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Hear our full conversation on my podcast “Beyond the Fame.”
February means both Valentine’s Day and Black History Month, and for many Americans, you can’t spell either without “The Best Man” (1999) and “The Best Man Holiday” (2013).
Now, you can stream all eight episodes of “The Best Man: The Final Chapters,” which premiered on Peacock back in December, starring D.C. native Blake Aria Hendricks as Mia Stewart, the daughter of Harper (Taye Diggs) and Robyn (Sanaa Lathan).
“You should really tune in and watch ‘The Best Man: Final Chapters,'” Hendricks, 9, told WTOP. “The series is really great, and I think you’ll love it!”
The original film followed a successful Chicago author who attends his best friend’s wedding in New York City, only for the wedding party to realize that his hit book is based on their past exploits. The beloved sequel was set 15 years later, reuniting the old college friends for Christmas festivities, reigniting old rivalries and rekindling old romances.
“I prepared by watching parts of ‘The Best Man Holiday,'” Hendricks said. “I watched it with my mom, then the parts that I couldn’t watch, I would go to my room and come back.”
Hendricks said Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan were nurturing on set as her on-screen parents saying, “I did some bonding before we started, and they’re just really nice people.”
She also loved meeting the rest of the cast: Morris Chestnut as Lance Sullivan, Melissa De Sousa as Shelby Taylor, Terrence Howard as Quentin Spivey, Nia Long as Jordan Armstrong, Regina Hall as Candy Sparks and Harold Perrineau as Julian Murchison.
“I got to meet all of those people,” Hendricks said. “I also bonded with the younger cast. We played games, ate snacks and made TikToks. I was really excited to get back on set instead of waiting in my trailer because I had to wait and do tutoring the whole time.”
She’ll never forget working with directors Robert Townsend (“Hollywood Shuffle”) and Malcolm D. Lee (Spike Lee’s cousin), who directed both films before creating the TV show.
Hear our full conversation on my podcast “Beyond the Fame.”
