Tyler Perry’s newest film, Divorce in the Black, starring Cory Hardrict and Meagan Good, is already generating buzz with its deep dive into the complexities of love and divorce.
Divorce in the Black depicts the tumultuous divorce of a married couple, intertwining suspense with the raw, emotional realities of ending a marriage. The film follows Ava, played by Good, a young banking professional whose life spirals when her husband, Dallas, portrayed by Hardrict, unexpectedly exits their marriage. As Ava struggles to pick up the pieces, she is confronted with revelations about Dallas’ past actions, which not only shattered their union but distorted her journey toward true love.
While promoting the film, the stars opened up about their roles and how their personal experiences shaped their performances.
In an interview with The Quintessential Gentleman’s Kyle Price, Good, who recently went through an amicable public divorce, shared her unique perspective on the role.
“One of the things I will say that that was close to home for me, was just the reality that sometimes it feels like your life is ending when you go through something like divorce. And having the mentality of ‘No, something is ending, but also something beautiful is beginning,’” Good shared. “I think that Ava really goes through that in the journey in the film where she kind of hits her lowest point, but then when she gets back up, she realizes that there’s life and life more abundantly on the other side.”
Good told PEOPLE that she and Hardrict were a support system for each other off-camera during filming. “You know what’s interesting is some experiences in life, other people can’t relate to unless they’ve experienced it. And what I’ll say is that we’ve been friends for a long time and definitely support each other, definitely wanna see each other win, definitely share some unique experiences, but the biggest thing is that we just want to see each other win and have an opportunity to just act,” Good shared during Essence Festival.
“The support that we have is just like, it’s less is more, it’s silence and we all get it,” Hardrict shared. “It’s just a look, that’s a support, a hug. We’re friends and we want to see each other win and we inspire each other. We’re all here doing God’s work and we’re blessed.”
Hardrict spoke about his excitement in tackling a character like Dallas, a role he hasn’t portrayed before. “It was challenging because I’ve never done a character like Dallas before,” Hardrict explained in an interview with The Quintessential Gentleman. “Mr. Perry is a legend, so anytime to have a chance to work with someone as iconic as Mr. Perry and what he does for culture, Black culture… I was like this is going to be something special.”
When asked about his method of embodying such a turbulent character, Hardrict said, “I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I’m a professional and I love what I do. I love to act and I know how to flip the switch when that camera is going it’s go time. And then when it’s off, it’s back to Cory. I don’t really take the method off screen and walk around all day, being unapproachable and I’m stuck with it. There’s some guys that do it and that’s great. That’s their process but I know when that camera is going it’s time to go it’s time to get going.”
Divorce in the Black premieres on Prime Video on July 11. Check out the interview below.
