Sanaa Lathan Says Producers Wanted Her To Audition For Regina Hall’s Role In “The Best Man”

Sanaa Lathan Says Producers Wanted Her To Audition For Regina Hall’s Role In The Best Man

Actress Sanaa Lathan is best known for her role as Monica in the 2000 hit movie, Love and Basketball. 

But prior to the actress becoming a pillar in black cinema, Sanaa Lathan captured our hearts in her small role as Robyn, in the classic, The Best Man. 

Sanaa Lathan

In a recent interview on “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered” podcast, Sanaa Lathan revealed that producers wanted her to audition for a completely different role.

Sanaa said,

“It’s funny because they wanted me to come in for Candy, for Regina Hall’s part.” 

The 1999 film that follows the love and relationships of former college friends and starred Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Mia Morgan, Terrance Howard, Melissa DeSousa and actor Harold Perrineau. Sanaa Lathan, who was the love interest of Taye Diggs.

The two roles were very different, with Robyn being a Chef, trying to get her business off the ground and Candy, a stripper using her earnings to pay for school. When asked about playing Candy, Sanaa said,

“Well I would have had to…well, I don’t know if I would have gotten that.”

Sanaa also spoke about Love and Basketball and how she almost walked away from the role. She said,

“For the basketball players, they had to do the scenes and then do a basketball audition. Same with me. I’d do the scenes, then we would walk across the street, and I’d tribble the ball, looking crazy, because I had never picked up a ball.”

 

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She continued,

“I mean I had my brother come out and go to the local court and I was just like you can’t learn basketball in a couple weeks or a couple months you know. These girls had been born, came out the womb with a basketball. And finally, she kept, every time I thought it was time to get to that next level to get the job, she would throw in another basketball player and that became very emotionally really hard. And it went on for months and months.”

She added,

“Everyone in my life told me to drop out. She doesn’t want you, you’re not going to get the job.” 

When The Best Man hit theaters, it reportedly earned $34 million at the box office. Solidifying its following, their careers, and making it possible for the sequel, The Best Man Holiday. 

This February, it was announced that The Best Man: The Final Chapters, would be released as a limited series on the streaming platform Peacock. About the series, the 49-year-old said, 

“They’re writing the scripts now. All the gang will be back and we’re all just so excited because we all feel like family now.” 

She continued,

“I mean it has been, I think when we did ‘Best Man Holiday’ it was 15 years, and we were joking then like, ‘Yeah, then we’ll do the third one it’ll be like ‘Best Man: Old Folks Home.”

Do you think Sanaa Lathan could have played Candy in The Best Man? Tell us in the comments.