Method Man is keeping it real, and Pastor Michael Todd is keeping it honest.
Relationship Goals, the new Prime Video film starring Method Man and Kelly Rowland, premieres tomorrow. Based on Pastor Todd’s New York Times bestselling book of the same name, the film explores what happens when personal healing collides with professional dreams, and when the past shows up claiming it’s ready to do things differently.
Rowland stars as Leah Caldwell, a brilliant TV producer on the verge of making history as the first woman to lead New York’s top morning show. It’s the moment she’s worked for her entire career, until her network throws in an unexpected twist: her ex, Jarrett Roy, played by Method Man, enters the picture as competition. Jarrett insists he’s changed, shaped by transformation, maturity, and the very relationship lessons that anchor the film’s themes.
While promoting the project, produced by DeVon Franklin, Method Man and Pastor Michael Todd opened up to The Quintessential Gentleman about the dating realities men face today, from the pressures of social media to the deeper work of self-awareness and emotional growth. Method Man jokes that men are “cooked,” but beneath the humor lies a serious conversation about purpose, healing, and learning to meet love with intention rather than ego.
In our interview, the two offer refreshing advice: stop performing, start progressing, and build something real.
[Interview has been edited for length and clarity]
QG: Pastor Todd, what was the inspiration behind writing the book that played such a big part in this film?
Michael Todd: Man, I just want to help people win in relationships. A lot of people are struggling out here. And a lot of people around me were struggling. And so I wanted to share the value that I learned. I don’t know everything at all, but the little nuggets that I had, I wanted to give that to somebody else. And for some reason, that message resonated with a lot of people and helped them. And when it went from that to a book, it resonated with more people, and we believe that this movie is going to resonate with even more people.
QG: Method Man, what are some of the challenges you see men facing in dating right now?
Method Man: Y’all cooked. I mean, you can’t compete with a female’s biggest admirer, and that’s followers on social media. How do you compete, honestly? But in this movie, Jarrett isn’t trying to compete or anything like that. Jarrett is a man who has found his purpose and he’s living in it. And he sees an opportunity to advance in a space that he was too young to understand.
So when this thing comes back around, he sees an opportunity not only to redeem himself in this person’s eyes, but to show this person that he has truly evolved. And I don’t know if the message comes across like that in the beginning because he is a bit overenthusiastic in his approach. But I think the sacrifice that’s made in the end really shows where his heart truly was.
QG: We always hear about women needing to heal, but not enough about men. Why is healing so important for Black men specifically?
Michael Todd: So let me say this. I don’t like ‘healed.’ I like ‘healing.’ Because I believe everything’s a process. And I say it all the time, but this life is about progression, not perfection. And if you make a better decision today than you did yesterday, you’re healing. If you actually said, ‘I’m sorry’ when you messed up… that’s a progressive step. And I think sometimes we try to make everything final, when it’s supposed to actually be just the next version of it.
Make a decision today to do something better than you did yesterday, and that progressive step will end you at a place where somebody will be like, ‘Man, he’s healed.’ Nah, you don’t know what I struggled with yesterday, today. You don’t know what I got to go through, but I am better than I was. And if people can put that in the forefront, I think everybody can move forward in their journey.
QG: If you could each give men one piece of dating advice right now, what would it be?
Method Man: Run! I would say find someone that walks the same path that you do. Respect their space as well as them respecting yours. Focus on the needs more than the wants and you should be fine.
Michael Todd: I would also say that you need to discover what you want because it’s hard to tell somebody what you cannot articulate. And I think that’s why the season of singleness for men cannot just be occupied with manipulating and fooling around with every other one. It can’t be, because you still don’t discover yourself.
Even after you get done with all of that and it’s time now to have a family, you don’t even know you. So I would just encourage people like, don’t let social media trick you. That’s not real life. You can build a real life that’s good even if it’s not on the ‘gram. Am I doing good or am I showing I’m doing good? Like, that’s two totally different things.
Check out the full interview.
