What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, â┚¬Å”Drink your juice, Shelbyâ┚¬ÂÂ? Sally Field fussing over Julia Roberts in the 1989 Southern comedic tearjerker Steel Magnolias?
The new remake, airing Oct. 7 on Lifetime, updates the story and features a stellar cast of African-American actresses. Like the original, this version of Steel Magnolias is about sisterhood, but it's also about sistahood.
Queen Latifah, who has developed into a natural actress, gives the performance of her career. Screenwriter Sally Robinson's update of Robert Harling's original play is respectful, and doesn't shy away from the very funny gay content.
The executive producers of this inspired remake, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, are the gay geniuses behind the wildly successful movie versions of Hairspray and Chicago, and the TV redo of Gypsy featuring Bette Midler. Meron and Zadan recently received the Visionary Award from the Outfest Legacy Project. They were eager to talk about Steel Magnolias and other projects.
WATERMARK: How did the idea of remaking Steel Magnolias with an African-American cast come about?
NEIL MERON: A couple years ago Craig and I were talking about things that we wanted to do, and what were some great roles for women. Our conversation naturally went to Steel Magnolias, but we thought the only way we could really tackle it was if we could bring something new to it. The original was brilliant. And we felt that if we could bring together a remarkable group of actors that would justify proceeding. So it comes out of our love for great actors and for pieces that showcase their talent. Hopefully we'll touch a lot of people.
CRAIG ZADAN: We know Robert Harling, who wrote the original play and the original screenplay for the first movie. Robert said it was always his fantasy to have Steel Magnolias done, again, with an all black cast and set it in a black town in the South.
Were there concerns about remaking such an iconic movie?
NM: You only remake a movie if you have something new to say, if you can maybe broaden the universality of it. We felt that by hiring the actors that we did, we had something new to say that enhanced what was already a great piece.
CZ: It's very important to us that Robert Harling, who created it, did not say to us, â┚¬Å”Oh, please don't do that.â┚¬Â He was excited see an all black versionâ┚¬â€Âhe really wanted us to do it. Those characters and that story are based on his own life. But we're not competing with the original version. It's the same with Broadway revivals. Gypsy was done with Ethel Merman originally, but look how many Gypsys have been done on Broadway since, and with so many brilliant stars. Each has received acclaim, and for different reasons. When you have a classic, usually there's no reason not to try it a different way.
Queen Latifah plays M'Lynn, the role originated on screen by Sally Field. She gives an amazing performance that will surprise many peopleâ┚¬â€Âit has Emmy and Golden Globe written all over it. Did working with her in the past impact your decision to cast her in Steel Magnolias?
NM: A lot of the success in projects like this is due to casting. Queen Latifah had the strength, the dignity and the acting chops to really anchor this new production of Steel Magnolias, and to redefine it. So you start with Queen Latifah and build everything around her.
CZ: We had magnificent experiences working with her on Chicago and Hairspray. They were two of the best films she's ever doneâ┚¬â€Âand that we've ever doneâ┚¬â€Âand we thought we'd love to have that experience a third time together as a team. She understood how passionate we were about doing the piece and about her being in it, and she said â┚¬Ëœyes' immediately. And we agree with you. She's given wonderful performances in the past, but nothing that she's done can prepare the audience for the depth of the performance she gives in Steel Magnolias.
From the Steel Magnolias cast, you also worked with Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun) and Brandy (Cinderella, Double Platinum, Drop Dead Diva). Does that help with an ambitious project like this?
NM: We love to work with the same actors because you have a shorthand, and you know they can deliver. It's more like a family. When you work with friends who are incredibly talented and who enjoy working with one another, it creates a wonderful environment that spreads throughout the whole production.
CZ: We do it a lot. We did three movies with Judy Davisâ┚¬Â¦
NM: Several TV movies with Barbra Streisand, Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garberâ┚¬Â¦
CZ: It's ridiculous how many times we've worked with him.
Steel Magnolias also stars two younger actresses, Adepero Oduye and Condola Rashad, Phylicia's daughter. What are the challenges, and rewards, in casting young talent?
NM: {art of the satisfaction of being a producer is being able to introduce new talent. Craig and I spotted Condola in a Broadway show, Stick Fly. She's the only person that we wanted to play Shelby. We knew about Adepero from Pariah, of course. She auditioned, and it was so spectacular and special that we knew she needed to be in the movie. It's satisfying to have incredibly gifted, talented stars deliver in ways that may redefine them, but at the same time it's incredibly satisfying to put new people into the mix and introduce them.
Even though your movies, Chicago and Hairspray, were big successes, the majority of your production work has been in TV. Do you like working in TV more?
CZ: I don't think we have a preference. We started with the theater and Broadway, and then we wanted to take that to every single medium. So we might produce a feature film then go to television and then a Broadway showâ┚¬â€Âjust going from medium to medium. It allows you to flex different muscles. There is no similarity between making a feature film and a TV movie, or a TV series, or a Broadway show. They all require such radically different skills as a producer. So we never get bored, never get tired, never get cynical, never feel like we've done that a million times. It keeps us fresh and it keeps us curious and it keeps us interested.
A number of your projects have dealt with gay characters or gay subject matter. How important is that to you?
NM: It's incredibly important, because you like to have your work reflect parts of who you are. As gay men, it's kind of an imperative.
CZ: We've learned the power of entertainment. You can stand on a soap box and give speeches all you want. A lot of people tune out what you have to say. But when you do pieces like Serving in Silence, Wedding Wars, It's All Relative, What Makes a Family, Smash or Drop Dead Diva, you're welcomed into peoples' living rooms. And while you're entertaining them, they're also learning. Wedding Wars is a good example. We were the first people to make a movie about gay marriage, but rather than advocate we decided to do a romantic comedy. We decided that would be the best way to approach it because it was so fun and so entertaining and so charming. Audiences would have a wonderful time without even realizing that we were also trying to make a point about marriage equality. By the end of the movie you can't help feeling, â┚¬Å”Wowâ┚¬Â¦ what's the big deal?â┚¬ÂÂ
What's next for you guys?
CZ: We're producing the 2013 Academy Awards.
NM: And season two of Smash.
