With a star-studded list of actors including the likes of Jill Scott, Trey Songz, Djimon Hounsou, Jenifer Lewis, Taye Diggs, Tia Mowry, Derek Luke, Christina Milian… to name but a few, new romantic comedy Baggage Claim isset to light up the box office. FlavourMAG is on the case and interviews four of the stars: Leading lady Paula Patton, along with hottie Boris Kodjoe, Lauren London and La La Anthony…
Actress Paula Patton, married to singer Robin Thicke, is flying onto our big screens with the lead role in new romantic comedy Baggage Claim. She plays flight attendant Montana Moore, who has 30 days to find a husband before her baby sister’s wedding. Annika Allen catches up with the beautiful star to get her thoughts on love and relationships…
Once I came on board, David is a great director and he’s a great writer, and it was a great collaborative experience. We talked about it a lot and we would cross our fingers that these people who are in the movie now would say yes, and thank God that they did. Everybody brought their A game and felt as passionately about the project as we did. They loved it. They gave all of themselves and we were so thankful. At the end we stood back and looked at everything and said, can we believe all these people that we got to be in the film? It’s unreal.
Who was the best kisser out of all the men?
I never answer that question. I can’t!
Why should we go and watch this movie?
Everybody can connect to the feeling of, a) wanting to find love, and b) wanting to fit in and wanting your family to approve of you, even when you say that you don’t care. You really do. But then there’s that amazing moment in one’s life where you really don’t care anymore and you say I’m OK with me, so either you accept me the way I am or not. But I’m tired of trying to make you happy because I never seem to. So that’s what I love about this film. I feel like there are two happy endings: there’s the happy ending of the woman who finds herself, is OK with herself and who she is without a man; and then there’s the dessert, which is the cherry on top, which is what I think finding a partner should be. A partner shouldn’t complete you, they should help you be a better you.
You married your childhood sweetheart… what are your own tips to having a successful relationship?
There are two things: one is boring but it’s compromise and to be willing to be able to step into the other person’s shoes. You have to take a moment to walk in your partner’s shoes and see how they feel and try to adjust as best you can. And secondly, you have to have passion. You can’t just be friends. You’ve got to keep the love alive and the lust alive.
What’s the most romantic experience you’ve had?
One of the most romantic things that my husband always remembers is my first day of shooting or when I’m doing a press junket. He always remembers and sends me flowers and says, ‘Good luck, I love you.’ And now that we have a son, ‘we love you’. I love that gesture, no matter where he is in the world he always does that. It means so much to me. More importantly, the most romantic thing is when somebody really has your back. When they love you through and through, warts and all. If it wasn’t for my husband, I wouldn’t be an actress. He was the one who believed in me and put his money where his mouth was, because I certainly couldn’t afford the headshots or acting classes at the time, and he really believed in me and I thank God for him.
What do you do to keep in such great shape? You look incredible in the bedroom scene with Boris Kodjoe.
Thank you. I run, I’ve always been athletic. It’s a good way to get those endorphins going. I do Pilates. At the end of the day, I’m a regular girl. I like to eat, so I work out to eat and that’s the truth. I’ll never be stick skinny. I love life too much. I don’t know how some people do it. I admire their discipline, they’re just incredible. But I love my food. I think for me everything is about moderation.
What makes you beautiful?
I know it sounds corny but being happy on the inside and sharing your love and joy with the world, in the end that’s when you’re most beautiful. Let’s face it, there can be people who are aesthetically gorgeous, but if they’re not nice on the inside, they’re really quite unattractive. Then there could be someone who may not be your traditional beauty but they glow from the inside out and they’re beautiful. At the end of the day you have to realise we’re all going to get older. It’s inevitable. You’re going to have a bad hair day you’re gonna have spots on your face. We’ve all had it. That stuff’s gonna happen, but your soul, that can remain the same; it can grow and get better. That’s where real beauty lies.
Follow her on Twitter @PaulaPattonXO and find out more info on the film by visiting https://www.facebook.com/