Despite having gone through an actual divorce two years ago from ex-hubby and Vice President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences DeVon Franklin—Meagan Good is channeling that experience in addition to her longstanding acting career to bring an empowering message to her forthcoming film, Divorce in the Black.
Starring opposite Cory Hardrict (who also finalized his divorce from Tia Mowry two years ago), the upcoming feature follows Ava, a young bank professional who becomes devastated when her husband Dallas decides to abandon their marriage. Determined to fight for it, it’s not until fate intervenes—revealing Dallas’ wicked deeds that have trashed their marriage and once upon a time sabotaged Ava’s destiny to be loved by her true soulmate—that she embarks on a quest to right the wrongs and redefine who she is in the process.
The film is directed by Tyler Perry whom, and marks the first time that they’ve collaborated. Speaking to The Root at Essencefest and ahead of the film’s release on Prime Video on July 11, Good shared how her experience working with Perry made her tap into a different side of her that she wasn’t used to.
“First of all, Tyler Perry is genius and he’s an angel and just a sweet spirit. And so much fun to work with. Because he knows exactly what he wants, but he also allows you to authentically bring what you bring,” she said while at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival. “I’m the type of person where I hate for someone to know if they got under my skin. I’d be like, ‘OK girl, sure you right!’ But, he was saying ‘yes, while that may be the reaction: what if it was just completely laid raw and vulnerable? And how do you feel in this moment?’”
Good continued:
And, it was really cool because I was able to just kind of go somewhere that I haven’t gone before with that challenge. At first, it felt weird because it was so different than how I would approach something to protect myself, per se. But with this, it was like it brought something different out of me. And I was really, really happy with the finished product. And when I saw it, I think that you’ll see some different sides, different things as you do in all characters, but also just for me, period. That’s growth.
And while the Harlem star admitted to not being able to 100 percent relate to the issues that her character Ava had gone through (thankfully), she was able to tap into the stories and experiences of those closest to her and extract from her own life to figure out how to turn Ava’s sad story into one of empowerment.
“I haven’t experienced all of what Ava was going through. But just having character studies, having friends that have been through that kind of thing, and just trying to be as honest as possible and as authentic as possible,” she said.
Also tapping into situations regarding friendships, like when a friend disappoints you, lets you down or does something you’d never think they’d do to you, also helped her understand Ava’s character.
All of these experiences, regardless how painful, can be empowering, Good said, adding: “I believe life comes in acts. And if you come through your first act, get ready for your second act because it’s going to be incredible and it’s your choice how you choose to look at it.”
Divorce in the Black streams on Prime Video on July 11.