The skanner., February 02, 2011, Page 5, Image 5

Entertainment
Nia Long Talks About Her Role in 'Mooz-Lum'
Kam Williams,
Special to The Skanner News
N
itara Carlynn Long was born in
Brooklyn on October 30, 1970, but
was raised mostly in South Central
Los Angeles in the wake of her parents’
divorce.
The accomplished thespian of Trinidadian
extraction first found fame on TV on The
Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and she’s since
enjoyed recurring roles on such series as
Judging Amy (2001-2002), Third Watch
(2003-2005), Boston Legal (2007), Big
Shots (2007-2008) and, most recently, The
Cleveland Show (2009-present).
Her breakout performance on the silver
screen was in 1997 when she starred oppo-
site Larenz Tate in Love Jones. And her
resume’ includes outings in such films as
Are We There Yet, Are We Done Yet, The
Best Man, Boiler Room, Boyz ‘n the Hood,
Friday, Alfie, Soul Food, In Too Deep and
Big Momma’s House 1 & 2.
In 2000, People Magazine named the gor-
geous ingenue one of the World’s 50 Most
Beautiful People, and she also landed the #3
spot on Black Men Magazine’s 10 Sexiest
Women List. Later that same year, Nia had
a son, Massai, Doresy, Jr. who she is cur-
rently raising in L.A.
Here, she talks about her new movie,
Mooz-Lum, a dysfunctional family drama
where she plays Safiyah, the long-suffering
wife of an overbearing, religious zealot.
Kam Williams: Hi Nia, thanks so much
for the time.
Nia Long: No worries. How are you?
KW: I’m fine. I have a lot of questions for
you from my readers, so why don’t I launch
right into them.
NL: Absolutely! Why not?
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls
says: You've done an impressive body of
work covering comedic and dramatic roles.
What attracted you to the script about this
mother conflicted between her son and her
husband?
NL: Hmmm… That’s a good question. . I
just thought the film had so many wonder-
ful layers of the journey that women take
with motherhood. There’s no book out there
that tells you how to be a good parent. So
much of parenting is following your
instincts, and taking the time to actually
know your child. I’m raising a 10 year-old
boy, and my son in the film, Tariq [Evan
Ross] goes through the traditional growing
pains associated with transitioning from a
boy to a young man. When I read the script,
I immediately thought to myself, “Wow!
This is a really special movie. It’s entertain-
ing, it deals with a lot of social issues, and it
addresses practical parenting concerns that
everyone can relate to.”
KW: Irene adds: Did having a son your-
self help in portraying the mother in the
movie?
NL: Absolutely! The minute your child is
born, your life is changed forever. I think
I’ve become so aware of how important bal-
ance is in life. I have to constantly make
sure that it stays that way for myself and for
my son, because if I’m not emotionally
available for him it will impede his devel-
opment. Yet, if I don’t work, we’ll be living
in a cardboard box. So, that calls for a
tremendous amount of balancing constantly.
Therefore, working on this film, I under-
stood Safiyah’s search to balance being a
devout Muslim woman with allowing her
child his natural curiosity and desire to
explore in life.
KW: Felicia Haney asks: What were your
feelings about Islam before taking the role
and after the film wrapped?
NL: When I was a young girl, my mother
traveled to Abu Dhabi, which is a Muslim
country. When she returned home, she
taught me a lot about Islam. So, I was
already familiar with the religion’s basic
teachings. But in preparation for this role, I
definitely got to experience Islam on a
much more intimate level. The one thing
that stands out in my mind is the commit-
ment Muslim women make to each other.
They are so supportive and so loving, and
they do everything together. It’s really all
about family, and I like that, because I’m a
family-oriented person. I believe that what-
ever your religious preference, there has to
be a commitment to family because every-
thing really does start there. Hopefully, this
film will help to eliminate stereotypes,
because Muslim women are misunderstood.
They’re strong, beautiful, classic, contem-
porary and so much more
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman says:
Here in France, especially in Marseilles
where I was for dinner this evening, the
issue of women wearing chadors in public
institutions has been hotly debated and leg-
islated over. As a child, you attended
Catholic school where I suppose you had to
wear a uniform. How did that experience
influence your performance as a Muslim
woman wearing a head-wrap? Were you
more sensitized to a group of people who
wish to acknowledge their religion in an
overtly public way?
NL: Hmm… My son goes to a Catholic
school where he has to wear a uniform. I
attended a Catholic school where I had to,
too. I think it’s a beautiful thing when you
wear a uniform or a garb which represents a
group of people, because what it immedi-
ately symbolizes is oneness, togetherness. I
believe everyone should have the freedom
to represent what they believe-in in their
own way.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks:
What is your favorite scene in Mooz-Lum?
NL: I’d say the pivotal scene where I
notice the scars on Tariq’s back.
KW: Patricia also wants to know whether
there’s a novel that you would like to see
turned into a movie and also star in? And
which African-American icon would you
love to portray in a film?
NL: There’s a novel I just read called
Queen Pin that I’ve been talking to the
author about optioning. I encourage every-
one to read it. It’s a great story. As for an
African-American icon, I was very interest-
ed in portraying Nina Simone until I heard
that Mary J. Blige is doing it. I’m sure she’ll
do the role more justice, because I am not a
singer. I just think Nina was a very mysteri-
ous woman, and a trailblazer who came
along at such an important time in our his-
tory. She did it her way, and she has one of
the most unique voices in jazz history.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: Does being
See MOOZ-LUM on page 6
February 2, 2011 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 5