Danielle's POV
Taraji greeted me at her door with a hug and kiss on the cheek, and I greeted her with a box of vegan truffles because I felt bad for making fun of her grass casseroles in the group chat. She had a big pretty smile on her face, but her eyes held so much sadness. Walking into her lovely home, I could feel a tension in the air so thick that it was almost palpable. Fantasia was in the kitchen, nursing an alcoholic drink. Did something happen between them before I came? What am I walking into? If this is supposed to be a fun girls' party, I would hate to see their funerals. I guess it's up to me to supply the vibes.
Danielle: Aye it's a bad bitch party, can't nobody else get in!
I stuck my tongue out and twerked a little, making Fantasia laugh and lightly slap my ass. Taraji worked up a little bit, but I could tell that something was still bothering her.
Fantasia: Oh Lord, Dani thee stallion has woken up.
Danielle: She never sleeps.
Taraji:*chuckles* Well, thank you for the chocolates, Dani thee stallion. That's very thoughtful of you.
Danielle: It has all the oats and berries and stuff that you like. It's 100 percent dark chocolate, just like me.
Taraji: Delicious! I want a bite.
I laughed as Taraji pretended to bite my face. We joined Fantasia in the kitchen and I gladly helped myself to a purple-frosted cupcake displayed on the glass dessert tower.
Fantasia: We're 3 drinks in, you gotta catch up with us Dani.
Once the drinks started flowing, so did the conversation. We of course ended up on the subject of our upcoming movie, but it seemed like talking about the movie prompted us to talk about more personal topics. I'll be T-Pain and blame it on the alcohol.
Fantasia: I'm so excited that we're all gonna be working together. I can't wait to actually get into the environment of a movie studio. I bet it's a whole different vibe from being on a stage.
Taraji: It's a lot of moving parts, and it can be overwhelming, but once the filming actually begins, you get so immersed in the story that all the other outside noise goes mute. Then it's just you and your character, and whoever you're in a scene with.
I felt so blessed to be receiving such solid advice from one of the greatest actresses of my time, and I just hoped that I would be sober enough to remember it all. She's dropping free game, and it seems like all she wants in return is our friendship.
Danielle: My fear is that I'm going to get too immersed in the story. I played Sophia in the Broadway adaptation, and it was a lot to process. It's hard to explain, but the idea of portraying such a strong woman is scary, because I've always struggled with owning my own strength. Being a plus-sized woman in this industry, and then being black on top of it, I'm afraid that I'll always be typecasted as the aggressive big black woman that scares men.
Taraji: Well for one, you're beautiful. And two, the only way someone can put you in a box is if you allow them to. After I did "Baby Boy", directors kept trying to stick me in ghetto fabulous roles that would never show my range or skill as an actor. I told them no, and I fought for the roles that I thought I deserved. If I would have allowed other people to control my career, I would have never booked The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Hidden Figures. I would have forever been known as that girl from Baby Boy.
I nodded my head, taking in every word that she spoke to me and storing them in my brain. She's so authentic and wise with the guidance that she's giving me. The only word I can use to describe how I feel is lucky. I'm in Taraji P. Henson's house, drinking Don Julio with her and getting a master class in acting from the queen herself.
Fantasia's POV
Listening to Danielle express her fears about bringing Sophia to life in a studio feature film inspired me to do the same. I was going to go deeper than I ever have with someone besides my husband, and I hoped that it would encourage Taraji to talk about whatever was torturing her in her mind.
Fantasia: What I like about Blitz's version is that Celie will be given an imagination to escape the things that hurt her. It wasn't like that when I played Celie on Broadway. I was stuck in her story, and it reminded me too much of my own. I was sexually assaulted in my childhood, and from then on as I got older, it was like my relationship with men could never be stable. It didn't matter if the man was a friend or a lover. It just never worked. Playing Celie on Broadway reminded me of everything that I thought I had pushed down.
A cold stillness fell over the room. The sound of Taraji gulping her tequila was the only noise. Even Danielle who is usually the source of comedic relief had nothing to say. Maybe I got too deep too fast, but if I'm going to build genuine friendships with these ladies, that means talking about the things that I typically can't talk about with other people. I was startled, but relieved when Taraji finally spoke up.
Taraji: You're not alone, baby.
Taraji held my hand, caressing my knuckles with her thumb. She had only said four words, but they were the only words I needed to hear.
Danielle: I say we make a toast to kicking fear in the ass!
Taraji: I second the motion.
We raised our nearly empty glasses, clicking them together. It felt like shockwaves of happiness passed through all three of us. I didn't get exactly what I wanted out of Taraji, but at least now we can have some actual fun.
Taraji's POV
It felt like Fantasia was looking at me the whole time she told her story about her struggles with portraying Celie. I silently thanked God when Danielle changed the subject with her toast, because the tension was starting to soak up all the oxygen in the room.
After a long night of playing fun drinking games, munching on the vegan and non-vegan pizzas that I made from scratch, and messing around in my salon, we decided to wind down with a movie night in the living room. About an hour into Set It Off, Danielle was knocked out with her head in Fantasia's lap. I was sitting on the other side of Fantasia. She was staring straight ahead at the projector, and I was trying to do the same, but I was distracted by how milky smooth her cocoa skin looked under the blue-white glow of the screen. I've always thought that her short haircut frames her pretty face so beautifully, and it draws attention to her cheekbones in the best way. These are just little things that friends notice about their friends. Her satin pajama shorts and matching spaghetti strap tank are making it really easy to see all of her tattoos. She's like a painting, the kind that artists never sell no matter how much money it would make because it's just too precious. When she turned her head, I snapped my head to the screen. She smiled and let out a small chuckle like she had caught me staring at her, but she didn't say a word about it. Thank God.
Fantasia: I watch this movie all the time. I've always felt this quiet sexual tension between Cleo and Frankie. I mean, Cleo's girlfriend was totally jealous of Frankie. It would have been hot if the writers played on that a little bit. Vivica was fine as hell in this movie.
Taraji: Don't you have a husband?
Fantasia: Yes, and he's fine as hell too, but that doesn't mean that I can't admire beautiful women.
I shrugged my shoulders, not being able to find it in myself to disagree with her. I've never thought much about other women in that sense. I'm close friends to some of the most beautiful women in the world, like Gabrielle Union and Megan Good, but I've never looked at them like that.
Fantasia: As a matter of fact, I'm sitting next to one right now.
Taraji:*blushes* So am I.
Fantasia: I really hope that Blitz keeps Celie and Shug's kissing scene in the movie. I already know it's going to be my favorite part.
Was she flirting with me? Was I flirting back? No, I'm tripping. She's married, and neither one of us are attracted to women. She's just trying to build up chemistry for our roles. That's the reason why her hand has been resting on my thigh the entire time we've been watching the movie.