Jakes' “Seven Deadly Sins Anthology.”
This installment follows a younginterior designerZuri played byMonique Coleman.
At the start of the film, it seems like Zuri has everything going for her.
Monique Coleman:First of all, I love Bishop T.D.
Jakes and everything that he does from the pulpits to business, and now also in film.
I had such an incredible experience working with Lifetime.
That combination of things made it something that I was immediately attracted to.
How LisaRaye McCoy picks characters
LisaRaye McCoy:Love that.
Jakes, he is my pastor.
He sat me down and told me some things that resonate with me even now.
You’re making it your own.
I have been involved in some greed myself, personally to be honest, to tread the waters lightly.
It’s like, “Am I being greedy?
Am I being too content?
Am I being too humble?”
Humility is here, but I want more, and what does that mean?
I have some of that inside of me, for real.
She was neurotic, she was greedy, she was manipulative.
We’ve all been some of that in our life, if we want to be honest.
I picked a little bit of that and added a little bit more to it.
We can have some levels and dynamics in the character.
When you come together, that’s when the magic happens.
Why Monique Coleman doesn’t see her character as a victim
Monique:Absolutely.
Lisa really hit on something too the fact that, yes, her character was like ten-timed.
The seed of that is inside of all of us.
We felt like the world was unfair to us in some way.
No, you knew full well, or at least you felt it.
So often, we don’t listen to our instincts.
Was that fun in a way to like take it to this far end?
LisaRaye:Look at you, trying to get all inside my head.
It was absolutely fun.
Very nice, but it was cold.
I love to be able to stretch it.
She was classy though, and she was an experienced greedy person.
At the end, it all comes crashing down.
That, in a nutshell, would be Miss Viv’s character.
LisaRaye:Oh Monique, I’m going to let you start that one girl.
Monique:The most challenging thing was honestly the time constraint, more than anything.
We all really understood our characters.
We knew what we were there to do.
We had a great time doing it.
[It’s] wanting more time to explore.
We shot this whole film in 15 days, which is highly ambitious.
There were moments where we, and like LisaRaye said, we did our homework.
We would’ve had even more takes because there were so many places that these characters could have gone.
LisaRaye:I enjoy everything that I touch.
One of the most dynamic parts is finding a new friend and building a new friendship.
Sitting with Monique in my room that night, we could have talked for hours.
I will forever remember this project because of her, too.
I saw it in her eyes … and we got it.
Put up your hands and go, “Scene down, next scene.”
You think so?"
It’s like, “Absolutely did.
Y’all can take that to print.”
Then, we go on to the next scene.
I’m thrilled all the way across.
Monique:You are the absolute best.
I love you so much.
There was a meme I saw once that said, “The grass is not greener over there.
The grass is greener where you water it.”
We’ve stopped investing in the things that matter to us.
I want to experience life in a way in which I’m still growing and still learning.
I choose to call it something different.
Well, then I need to work hard to get there.
Are you being greedy, girl?
That’s what everybody does.
There’s something else going on.
That’s what happened Zuri stopped listening to her dad.
I had to learn, again, life is just a balance.
I am the true Libra that I am.
That’s the scales that I have to balance.
I’ve learned a lot by keeping a couple of actress friends around me.
They’ve been there before me, where they’ve encountered more things than I have.
I was able to say, “Hey, I got this new show.
I have this new contract they’re trying to sell me and pitch me on this.
Can I ask for this?
Is it appropriate to?
How do I say this?”
They would actually help me and prepare me for my own pitching or negotiations, if you will.
Are we getting 30 days worth of pay?
What are you getting?"
“This is what they offered me.
They said it was across the line, is that for you?
What’s your experience?”
We talk because we also are a community of people that have to look out for each other.
The beginning of my career was simply that I didn’t understand my value.
Sometimes, I still don’t.
That’s why having, like LisaRaye said, that first night when we really connected …
I do relate to that.
When you don’t know your value, but other people do, that is a very dangerous situation.
Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Story premieres Saturday, April 23rd at 8/7c on Lifetime.
