story evolved with the characters. And I don't think that's easy to do. And what I mean is like, even in their age.

• 6:37Speaker 01

  Sure.

• 6:38Keke Palmer?

  What Terrence, how was experiencing? The fact that you can have marriage and love and then maybe is this a divorce? You know, do, are we separate? Are we not grown together? Like, I felt like the themes were so on point for where the people were in their life. And I really appreciated that.

• 6:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, that's what grown, that's what happens with grown folks, right? Like, you know, I think when people get to a certain part of their lives and their, and their marriage, and like, they, they, they're developing as individuals and developing as, as couples. And so, you know, life, as they say, be life-ing. And so, we're, you know, so things happen. And like, are we in this together? I think a lot of people look around at, at a certain age, I think, when, once the kids are like grown, and they're kind of like, do I want to be with this person? Do I want to hang out here? Am I fulfilled? And certainly, you know, Robin was not fulfilled in that, in that marriage. And she felt like, you know what? You're not going to change. Meaning Harper wasn't going to change. And so, he said, okay, look, I was done with, with, with telling that story at the final chapters.

• 7:36Speaker 01

  Because, you know, it was difficult, you know, trying to mount a television show, as you know.

• 7:39Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 7:39Speaker 01

  Very difficult. It's, there's money involved, there's, you know, there's studio demands, there's network demands, what have you. And I was like, okay, we're finished. But then a friend of mine was like, hey, yo, you should think about doing books. And I've always loved the written word. I'm a storyteller at, at heart. And I said, you know what? Let me try my, my hand at this. Because I, I always wanted to be a novelist. Not always, but, you know, I had fantasized about being a novelist. And I said, okay, let me try with some characters that are already established, that have backstory, and to say like, okay, let's, let's see where, where we can go with this. And teamed up with Jane Allen. And, you know, we came up with something that I think was, is very, very much an experience. When you talk about a book. I mean, people were like, why not a movie? Why not a television show? Very difficult to do.

• 8:23Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, but also it fits in the world because I mean Harper was a

• 8:26Speaker 01

  A novelist, yeah.

• 8:27Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, so it's kinda like, you know, I'm thinking like, what happened in college? And what was that first original book that even Harper was writing? So I live for that because it's the story within the story. And there's nothing more that I love than an embedded storyline.

• 8:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 8:41Keke Palmer?

  So it fits.

• 8:42Speaker 01

  It does, and you know, um, I think, and you know, there's a lot of things going on in here with Harper. And this chronicles Harper, Robin, and Jordan. And their individual journeys. And each chapter is kinda dedicated to their POV. And you know, Harper is, you know, post divorce.

• 9:00Keke Palmer?

  Yup.

• 9:00Speaker 01

  He's living in Brooklyn.

• 9:02Keke Palmer?

  Mm-hmm.

• 9:02Speaker 01

  Where you was at.

• 9:03Keke Palmer?

  (laughing).

• 9:04Speaker 01

  Not in Waynesburg, but in Brooklyn Heights.

• 9:06Keke Palmer?

  So now and the baby, are they in Africa?

• 9:07Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah. Robin's in Ghana.

• 9:09Keke Palmer?

  Ghana, yeah.

• 9:09Speaker 01

  Uh, and she's opened up a restaurant, and she's raising their pre-teen daughter. And Jordan is in Malibu. Um, you know, she's left her corporate job, but still has the pull of, you know, the grind.

• 9:21Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 9:22Speaker 01

  And, but she also a little bit has a pull for Harper.

• 9:25Keke Palmer?

  As always.

• 9:26Speaker 01

  We'll see what happens there in the book.

• 9:28Keke Palmer?

  Well, very exciting, and I think this is cool because everybody's not visual. So it's great for you to be able to use your mind when reading this.

• 9:34Speaker 01

  Absolutely. I mean, not only that, because I think what the book offers you is the opportunity to use all five senses.

• 9:40Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 9:40Speaker 01

  Right? You get to hear, you get to see, you get to smell, you get to taste, you get to feel. And, you know, we get inside these characters' brains in ways that we have not done with these characters so far.

• 9:50Keke Palmer?

  Oh, so exciting. Now, let's go back to the beginning, right? Because The Best Man was your directorial debut.

• 9:55Speaker 01

  Correct.

• 9:56Keke Palmer?

  And I think, I mean, that is, when I think about that now, it's hard to get your movies made. And when you think about that cast, the amount of money, and then it being a success. I mean, who was that person that said, "Okay, Malcolm, you can do it. I believe in you"? How did that come to be?

• 10:10Speaker 01

  Well, you know, The Best Man was my sixth screenplay overall, right? I had written like five prior, but you know, and honestly, I wasn't even trying to direct The Best Man when I wrote it. So I was, I had written another romantic comedy. And I was like, "I wanna try and make this movie happen", and I couldn't raise the money for it. And then I said, my, a good buddy of mine said, "Listen, let producers raise money, writers write, write your next movie." So I'm gonna write something so commercial. That I'm going to take that money, I'm gonna sell it and take the money and make my romantic comedy. So in the midst of writing what was then titled, My Homeboy's Wedding.

• 10:44Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 10:45Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 10:46Keke Palmer?

  Yes, My Homeboy's Wedding.

• 10:47Speaker 01

  And by the way, I was, I was never gonna be the title.

• 10:49Keke Palmer?

  I love My Homeboy's Wedding.

• 10:51Speaker 01

  I thought it's gotta be a black and it's gotta be a wedding and how do, and then I was, and then I was like, there's gonna be black people on the poster, don't use that. Anyway. I was writing My Homeboy's Wedding and in the midst of it, I said, oh, I can direct this. And so Spike, who's my cousin, Spike Lee's my cousin.

• 11:07Keke Palmer?

  And what I, I mean, it should've, it should've been right there for me, but I just thought y'all both was Lees.

• 11:11Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 11:11Keke Palmer?

  When I found out y'all were really relatives, I was like, yes, that's T-Boo.

• 11:16Speaker 01

  I got to work with him a lot. He, he used to live in my parents' basement when he was in film school.

• 11:19Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 11:20Speaker 01

  So I got to see very early on the emergence of, of, of a, you know, a great American filmmaker.

• 11:25Keke Palmer?

  Absolutely.

• 11:25Speaker 01

  And so, you know, uh, I'd always given him my scripts, he'd always give me a chance to, to work with him as a production assistant. And then I got to be his assistant at times. And so, um, you know, I gave the script to him and he had seen everything prior, but he was like, this is it, right?

• 11:40Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 11:41Speaker 01

  Yeah, so this is it. So, you know, right after that, I went out here to LA and was, was flown out by Columbia Pictures, cause he had a deal there at the time. Sat with Andy Pascal.

• 11:54Speaker 01

  Who, yeah, I can't tell, I can't say that story.

• 11:55Keke Palmer?

  No, you can, come on.

• 11:56Speaker 01

  I, can I curse?

• 11:57Keke Palmer?

  You can.

• 11:58Speaker 01

  Okay, so, so basically, Andy was like, okay, I love this script, but I have a problem with it. I was like, okay, she said, Jordan's the smartest person in there, but no one wants [BLEEP]. And I said.

• 12:09Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, be like that.

• 12:09Speaker 01

  Ah.

• 12:12Speaker 01

  You know, I said, that's not exactly true, but you know, so anyway. You know, it basically, from, from that point on, cause Spike's the kind of person that said, you know, here's the movie we're making and let's go.

• 12:23Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 12:24Speaker 01

  You wanna do it? Let's go. And if you don't, if you're not in, we're going someplace else.

• 12:27Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 12:28Speaker 01

  So, you know, Columbia wanted to do some notes and he said, we're outta here. And so we did that a little bit and I was like. Could we just maybe take a listen and maybe see what they want to say first? Maybe there's something they want to add? So, we got to Universal finally and they said, "Okay, we have some notes as well." They paid me to do a rewrite and he said, "Listen, we'll make them pay you. They don't like it, we leave." I said, "Okay, fine." So, I did the notes and then I think two months later, we were greenlit.

• 12:55Keke Palmer?

  What were their notes? If you could remember, was there anything that majorly changed with the movie that, you know, we've seen from the original screenplay?

• 13:02Speaker 01

  I will say, I don't remember, there's only one specific thing I remember. I remember I'd written it. I can't remember exactly everything that they were looking for. But I got to a place where I thought it was good and then one of the producers said to me, "Whoa, you know, I've got a note for you." And in the original script, Robin, who's played by Sanaa Lathan, never came to the wedding, right? In my mind, it was like, "Okay, Harper's gonna go on this journey. He's gonna leave his girlfriend, his current girlfriend at the time and try to like, you know, try to do a little tryst with Jordan. It wasn't gonna work out and he was gonna get beat up and still get Lance over the broom and whatnot." And he'd come back and he'd say to his girlfriend, "You know what? Let's move in together," right?

• 13:45Speaker 01

  And so, they said, "Okay, what about if she comes to the wedding?" I thought, "That's ridiculous, that's stupid. That's not the story I want to tell." But what I learned from that very time was, you have to put pressure on your characters. You have to give them opportunities to get out of things or see how they're gonna react when crisis happens.

• 14:05Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 14:05Speaker 01

  So, once she, you know, came to the wedding, it just changed everything. And I was like, "Okay." So, not only, they're not gonna move in together at this point. They have, he has to ask her to marry him at that point. So, that's what happened. And so, like, that was a major thing and by then, we were good to go.

• 14:23Keke Palmer?

  I mean, the movie balances so many emotions. Obviously, most people have seen this movie, but you know, the best man, you know, slept with. The wife of the groom that's getting married and so they've come to find all this out. That's what this whole trip is about. But the part that I wanted to ask you as a director is in the end, when they're getting ready to get married and he's up there and they're saying their vows, what made you have those flashbacks? That was so sick.

• 14:47Speaker 01

  Um, let's see.

• 14:49Keke Palmer?

  I mean, that was sickening. He's at there saying, getting ready to say, "I do," and he can't get Harper and her sleeping together out his head.

• 14:57Speaker 01

  Well, it's more like hurry couldn't get out of his head, that she was slept with somebody else. So, I mean, you had to do that. We had to do that. It's funny too, I remember, because Morris took it very, very seriously.

• 15:06Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 15:06Speaker 01

  And was crying and whatnot. And I was, I remember being behind the monitor and laughing. And being like, "This is gonna be funny," right?

• 15:13Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 15:13Speaker 01

  So then, I said, "Okay," so in the edit, we tried some things and, you know, it just kinda worked out that way.

• 15:18Keke Palmer?

  It was perfect. It was perfect because Morris was crying and it was the emotion was so real. And then it was also like...

• 15:25Speaker 01

  Well, you had to do it because it's like, you know, look, at the time, you know, and still today, I mean, like, you know, guys like Lance who like, you know, kissed my God and, you know, super handsome and, you know, that say, "Hey, I doing my thing," whatever. "Oh, it's all right, you know, she gonna be okay. I want, my woman's on a pedestal." And then you come to find out, you know, she's not exactly what you thought. And so, it was his comeuppance, but he's the only one of those characters that could have done that because of his faith in God.

• 15:53Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. I really love that message. It was also really good to see that because, yeah, I mean, we live in sometimes a patriarchy and a place where the standard of what a woman's supposed to be is so insane. And so, in this movie, it was really awesome to see that, yeah, you know, she's not perfect, but you accept her, you choose to love her.

• 16:08Speaker 01

  That's right.

• 16:09Keke Palmer?

  And that it ended with that positive. So, that was great. But let's talk about how you got to this cast. Because I know that the auditions had to be lethal at this. I'm like, who was auditioning for this? Who did you see for certain roles? Um, you know, did you get the cast you had initially wanted or?

• 16:24Speaker 01

  It's interesting, when you're writing.

• 16:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 16:26Speaker 01

  And I had another producer friend of mine who said, you know, like, think of, you know, like, the biggest star you can get when you're writing for these people. So, I remember when I was starting to write it. I read something, um, I think it was a Hollywood Reporter or something. Will Smith had said, there's such a dearth of roles out there for black actors that I can't even get a script with my wife and I. So I said, I'm gonna write the best man for Will and Jada.

• 16:54Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 16:55Speaker 01

  So I had them in my mind.

• 16:56Keke Palmer?

  And her as Robin?

• 16:58Speaker 01

  No, no. As Jordan.

• 16:59Keke Palmer?

  As Jordan, yeah.

• 17:00Speaker 01

  Yeah. And I had a bunch of people in mind, right? But that's pie in the sky, like, you know, and so once you, once you get greenlit and, and the universe says, nine million dollars, it's like, we ain't getting Will Smith.

• 17:11Keke Palmer?

  Cause that's his budget.

• 17:13Speaker 01

  Like, right, so it's like, okay, what is realistic? And so what was so beautiful was the acting community was so ready for it, you know? Like, here were eight healthy roles for, you know, for black actors who could display their skills and not just be the hoe, or the gangster, or the, the sidekick, or the, the sassy one, or whatever. And so, you know, we, we met with a bunch of people, people, a lot of people came in to read. Once, like, I'll give you an example. When Sanaa Lathan came in to read for Robin, I had not heard of her, right? I'd, somebody had told me about her. She had done, I think Blade, and I think she had done, um, The Wood, but I hadn't seen those.

• 17:52Keke Palmer?

  The Wood, yeah, one of my favorites of all time.

• 17:54Speaker 01

  They weren't out at that time.

• 17:55Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 17:55Speaker 01

  So when she came in, I had a bunch of other people in mind for, for Robin. But when she came in, she was Robin. I was like, that's, she's the one. Like, everyone has to reach that bar. And if they can't, she got the part. Um, you know, Tay, you know, came in at first, right off of Stella. We saw him in there, like, okay, he'd be a good leading man for this. Uh, Terrence came in and read. I mean, there were so many people, like Wood Harris read.

• 18:20Keke Palmer?

  Wood Harris read for what, Robin?

• 18:21Speaker 01

  He read for Quentin.

• 18:22Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 18:23Speaker 01

  Yeah, you know, I, I knew Wood since, um, when we were at NYU. He was in acting program, I was in film program, and I, I did my second year movie with him. And he's a tremendous actor. And his brother Steve, like, read for Lance, and we were very close to casting him.

• 18:36Keke Palmer?

  Oh my god.

• 18:37Speaker 01

  Very close.

• 18:38Keke Palmer?

  What movie was that that you guys did?

• 18:39Speaker 01

  Oh, it's a short called "Morningside Prep."

• 18:41Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 18:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, but yeah, but, but, yeah, Wood read for that. Uh, Michael Jai White came in and read for Lance. You know, there were, there were a bunch of people that came in. Regina King.

• 18:51Keke Palmer?

  Regina, whoa, whoa.

• 18:53Speaker 01

  She was looking at Jordan.

• 18:54Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 18:55Speaker 01

  She was looking at Jordan.

• 18:55Keke Palmer?

  Now, wait a minute, if it was done in today's day, what character you think I could have played?

• 18:59Speaker 01

  You're Jordan.

• 19:00Keke Palmer?

  I'm Jordan Downboots. Yes, I would totally, fierce, Harper.

• 19:07Speaker 01

  Would you slap him upside his head?

• 19:08Keke Palmer?

  Yes, now, wait a minute, I heard that was an improv.

• 19:11Speaker 01

  It was not.

• 19:11Keke Palmer?

  Oh, okay.

• 19:12Speaker 01

  They, they telling that story. Now, listen, I will tell you.

• 19:21Keke Palmer?

  Here's the thing about traveling. While postcards are nice, the real magic happens when you dive into local life. And trust me, there is no better way to unlock a culture's heart than through the kitchen. When food's on the table, we're all speaking the same delicious language. Speaking of which, I've got some exciting news, y'all. I'm hosting my very own Airbnb Original Experience in Chicago on December 17th. And it is all about cooking up some love in the kitchen. Imagine this culinary dream. You, me, my pops, and a local chef with mad skills, all in one kitchen cooking up a storm. We're talking flavors so good, they'll make your taste buds do a happy dance.

• 20:02Keke Palmer?

  We're talking delicious recipes, kitchen secrets, and plenty of laughs. We're about to make this kitchen feel like the hottest cooking show in town. And y'all know when my dad and I get together, there is bound to be some entertainment. We might even share our secret ingredient for the perfect comfort food. I don't know about that one. The best part, it's not just about what's cooking in the pots and pans. It's the laughs we'll share, the stories we'll tell, and yes, the absolutely incredible food we'll devour together. When good people gather in the kitchen, that's where the real magic happens. So whether you're a kitchen pro or novice, this experience is for everyone who loves good food and good company. And trust me, by the end of our time together, you'll feel like a culinary superstar.

• 20:47Keke Palmer?

  So if you're ready to roll your sleeves up and join me for some culinary fun, head to Airbnb.com/Kiki to learn more about my Airbnb Original Experience. Let's make some magic in the kitchen together.

• 21:03Keke Palmer?

  This message is brought to you by Apple Pay. Holiday travel is already giving marathon runner energy. Rushing through airports, navigating new cities, trying to remember which pocket has your wallet. Between catching flights and making sure everyone on your list gets a gift, the last thing you need is payment stress? That's where Apple Pay comes in. Turning your iPhone into the only wallet you need. Listen, I learned this lesson the hard way. There I was, in a completely different city, realized I had packed my backup card in my checked luggage. But then, I spotted that beautiful contactless symbol at the airport cafe and suddenly my morning was ruined. Apple Pay is designed to be secure with Face ID built right into my iPhone.

• 21:48Keke Palmer?

  So whether I'm grabbing coffee in L.A. or shopping in New York, I know I'm covered. It's faster and easier than using physical cards or cash. Here's what makes travel shopping actually enjoyable. Apple Pay is accepted at millions of places worldwide. The contactless symbol is like a universal welcome sign, saying, "Yes, we speak easy payments here." And Apple Pay keeps my transactions private by not storing transaction information that can be tied back to me. And can we talk about how it eliminates the whole "which card is which" situation? When you're crossing time zones and trying to keep track of expenses, the last thing you want is confusion at checkout. With Apple Pay, all my credit and debit cards are organized in one place.

• 22:31Keke Palmer?

  And I'm still earning all my card rewards on every purchase because crossing state lines shouldn't mean missing out on points. The real magic happens when you're trying to grab last-minute gifts between connecting flights. No need to dig through your carry-on or worry about which cards work where. Just a quick double-click, Face ID on my iPhone, and tap. Done. Back to sprinting to your gate. Even if I lost my iPhone, my card information would still be protected. Sometimes I'm shopping online for my hotel room because, let's be real, jet-lag shopping is definitely a thing. Apple Pay works just as smoothly there, too, across my Apple devices.

• 23:12Keke Palmer?

  When I see that Apple Pay button at checkout, I know I'm in for a smooth, secure transaction without having to enter any card numbers. No need to get up and search through my suitcase for my wallet, just... Tap and back to feeling cozy in my hotel robe. Travel during the holidays is chaotic enough without payment stress. With Apple Pay working seamlessly in stores, online, and in apps, I can focus on the important things like convincing the airline that my slightly overweight suitcase full of gifts is definitely within the limit. Say goodbye to payment hassles and hello to seamless transactions. Pay the Apple way and keep your holiday travels smooth and secure. Terms apply.

• 23:59Speaker 01

  What did happen that morning was I was, I had written some new pages because he had gotten beaten up so bad that it wasn't going to work the way it was scripted. Cause he would have come in a little bit more aggressive and it just didn't quite work. And so, you know, I, it was new pages. So they were like trying to catch up. The whole crew was trying to catch up to everything. And there was supposed to be a stunt person on set. And I think there was, I can't remember exactly what happened, but obviously Tay was a little bit caught off guard with the, with the impact of what happened. And so that's why you guys are woo, you know, at the, you know, on that. But it was definitely scripted. It was never, it was never not something that she just went ahead and smacked him.

• 24:41Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 24:42Speaker 01

  Then it would have been like, that would, that would have taken a way, way longer a day there. You know, then the, hey, wait a minute, you can't do that. And that was the script of Malcolm. And it did not go down like that at all.

• 24:51Keke Palmer?

  So you said something that was interesting that made me think about a conversation that I had with Rick Femioua, who was on the show before. You said it took nine million dollars to make the best man. And then you guys came in at what?

• 25:03Speaker 01

  Well, our opening weekend, we made nine million and then I think we, we ended up grossing a total of 35. Now I will tell you, had the wood not preceded it the same year, like only like five months earlier, I think we would have made more.

• 25:16Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 25:16Speaker 01

  Because I just think, people got confused.

• 25:18Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 25:19Speaker 01

  They were like, oh, this is a black wedding movie and Tate digs and the. It was almost the same. It was almost the same type of movie.

• 25:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, but totally different.

• 25:27Speaker 01

  I mean, you know, they're different movies, but it's just like, you know, that, that, I remember, I remember Spike saying, we gotta come out before them. And I was like, we're not gonna, we're not gonna, we're not gonna be able to do that. He was like, well, we gotta do something because we don't wanna be the second one.

• 25:40Keke Palmer?

  I mean, both classics, and I was talking about this with him, like, in that VHS, that DVD era, like, that's also how black films won, is because people was like, I gotta have that.

• 25:49Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 25:49Keke Palmer?

  But what the real question I wanted to say was, do you think it's true, because this is what he said, he said, if we can make, um, that this is the reality, if we can make our movies for under eight to 10 million, then they'll always be successful.

• 26:01Speaker 01

  Well, if they're good.

• 26:03Keke Palmer?

  Right. He said, but if you can make it, you gotta make it for that low. And that just kind of, to me, it was like, damn, so the movie's gotta always be low because the chances are so slim? It was just an interesting thing.

• 26:13Speaker 01

  He has a lot more, you know, experience than that. When he did Dope, Dope is a frickin' fantastic movie.

• 26:19Keke Palmer?

  So good.

• 26:20Speaker 01

  And like, and he made that for, for very little money. And, you know, so he's got practice, you know, in, in that, in that, I'm sure it was under eight million or, or in that, that vein.

• 26:28Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 26:29Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, I think it depends on, you know, audiences' tastes or whatever. Do they have to be all, you know, under 10 million dollars? That would be helpful, for sure.

• 26:38Keke Palmer?

  But then obviously we have situations like what you did with Girl Trip. I mean, that's rare, that's not common, but how do you make that happen? I mean, that movie came in at 100, it grossed over 100 million domestically. I mean, this was history.

• 26:51Speaker 01

  120.

• 26:52Keke Palmer?

  100, I mean, that's.

• 26:53Speaker 01

  Maybe 110, I can't remember. But 140 worldwide.

• 26:56Keke Palmer?

  I mean.

• 26:56Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, listen.

• 26:57Keke Palmer?

  How do you do that, man?

• 26:59Speaker 01

  It's, you know, it, it, movies are about timing, you know, you have to have the, and I, I tell everybody, Best Man was the right script at the right time.

• 27:07Keke Palmer?

  Sure.

• 27:08Speaker 01

  You know, Girl Trip was the right movie at the right time, right? Everyone needed to laugh, right? We had just elected somebody.

• 27:15Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 27:16Speaker 01

  And I think people needed to laugh. And I think that, you know, at, at, at a certain release date, certain materials have to kind of all coalesce so that, boom, it can take off. You just don't, you, you can't necessarily plan for it. You know, you can try to, the best you can, but it, it, there's so many factors at work. With that make a movie launch successful, particularly these days, you know, people aren't going to the movie theater as much as they used to.

• 27:41Keke Palmer?

  Not at all.

• 27:41Speaker 01

  And they want to go if there it feels like an event.

• 27:45Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 27:45Speaker 01

  If they can't miss it, right?

• 27:47Keke Palmer?

  And it's so crazy because you said in Forbes that a director has to have one ear in commerce and the other one in creativity. And I feel like that really tracks with everything you just said. I mean, everything that we're seeing you doing, but I'd love to know exactly what you mean by that.

• 28:01Speaker 01

  Well, I mean, you know, I think it's not pure artistry, right? You know, you could be an artist and that's great, but you could also be a starving artist. I don't want to starve.

• 28:10Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 28:10Speaker 01

  Right? I didn't ever wanted to starve. Like, I wanted to like, you know, make make something that people would understand and be digestible. So you have to see, okay, how do I get my movie made? When I when I wrote the first Best Man, I was timing it for when Soul Food came out.

• 28:25Keke Palmer?

  Another one of my favorites.

• 28:26Speaker 01

  Yeah, great movie. George Till, one of my guys. When I saw that that was coming out and it was gonna star, you know, Nia and Vanessa and Vivica and Babyface was producing it.

• 28:37Keke Palmer?

  Woo, the soundtrack, that one soundtrack was doing something.

• 28:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, and I said, okay, like, this might be successful. And if it is successful, they'll be looking for the next Soul Food. This is a copycat industry, right? So they want, so you have to like, look at, okay, what's what's playing? What's what's gonna what's gonna work? Same thing with Best Man Holiday. Best Man Holiday, like, we got to a place where, you know, black so-called black movies were not working and they weren't making them, right? And then I pitched them the idea for it. I said, here's the idea. And they said, okay, what's next? I said, I gotta wait till Jump in the Broom comes out.

• 29:10Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 29:10Speaker 01

  And if that's successful, then they'll say, okay, well, this is a proven wedding movie, even though mine was not a wedding, it was going to be a funeral. And they were like, does it have to be a funeral? I was like, yes, it does. That's what we're doing.

• 29:24Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 29:24Speaker 01

  So you have to you have to have an eye on what's trending, what's what's, and how do you fit into that?

• 29:30Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 29:30Speaker 01

  And how does your artistry fit into that? So that's that's how like my mindset has been.

• 29:34Keke Palmer?

  And I think even more specifically, what do these things mean about black storytelling and about our window of time? You know what I mean? Don't want to always put emphasis on it, but it does, and the emphasis has to be there because either there are not enough people that are at the table to understand this aspect. You know, I think maybe that's it. It's just you don't understand how to tell our stories or how to market our movies. And so does that put more on the creatives or?

• 29:56Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, you know, look, like, like, everything I've ever tried to do, they're universal stories. Meaning like, any group of people could fit into these characters, right? They has cultural specificity.

• 30:07Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 30:07Speaker 01

  But these are universal stories, you know, about love, about friendship, about family, about whatever, right? Settings that people all can understand and relate to, and put a face on it that is, you know, culturally specific.

• 30:19Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. Um, so any tea on Girls Trip 2? How do we make this happen?

• 30:24Speaker 01

  We hope. We're working on it. We're working on it. And see, here's the thing. About any sequel, where that I'm wanna wanna do, right? Like, the expectation bar for Girls Trip, you know, the first one was like, oh, it was about here. And we met and exceeded that, right? So the bar is here now, and so Girls Trip 2 has to meet that bar. Or, and, and/or exceed it, and that's not easy to do. So the script's gotta be great, the actors about to be ready to go, we have, I have to be on my game to direct it. And so that's what we're all trying to figure out.

• 30:59Keke Palmer?

  And you did Fuse, I mean, you did Space Jam, you did Scary Movie 5.

• 31:03Speaker 01

  Don't say, don't mention that one. Don't mention it. Scratch that from the record, please.

• 31:08Keke Palmer?

  And then obviously you've created this franchise.

• 31:09Speaker 01

  Barbershop.

• 31:10Keke Palmer?

  Barbershop. I was in Barbershop 2.

• 31:12Speaker 01

  I was did number 3. You should have waited for me.

• 31:14Keke Palmer?

  I know, dang, we finally work together.

• 31:17Speaker 01

  It's gonna happen.

• 31:18Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh, please, it needs to. You heard it here on Baby is Keke Palmer. We have to hold Malcolm to it.

• 31:24Speaker 01

  Hold me to it.

• 31:25Keke Palmer?

  How did you approach deciding to continue the story of the best man? Because it, it would seem to most people that, oh, this can only be one. But then you did The Last Holiday, and then you guys did The, uh, Peacock, and then now the book, so how?

• 31:39Speaker 01

  Yeah, it wasn't really kinda planned, you know? There was talk of doing the first, I mean, uh, a sequel to Best Man right away. But I was like, this is my first movie, I don't wanna be a one-trick pony, I don't wanna tell this one story. I need to grow, the characters need to grow. I'll revisit these characters in like 10 years. So that's what happened. And just so happened, though, when it, when it came to it, again, very much strategy involved, as I said. What's my brand? Brand, my brand is Best Man, because like, there wasn't a lot of work happening for me at the time. I, I was able to revive that, revive the cast, they all needed it too. And we made it happen. And we left it open-ended in, in with Best Man, uh, Holiday. And it was like, Universal was like, well, we're not gonna make this movie right away. We, they couldn't, we couldn't agree on a budget at the time.

• 32:23Speaker 01

  So I was like, okay, how do I flip this? Cause we left people hanging on, who's Quentin gonna marry, right? So like, okay. Streaming was was very much in a in a good place. So we'll do eight, ten episodes on that. So that worked out. But I was done after that. You know, but after the smoke cleared and the dust settled, I was like, let me try this novel thing that I've been wanting to do. And so we continue. Plus, the fans said they wanted more. If they said, OK, we love it, we're done, I'm finished, great. Then I would have been, OK, we're done. But they wanted more, and I want to try my novel writing. And I think we've given them an experience that is not only literary, but cinematic.

• 33:02Keke Palmer?

  I cannot wait to read it because I'm definitely one of the fans that wanted more.

• 33:05Speaker 01

  Oh, you're gonna love it.

• 33:06Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 33:06Speaker 01

  You are going to love it.

• 33:07Keke Palmer?

  Now, you said something interesting when you were talking about The Best Man being your sixth screenplay.

• 33:12Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 33:12Keke Palmer?

  I'm just curious, have we seen those other five screenplays? Have you ever revisited them? Do you revisit your works?

• 33:18Speaker 01

  Man, those, let's see.

• 33:22Speaker 01

  No, the only one that came close was the one that I was trying to, you know, sell Best Man for. A couple of times, it's a romantic comedy.

• 33:29Keke Palmer?

  What was it called?

• 33:30Speaker 01

  Feast and famine.

• 33:32Keke Palmer?

  Feast and famine, what was it about?

• 33:34Speaker 01

  It's a kind of like a classic New York love story. College friends, you know, who who became lovers.

• 33:42Keke Palmer?

  Whoa.

• 33:43Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 33:44Keke Palmer?

  Starring?

• 33:47Speaker 01

  It could be. Let's, hey, let's discuss.

• 33:50Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my God, because I have to tell you, I had Tay on, and we were just sitting here talking about those rom coms of, I mean, the golden era of your. I mean, we think about The Best Man, we think about all the movies we were naming.

• 34:03Speaker 01

  Love Jones.

• 34:04Keke Palmer?

  Love Jones, you know. What do you think? Has something happened? Or are we just living in nostalgia? You know, nostalgia, sometimes we just love what was. Or is there truly something missing with the rom coms of today?

• 34:15Speaker 01

  I think there's a combination. You know, I think there's, people have nostalgia for the 90s and in the early 2000s. And like, oh, I want that feeling back, right? But, you know, those types of movies don't get put on the big screen. They're not as magical if they're not on a big screen to me, right? And so they're on streaming and they're on, you know, television and stuff and, you know, they're happening in longer form series like Forever, right? Like, it's not really a romantic comedy, but it's a romantic love story. And so I think people want that. I don't think they want it on the big screen and they're not gonna put the kind of marketing dollars behind it unless you've got like two undeniable stars in it. You know what I mean? I think.

• 34:57Keke Palmer?

  And you think that literally is just the impact of streaming and just the way we consume media?

• 35:00Speaker 01

  I think that's part of it. I think that's like, you know, youth pretty much drives movies, right? Like, at least, at least those types of movies or, you know, unless they're like big event movies. And I think that it's harder because people can get their, their romantic comedy, you know, Jones fixed, you know, with, with a smaller screen. I, I would love to see a, a big romantic comedy come back. Like, when, when Harry and Sally, Annie Hall, those are like so much of my, my favorite movies.

• 35:27Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, mine too. And it does feel like there's been a difference, but it's interesting to see that, you know, sometimes there's just so much happening. We're having so much content, you don't even know which way to look.

• 35:36Speaker 01

  Right, right. But you know what, Key? We should go into the studio, you and me, put a script down, be like, let's make this.

• 35:41Keke Palmer?

  Feast and famine.

• 35:42Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 35:43Keke Palmer?

  I'm here for that.

• 35:44Speaker 01

  Who you want, who you, who you want in there?

• 35:45Keke Palmer?

  Well, this is what I mean.

• 35:46Speaker 01

  How about Damsen and Idris?

• 35:46Keke Palmer?

  I know, everybody's saying Damsen and Idris. I mean, if that's who's gotta be, then hey, you don't have to pull my leg.

• 35:53Speaker 01

  I would say, like, you know, like, let's, let's do that.

• 35:55Keke Palmer?

  I'm here for Damsen.

• 35:56Speaker 01

  Mm, good.

• 35:57Keke Palmer?

  But you know what I'm also here for? I'm here for a young girl, older guy love story too.

• 36:04Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 36:05Keke Palmer?

  That's weird.

• 36:06Speaker 01

  I don't know, like, I don't know.

• 36:07Keke Palmer?

  I think it'd be kinda cool. It could be kinda cool.

• 36:09Speaker 01

  Like, like, like, what, what?

• 36:10Keke Palmer?

  Like me and Idris Alba.

• 36:11Speaker 01

  Oh my goodness.

• 36:13Keke Palmer?

  He too old?

• 36:14Speaker 01

  I don't, I'm a little uncomfortable with that one. Me personally, but I mean, you know.

• 36:19Keke Palmer?

  Oh, Ling.

• 36:20Speaker 01

  I don't know.

• 36:20Keke Palmer?

  I'm here for Damsen.

• 36:22Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 36:22Keke Palmer?

  If it's Damsen, it's Damsen.

• 36:24Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 36:24Keke Palmer?

  You know? So let's, let's get into some of these IMDb questions real quick because I want you to break down if these things are fact or fiction.

• 36:32Speaker 01

  Oh, boy.

• 36:38Keke Palmer?

  Y'all, the holidays are coming up so soon. And you know what that means. We've got some serious shopping to do. But I'm not even stressing, okay? Your girl stays prepared. And I know exactly where I'm headed to make it all happen. At Ross. They always have what you need at the price you need at this hella expensive time of year. Yes, it's holiday decor like plates and candles to keep your home looking festive. It's gifts from toys to sweaters for everyone on your list. Whatever it is, it is all at Ross. 20% to 60% off other retailer prices. And we haven't even gotten to the looks yet. Between all these holiday gatherings, parties, and dinner invites filling up on your calendar, you're going to need multiple fits for all these functions.

• 37:23Keke Palmer?

  And trust me, when I tell you Ross has got the range. Every single vibe you're trying to serve this season for every piece of the holidays, and all for less. So take it from me, show up and show out this holiday season. Period. Work your magic with Ross.

• 37:41Keke Palmer?

  The magic of the holidays has me in my full festive element. Between turning my home into a winter wonderland, holiday shopping, and traveling, I need to show up present and energized for all of these moments. Wanna know my secret? It's AG1, this daily health drink that combines all the good stuff. Vitamins, pre and probiotics, superfoods and antioxidants in one simple delicious scoop. I love that AG1 sources the best and highest quality ingredients they can find. Since making AG1 part of my mornings, I've noticed my energy levels are thriving and my digestion is improving. And these flavors, they understood the assignment. I live for the tropical blend.

• 38:21Keke Palmer?

  But they also have original berry and citrus options that'll have you excited to start your day. And get this, AG1 is dropping their best offer ever. Head to drinkag1.com/kiki to get your welcome kit. Vitamin D3 plus K2, AG1 Flavor Sampler, and their new sleep supplement, AGZ, for free, which has been a game changer for my nightly routine. That's just $126 in free gifts for new subscribers at drinkag1.com/kiki. Your wellness routine is about to be that girl.

• 39:00Keke Palmer?

  You already said that Jordan slapping Harper wasn't improv. That was, that was true, so we can knock that off. Now, in Girl Trip, they said Taraji P. Henson was initially offered the role of Dina. Is that true?

• 39:11Speaker 01

  Not true.

• 39:11Keke Palmer?

  That ain't true either, wow. Is there any actor that you haven't worked with that you'd want to?

• 39:16Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, plenty. I would love to work with Will, I'd love to work with Eddie.

• 39:20Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh, Will and Eddie.

• 39:21Speaker 01

  I'd love to work with Damson, um, there's Idris, you know, there's plenty, plenty.

• 39:26Keke Palmer?

  I love all those people you just named.

• 39:28Speaker 01

  Viola Davis, um, yeah, I mean, Angela Bassett.

• 39:32Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, Angela. Okay, Night School. The film was shipped to theaters under the name Christian Chickens. Is that true?

• 39:40Speaker 01

  What?

• 39:41Keke Palmer?

  I didn't even know they did that. Like, do you guys ship movie names like secret?

• 39:45Speaker 01

  Well, that's interesting, maybe they did, I don't know. I, that, that's funny though.

• 39:49Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I'm like, when I heard that, I was like, really, they did that?

• 39:52Speaker 01

  It, maybe they, maybe because they didn't want to get it stolen or bootlegged or something like that. Maybe that's what, maybe that's what they did.

• 39:57Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, okay, that's another one that was wrong. Okay, this is another.

• 40:00Speaker 01

  But it might not be wrong, that might be correct.

• 40:01Keke Palmer?

  Okay, so that's gonna be.

• 40:02Speaker 01

  I had nothing to do with me though.

• 40:03Keke Palmer?

  That was Cliffhanger.

• 40:04Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 40:04Keke Palmer?

  The Best Man, Lorenz Tate was offered the lead role of Harper Stewart, but turned it down because he felt it was too similar to his character in Love Jones.

• 40:11Speaker 01

  Yeah, I saw that he said that, that's not true.

• 40:14Keke Palmer?

  So you saw that he said that?

• 40:15Speaker 01

  I saw that, and I was like, Lorenz. You know, and I love Lorenz, that's my guy. But like, that's definitely not true. And, and that, that would be the reason that I would not want to do it. Because I mean, it was very similar to Darius in, in Love Jones. I would not have done that. And Lorenz is great, love him. Now, there was something else that I had for Lorenz, but I can't, I can't talk about it.

• 40:37Keke Palmer?

  No, you gotta tell us.

• 40:38Speaker 01

  No, I can't say that.

• 40:38Keke Palmer?

  No, please.

• 40:39Speaker 01

  It's not, it's not, it's not, it's, it's disrespectful. Never mind, next question.

• 40:45Keke Palmer?

  Damn, that was gonna be good.

• 40:46Speaker 01

  I'll tell that later, my memoir.

• 40:48Keke Palmer?

  All right, all right. Okay, so looking back, do you have, do you feel like there are any early mistakes that you made? Or just differences? Okay, so tell us, for, for the up and coming directors, what are some major things to look out for?

• 41:00Speaker 01

  I think, you know, I'm, I'm a writer-director, and that's what I thought I was. I was like, you know, I'm an auteur, I want to do that. Like, when I came up with Best Man, like, you know, and of course, when you, when you do a movie like that, that's number one at the box office, that, that, everybody, I'm the prom queen all of a sudden. Everybody wants to dance, right? So like, they're telling me how great I am and blah blah blah. So I'm thinking, yeah, that's, I am great. And then there are, things come along. Hey, we'd like you to direct this. And I'm like, well, I didn't write it, so I'm not gonna direct it. And hey, we'd like you to write this thing while I get to direct it? I don't think so. Well, maybe. And I'm like, no, I'm not gonna do a maybe, right? Like, I'm gonna get myself into it. So I think early on, I was like, I could have been a lot more open to opportunities.

• 41:40Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 41:41Speaker 01

  Um, cuz, you know, you, and you also, I got very much to a place where I was like, oh, I'm going to do this. It's a tunnel vision on it. You have to, you, you see people attached to all kinds of things, right? Because you never know what's gonna go, right? Tastes change, studio heads change, uh, you know, budgets change, actors suddenly, like, they're in a stratosphere now, and they, or they're, we don't wanna work with them anymore. So it's like, you have to, like, have multiple things going, and not just put all your eggs in one basket. So those are, a lot of those lessons I learned very early on. And, you know, you have to, like, diversify.

• 42:18Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I feel the same exact way. I think it's so.

• 42:21Speaker 01

  Oh, I know. I've been trying to get with you, and you be like, you're like, oh, I don't know if I can do all that.

• 42:25Keke Palmer?

  Malcolm's never called me, guys. He just made that up right now.

• 42:28Speaker 01

  I talk to your people, though.

• 42:29Keke Palmer?

  He never did that, like, playing around. Cuz when you called, I'm picking it up.

• 42:34Speaker 01

  All right, I'm gonna get that number.

• 42:35Keke Palmer?

  Okay, it's done deal. You did another one of my favorite movies. My family and I watch it all the time. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins. I mean, some of the funniest people ever. Monique, obviously Martin Lawrence, that's the entertainer. I mean, it was just, how was that being on set? I mean, you've gotta be a fan of improv when you're doing something.

• 42:51Speaker 01

  Fantastic. That's, it's funny that you say that, because, you know, when I did Undercover Brother.

• 42:55Keke Palmer?

  Oh, yes.

• 42:55Speaker 01

  It's very different than, than Best Man, and I, and I, and I tried to treat it, you know, the same way as a director. Like, okay, no, no, say that, say the line like this, then, but you have to let comedians improv. You, they gotta be in the moment. They have to, like, you know, feel like, fresh when they're, when they're delivering stuff. So I remember when did, what did Roscoe. You know, they weren't improv, like Cedric wasn't improv-ing and, and Mike and like, you know, well, Mike always improv, because he never remembers his lines. Uh, Mike kept on talking about it.

• 43:23Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I've heard that about, because he did I'm a Virgo with Boots, and it was the same thing.

• 43:26Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah, but, but he always comes up with brilliant stuff. Right, so what's crazy is like, we, we, we try to do the, the, the movie and they're, they're not like going off book. And I'm like, guys, I didn't cast you not to, to be funny.

• 43:41Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 43:42Speaker 01

  So like, go off, because they were being very deferential to me and to the script, thinking that I wanted to, no, no, do it. And so, yeah, that was fantastic. I mean, Monique and Mike and Cedric.

• 43:53Keke Palmer?

  They were so good.

• 43:54Speaker 01

  Martin, and, and Michael Clarke Duncan, may he rest in peace.

• 43:57Keke Palmer?

  Mo, well, yeah.

• 43:58Speaker 01

  James Jones, may he rest in peace. I mean, fantastic cast, and I, I think an underrated movie.

• 44:03Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I mean, you know, I always go back and forth with that term underrated, because it's like, what are we basing it off of? Because it really is a classic, but you know, we never, you know, it's like, everybody always says that every other day about, about stuff. But it's underrated, and it's like, but is it if we love it, you know?

• 44:16Speaker 01

  Well, that's what I'm saying, like, like, who, who's, who, does it get the credit, you know?

• 44:19Keke Palmer?

  Yes, no, I, I totally agree. I mean, in 99, you told the Washington Post, it's important to make full black male characters. Because we've been vilified in the media, not just in Hollywood, but television, and by our set, but by ourselves.

• 44:32Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 44:32Keke Palmer?

  Um, and I was talking about that actually with Wood on Forever, about seeing these more nuanced black characters. And I remember thinking to myself, like, the circle of the best man, everybody had a dope job, they were nuanced, they was, like you said, it was given my homeboy's wedding, but it was also given I'm living and working in corporate America. It was like showcasing the conversation around assimilation, code switching, and the realities that we have, the dual realities that our culture exists in, but like you said, at the same time being characters that anybody could play, but centering the culture. Anyhow, not to get so long-winded, I'm just curious for you, like, going into the industry with that being your, your mind frame, how difficult has it been to maintain, um, that intentionality?

• 45:13Speaker 01

  I don't know, I mean. I've had a pretty good run. You know what I'm saying? Uh, my, my production company is called Blackmailed Productions, M A L E D.

• 45:21Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 45:21Speaker 01

  And I, you know, I'm, I, I love black men. I, you know, I, I love us. I love, you know, how we interact. And I really wasn't seeing us prior to doing Best Man, you know, in a way that I thought was authentic.

• 45:32Keke Palmer?

  Mm-hmm.

• 45:33Speaker 01

  And so I'm, I'm always gonna, um, you know, protect us. And then, and it's continued in all my work, whether it's Roscoe or Space Jam, like, you know, a father-son story, or a barbershop father-son story as well. You know, um, Roll Bounce, same thing.

• 45:47Keke Palmer?

  Roll Bounce? Oh, my gosh. I love, and first of all, I've always been a huge fan of Bow Wow. And I love Bow Wow's transition to the movies and when he started just acting. I mean, it's so true what you're saying. I gotta tell you, man, I appreciate it so much because for me, a lot of times, like as a kid growing up in the nineties, I mean, I'm, I'm looking and I'm saying, these are my uncles.

• 46:05Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 46:05Keke Palmer?

  This is how my dad is.

• 46:07Speaker 01

  Right.

• 46:07Keke Palmer?

  This was like, finally, but, but when I, when I seen The Wood, when I seen Best Man, when I seen Sothom, like, these are the people in my life.

• 46:14Speaker 01

  Right, you recognize them.

• 46:14Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean?

• 46:15Speaker 01

  And, and, yeah, I wasn't recognizing people that were educated, black.

• 46:19Keke Palmer?

  It's like people didn't get with Boys in the Hood, like, y'all, that was Boys in the Hood. There's not every boy everywhere.

• 46:23Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 46:24Keke Palmer?

  That's why the damn movie was Boys in the Hood.

• 46:26Speaker 01

  Right.

• 46:26Keke Palmer?

  Every boy not in the hood.

• 46:28Speaker 01

  Right.

• 46:28Keke Palmer?

  You know, it was just.

• 46:28Speaker 01

  And not everybody's a menace to society either.

• 46:30Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean? Like, they was trying, they was explaining stuff in the titles, but they kind of blanketed it over the whole culture. So we needed those different expressions.

• 46:39Speaker 01

  I think so, because we exist.

• 46:40Keke Palmer?

  We exist, yeah. For a lot of people, the industry can feel very hard to access. And I feel probably even harder, maybe when you were coming up, than maybe now with social media. I don't know if you feel that it's made it easier for people. But what is a good stepping stone? Because, I mean, when the people ask me, I don't even really know what to say.

• 46:56Speaker 01

  It's hard. I mean, there's no, there's no, like, magic formula.

• 46:59Keke Palmer?

  No.

• 47:00Speaker 01

  Right? At all, right? It's, it's, it is a industry of relationships. Um, you have to have something that people want.

• 47:08Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 47:08Speaker 01

  You have to have something that people, that they think is marketable. Uh, that's why I say, like, you know, the right, the, the Best Man was the right script at the right time. You know, because they were like, oh, we can, we, we see this, we can make this. Wedding movies are very popular. Uh, there's, there's, there's a plethora of black actors out there that can fill these roles. So, you know, I think. Yes, there's a lot more access, you know, and you can get your stuff seen, but everybody can get their stuff seen now. So it's, it's, it's kind of flooding the market a little bit. It's harder to stand out. But, you know, I think right now, this generation of filmmakers needs to define what their story is.

• 47:43Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 47:43Speaker 01

  And I don't, I don't see that happening right now. I don't know, what, where, what is their Breakfast Club? What is their, their, uh, Superbad, you know? And I would love to see that, uh, happen. And I think there's an opportunity for indie filmmakers to, you know, break through as well.

• 47:56Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 47:57Speaker 01

  You know, and really make a splash that way. And like, you know, like, to Rick's point, do a low budget thing and hopefully it delivers high.

• 48:04Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, because you can't, I mean, when you do do that, I mean, it's like how, I mean, we, there's only up that we can go. You don't want to always do it that way, but if you want to do a series of things, it's definitely a good way to freak the system.

• 48:14Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 48:15Keke Palmer?

  Um, another thing that I always think about too is like ownership. You talk about blackmail, uh, productions. I mean, having your own production company, doing your own, we're starting your own infrastructure. I think there's a piece that a lot of, sometimes we don't think about, you know? You're always just outputting and trying to catch on to something else, but I always try to encourage entertainers, whether they are producers, directors, actors, or otherwise. Create a, a thing that allows you to continue to create on your own terms.

• 48:40Speaker 01

  If you can do it, I mean, you know, like, you know, Tyler Perry is a genius in what he's done and like, you know, cultivated his own audience. Uh, very loyal audience and he's built upon that because he, and he really, you know, he's a businessman. He really like cultivated that audience and kept it going. Not everybody can do that. I, like, I'm not built like that, you know, or haven't been built like that. Um, I, I, I rely on people who are like, oh, you, we, we like you, so here's some money to, to, I'm like, please. But you know, it's funny, like, I, I tried to go the indie route.

• 49:09Keke Palmer?

  Mm-hmm.

• 49:10Speaker 01

  It doesn't always work for people.

• 49:11Keke Palmer?

  It's tough. I mean, the Wayans Brothers are people that who I always like admired for that. I mean, they were, and comedians in general. There was a time where comedians was always doing their own movies, always.

• 49:21Speaker 01

  Yeah, or television shows.

• 49:22Keke Palmer?

  Or television shows, creating their own things and like, we don't get that as much anymore. Like, that's straight to DVD, that's straight to the consumer vibe, which I hate.

• 49:30Speaker 01

  Who's the funny person now? Who's the funniest stand-up right now? I don't know who that person is.

• 49:34Keke Palmer?

  Stand-up, exactly.

• 49:35Speaker 01

  Right? Like, you know, like, you gotta, like... Those, those, those voices have to be cultivated and also platformed. You know, like the, the way they did with Death Comedy Jam, like, you know, a lot of comedians got their platform there.

• 49:47Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 49:48Speaker 01

  And.

• 49:48Keke Palmer?

  And I remember Who Got Jokes too. Death Jam, Comedy Jam, Who's Got Jokes. Yeah, we don't have a lot of that, that, that stuff anymore. And it definitely is, is important. We think about Friday, that's where Chris Tucker, if somebody's seen him on stand up, put him in a movie.

• 49:59Speaker 01

  That's exactly right.

• 50:00Keke Palmer?

  Um, I could talk to you all day. There's so many things. I do want to give a shout out to Dr. Camille, because you guys have been married for what, over 25 years, I was trying to read.

• 50:07Speaker 01

  Twenty, let's see, we got married in 2025 years. We just celebrated 25th. Yeah, and we've been together, um, 31 years in October.

• 50:14Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh. I mean, that's such a blessing. Three boys that you guys have.

• 50:18Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 50:18Keke Palmer?

  Um.

• 50:19Speaker 01

  Langston Lennox and Lucas.

• 50:20Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, you guys like the L's.

• 50:22Speaker 01

  She likes alliteration. So she was like, there's all L's. I was like, okay.

• 50:26Keke Palmer?

  I love that. I love that so much. And you guys have two totally different careers, like, I mean, but she's, but you kind of both study people and.

• 50:34Speaker 01

  She's super educated, right? She's like, she's got like five master's degrees and a PhD. And I'm just like, are we done with school now, please? Um, but, you know, um, I, I would not be the man, uh, that I am or the career that I have without her. Um, and yeah, she's a psychotherapist. Um, she's, she's always, it's so funny, for years, she's, you know, people always come to her and talk to her. I was like, babe, you need to be just like Lucy. Put your shingle out, five cents, and let's go, talk, right? But you need to charge people for this. You keep, you're getting too much free, free advice.

• 51:05Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh. Well, she that lady that all these people need to sit on the couch of. Go on, here's Dr. Camille. Talk to that lady.

• 51:11Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 51:11Keke Palmer?

  Um, all right, I'm running out of time with you, so I want to play a quick little game before you go, okay? And it's called Malcolm Knows Best, a little play off of The Best Man.

• 51:20Speaker 01

  Usually Malcolm does know best, but go on. You gotta tell my kids that.

• 51:24Keke Palmer?

  So, pretty much I'm gonna give you some category of some classic, you know, films, people, et cetera, just different categories, and you gotta pick the best. It's really hard. You're gonna lose friends over this.

• 51:34Speaker 01

  Oh, boy.

• 51:34Keke Palmer?

  I'm kidding. All right, are you ready?

• 51:36Speaker 01

  I don't think you are kidding.

• 51:39Keke Palmer?

  Okay. Pick the best installment. The Best Man, 1999. The Best Man Holiday, 2013. The Best Man, The Final Chapters, 2022.

• 51:52Speaker 01

  Best Man, Unfinished Business.

• 51:54Keke Palmer?

  Woo! I'm ready for this. I'm re- I mean, that's pretty big, what you just said.

• 52:00Speaker 01

  I stand by it.

• 52:01Keke Palmer?

  Ten toes?

• 52:01Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 52:02Keke Palmer?

  Ten fingers?

• 52:02Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 52:03Keke Palmer?

  Period. Okay. Modern black rom-coms. Love Jones, Brown Sugar, The Wood, Loving Basketball. The best.

• 52:14Speaker 01

  Boy. I, listen, Gina is my girl, okay? Gina Prinsby is my girl. And I love her, I love that movie, but I'm going with Love Jones.

• 52:22Keke Palmer?

  OMG, Love Jones was so, so-

• 52:24Speaker 01

  It's one of my favorite, it's one, it wa- it very much inspired me to, to write Feast of the Fan, but also, um, Best Man.

• 52:31Keke Palmer?

  Old boy was such a hater. My comedian, Bill Bellamy, he was hating all the damn time on Darius. Like, boy, get him off his back!

• 52:37Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 52:37Keke Palmer?

  Okay. Sitcoms that raised us. The Cosby Show, A Different World, Martin, Living Single.

• 52:45Speaker 01

  Cosby Show.

• 52:46Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 52:47Speaker 01

  Yeah, I, you know, listen. It's, I, beautiful. Rest in peace, Malcolm X and Walter. Um, yeah, I mean, that, that, that was, I mean, we didn't have a house that nice. But we lived in, we lived in a brownstone in Brooklyn. And, and, you know, I'd be like, ah, that's not real with black people. I said, that is real black people to me. And so, yeah.

• 53:06Keke Palmer?

  And what were your, were your parents artistic? Because I seen that you, not only you and Spike are in the arts, but-

• 53:10Speaker 01

  Yeah, my dad was a school teacher, but he was, he's a musician. You know, his, his, his brothers and sisters had a, um, a jazz group, um, called Descendants of Mike and Phoebe. That's my long line in your family. Uh, a shout out to them. Um, and my mom was a, um, a medical records administrator. And then she be, eventually became a, a college professor.

• 53:28Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 53:29Speaker 01

  And, um, taught people to read.

• 53:30Keke Palmer?

  That's incredible. That's incredible. So y'all was like, you know, The Cosbys. Comedy icons in their prime.

• 53:37Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 53:38Keke Palmer?

  Bernie Mac, Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Kevin Hart.

• 53:45Speaker 01

  Eddie Murphy. Sorry.

• 53:49Speaker 01

  Eddie Murphy.

• 53:50Keke Palmer?

  Period. It was quick. It was not even a question.

• 53:52Speaker 01

  No.

• 53:53Keke Palmer?

  I got the chance to work with Eddie in my last project and it was really awesome.

• 53:56Speaker 01

  I saw the trailer for it. It looks good.

• 53:57Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh. With Tim. I'm sure you know Tim.

• 53:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 54:00Keke Palmer?

  I, um, I loved it. It was the best ever. I mean, he's really, really chill. But his comedy, my mom always told me as a kid, you know, comedy stands for reality. But when you see someone really do situational improv as quickly and as in tune as he does, it really, it's a masterclass.

• 54:16Speaker 01

  He's a genius. He is an absolute genius.

• 54:19Keke Palmer?

  He really is.

• 54:21Speaker 01

  Unparalleled.

• 54:21Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. Well, that's it. That's all I got, Malcolm. I'm really excited for the book.

• 54:25Speaker 01

  Are we done already?

• 54:27Keke Palmer?

  We're literally done.

• 54:28Speaker 01

  Oh, boy.

• 54:28Keke Palmer?

  I know.

• 54:29Speaker 01

  We'll have to do this again.

• 54:30Keke Palmer?

  We have to.

• 54:30Speaker 01

  Or on some set.

• 54:32Keke Palmer?

  I mean, your words to God hears. Yes. Thank you so much.

• 54:37Speaker 01

  My pleasure. Thank you.

• 54:42Keke Palmer?

  Malcolm D. Lee has built a body of work that truly lasts. Films that connect across generations and put our culture front and center. From The Best Man to Roll Bounce to the pages of his new book, he's never stopped finding new ways to reflect who we are with honesty and style. Thank you, Malcolm, for the stories, the laughs, and the blueprint. Baby, this is Keke Palmer.

• 55:16Keke Palmer?

  Baby, This Is Keke Palmer is hosted and executive produced by me, Keke Palmer. Lucas Segal is our post-producer. Our producers are Lauren Hampton and Molly Nester. Hillary Esti McLaughlin is our executive producer. Production services provided by Evolution Media. Our original theme song was written and performed by me, Keke Palmer. For Team Kiki, my producer is Sharon Palmer. For Wondery, our managing producer is Olivia Fonte. Senior managing producer is Nick Ryan. And our executive producers are Emily Feldbrake, Aaron O'Flaherty, and Marshall Louie.