Demetrius Grosse, Shamier Anderson, and filmmaker Alfons Adetuyi joined the panel for a private screening of “Love Jacked” at iPic Theater in Seaport, NY.
During an impromptu trip to Africa, Maya (Amber Stevens West) meets Mtumbie (Demetrius Grosse) and become engaged overseas. In just a few short weeks, she relays the message to her father who plainly disagrees with her decision.
When Maya catches Mtumbie with another woman, she breaks up with him but still allows her father to think that the two will be married.
She meets a scammer named Malcolm (Shamier Anderson) whom she convinces to act as the man she was supposed to marry, in an effort to fool her family.
The two are tied by one big lie, each after their own advantage as Malcolm is on the run from his old scamming partner, Tyrell (Lyriq Bent).
Landmark Cinemas
The Knockturnal: How did you prepare for your role in this film?
Shamier Anderson: I watched a lot of Eddie Murphy, a lot of Kevin Hart, and I actually had a dialect coach who was able to help me out with prepping and understanding the culture, the roots, how it all works and understanding the foundation of the character.
Demetrius Grosse: I just locked myself into a closet and I learned the lines. Before I got a chance to meet Alfons and see if I was going to be able to do the movie, [because] we only get one day, I just had to lock myself in the room. I listened to Lady Blacksmith Mambazo, it was one of the tracks that you hear in the film. So I listened to that. And that was in Coming to America. And [watched performances] on the shores of Cape Town.
The Knockturnal: What was your favorite scene to watch being filmed?
Alfons Adetuyi: I would say the end scene. That was like an eight-minute run down that we had. We did it like a play. We just let the cameras go. And there were different kinds of motions in there, too.
The Knockturnal: What do you hope viewers will take away from the film?
Demetrius Grosse: I think the moral of the film is that there is a certain fate to love. And the truth comes out. Robert really wrote an intricate and masterful script when you talk about storytelling! Because you [can] see through all the twists and turns and how these two (Malcolm and Maya) were meant to be together.
Love Jacked will hit theaters on October 26.
