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 Tiffany Haddish portrays
performer Emma who wins a lunch with the veteran
writer Charlie Burnz, despite not knowing who he
is. Despite some initial setbacks, a friendship
develops and she soon takes on an important role
as Burnz deals with the onset of dementia.
In a joint interview with Reuters, Crystal and
Haddish spoke about the comedy drama, released
in the United States on Friday.
Below are excerpts edited for length and
clarity.
Q: You have said you only choose projects that
make you feel things, what did this script make
you feel?
Haddish: "First of all Billy was telling me
about it and I was like, 'I’m in, it's you, you
ain't got to sell me on this'. And then I read
it and I was all the way in because my
grandmother is going through that now."
Q: How did you find the safe line in making a
film about dementia funny?
Crystal: "Having dealt with a relative who was
stricken with the same kind of onset that
Charlie has in a movie, I just wanted to be
respectful of that and respectful about those
who come in contact with him. It's a delicate
line and I think to find humour in it and make
it entertaining as well as emotional was the
journey."
Q: What was it like to direct again after 20
years?
Crystal: "You come to the set as a director, you
have to answer every question that everybody
has. So I was super prepared and super ready for
anything and relished the chance to tell a
story."
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 Q: In one scene Emma's
ex-boyfriend meets Charlie after a performance.
Did Billy allow you to improvise lots?
Haddish: "To be outside in the Meatpacking
District (in New York City) and singing in front
of a bunch of people and not being like goofy
and silly about it was so exhilarating and fun
and a little bit, I don't want to say nervous, I
was excited.
And just like 'oh, don't mess it up, but if you
mess up, just have fun with it anyway'. And
Billy let me loose and that was so great."
(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Writing by
Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alexandra
Hudson)
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