Actresses Tiffany Haddish (Night School) and Rose Byrne (Insidious) play Mia and Mel, best friends and business owners of a cosmetics company they’ve built from the ground up. Though their friendship has flourished over the years, their business, on the other hand, has hit a bump in the road and now the two entrepreneurs have found themselves way in over their heads financially.
However, there may be a chance to save their business when beauty industry giant, Clair Luna, played by Selma Hayek, proposes a game-changing offer of a big buyout. While the proposition seems too tempting to pass up the two besties soon find their friendship at risk as a result.
The Shadow League caught up with co-star Billy Porter (PoseFX) to talk a little bit about the film, his experience on set and what meant to be a boss. Check out a clip from the interview below.
The Shadow League: What attracted you to this film?
Billy Porter: They called and offered me the gig. Why would I not be attracted [laughs]? It’s Tiffany Haddish, It’s Rose Byrne. It’s Jennifer Coolidge and they offered me the job. That’s all I needed.
TSL: How was it like working with Tiffany Haddish and the rest of the cast?
B.P.: Well, it was just a dream. You know, you have all of these masters in the same room. It was like the greatest, you know, like a game of tennis. A person would hit the ball to you, and you would hit it back. And, you know, it was just lovely. It was lovely to have people that cared so much and loved the process and wanted to be there. It was amazing. It was an amazing set to be a part of and our director was lovely. You know, funny. And Tiffany really does have a maternal instinct. She knows how to really take care of the cast. She would have these potluck dinners on Saturday nights for everybody. Suddenly, you got to make a family. It’s hard work and it’s nice when you get to connect in another kind of way.
TSL: What was your most memorable moment on set? (slight spoiler alert)
B.P.: I had a great time in that final scene. You know I’m a musical theater person. So anytime there’s a musical number, I’m there. I think we spent like two or three days shooting that scene and everybody was in it. So you had an opportunity to sort of just hang out with everybody, which doesn’t always happen in a film.
TSL: “Boss” is a term that we hear very often, especially on social media. In your words, what does it mean to “be a boss?”
B.P.: To give zero f**ks what anybody has to say. Lean into exactly who you are. Own who you are. Be as authentic as you could possibly be. And make decisions based on that—decisions that are based on your “boss “energy.
Like a Boss also stars Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Collidge, Ari Graynor, Jessica St. Clair and Karan Soni. This film is directed by Miguel Arteta and written by Sam Pitman and Adam Cole-Kelly. Like A Boss hits theaters on January 10, 2020, and be sure to check out the trailer below.
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