Nia Long is best known for her roles like Nina in Love Jones, Jordan Armstrong in The Best Man franchise and Brandi in Boyz n the Hood. However, the actress almost turned down her role as Brandi in the John Singleton classic.
In an interview with People TV, Long reveals why she thought twice about joining the film.
.@NiaLong explains why she almost turned down ‘‘Boyz n the Hood.’
Watch more on @peopletv: https://t.co/2QdNOXNQwD pic.twitter.com/62XGX0v9ut
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) March 7, 2020
“I didn’t know it was special,” Long said. “When I first got the script, I immediately thought, ‘Some white guy’s gonna try to make a movie about the life that I’ve lived. I don’t even want to have anything to do with it.'”
However, Long immediately changed her mind after learning Singleton was Black. “I’m very protective of my culture and where I’m from,” she said. “And they’re like ‘No, no he’s Black.’ I was like, ‘Well where’s he from? What part of town?'” she laughed.
The actress continued, “When I met John [I understood] he really does understand the Black experience and I miss him dearly.”
Released in 1991, Boyz n the Hood starred Long, Cuba Gooding Jr, Morris Chestnut and Ice Cube as a group of young adults coming of age in South Central Los Angeles.
READ MORE:
Nia Long And Omar Epps Reuniting To Star In Netflix’s ‘Fatal Affair’
Photo: Getty
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