0:00
wow man that's a clip from a very
0:02
powerful movie really interesting movie
0:04
as well um starring directed written by
0:10
for edited produced by my brother our
0:15
good friend the one and only Jesse Smlet
0:17
is here what's up baby and then I'm I
0:21
love you Tracy i see you girl i love you
0:25
okay i love you all right okay a lot of
0:29
love going on back and forth and we have
0:32
a cultural phenomenon with us today um
0:36
who's done it all and has been in the
0:40
not only the uh the soundtrack of our
0:42
lives but what we've watched over the
0:45
different eras has always represented
0:47
herself on a high level opening many
0:50
doors an NAACP Image Award winner a
0:53
Trumpet Award winner a movie award
0:55
nominee a BET comedy award nominee
0:58
inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of
1:00
Fame ladies and gentlemen
1:03
just keep on going ladies and
1:06
gentlemen from Independence Day to set
1:09
it off the soul fool to kill Bill the
1:11
two could play that game the missing to
1:13
empire where all three of us start
1:15
that's right that's right all three of
1:17
us start please welcome the one and only
1:26
Vivica hey hey y'all hey yes only to
1:30
tell you my brothers thank you for
1:32
opening up that vault to remind the
1:34
children oh I got to you i was hoping
1:36
you would be here today cuz I was going
1:38
to do it even better oh next time next
1:42
time next time i didn't know you you was
1:44
on the West Coast wow yeah I'm West
1:46
Coast for a while you know but we go
1:48
back and forth Vivica i'm I'm Planet
1:50
Earth i'm Planet Earth i claim it all
1:52
that's right but you okay every day you
1:54
hustling you okay i'm not mad at you but
1:57
I was watching the Lost Holiday by the
1:58
way every day we h Every day I'm
2:00
hustling is uh her bestselling book by
2:02
Viva i know i say how she did that she
2:04
did that that was smooth as a
2:06
that's the That's some
2:08
Oprah Winfrey stuff like yes go on but
2:12
Vivica I was watching this I was
2:14
watching the screening of the movie last
2:16
night and you know soon as you hit the
2:21
uh you you just you have such a
2:23
commanding presence and just watching
2:25
you in that first instant reminded me of
2:28
how long I've watched you and how long
2:31
you kept this this high bar for what is
2:34
what is it that you do as an actress as
2:36
a and I wanted to say salute i was
2:39
watching this going "Damn it Vivica." I
2:41
might take it for we might take it for
2:43
granted because we've seen you do so
2:45
much you know what I mean we expect to
2:47
see you right but watching you in this
2:50
screener I wanted to say "Yo you're
2:54
and congratulations so thank you i
2:56
appreciate that i'm so grateful to my
2:59
nephew i I know everybody you know we go
3:02
back like Kool-Aid i've known Jesse
3:04
since he was 8 years old oh wow and yeah
3:07
we've known each other forever i like
3:09
grew up with them to be very honest with
3:11
you i I met them with their mom Janet we
3:14
used to always see each others at other
3:16
at auditions and everything and and uh
3:20
to have him be my director cuz we worked
3:22
on Empire together and I was the one
3:24
that said calling him nephew on screen
3:26
so when he called me about The Lost
3:28
Holiday he's like "I need you i I can't
3:31
make this without you you are my first
3:33
and only choice." I said "Well let's do
3:35
it." But he said "Well you need to read
3:36
read the script." I said "No I know if
3:39
you say you need me I'm there." And I
3:42
had a blast playing Cassandra and that
3:44
first time that you see me on the screen
3:46
it warmed my heart cuz we were in
3:48
limited release and we went everywhere
3:49
we were in all the film festivals and
3:51
every time I came on camera that first
3:54
everybody clapped and my heart just
3:55
melted i was like "Y'all love me y'all
3:58
get me." Okay people love you we all
4:01
adore you you know there's a and this
4:03
might be a little spoiler but given the
4:05
love and the relationship you have with
4:07
Jesse there's a scene in the movie where
4:09
you pretty much do something I always
4:15
you so raggedy you raggedy so raggedy
4:19
this is why I hate it here and I try to
4:20
quit every day Vivica and Jesse and he
4:25
you You slapped the out of him you
4:27
know Viva I I wanted to know was that
4:31
was that acting or or did you actually
4:33
make contact oh no i made contact he
4:35
said "Slap me." I brought tears to his
4:38
eyes didn't I just y'all she slapped the
4:41
tear out of my eye like if the tear the
4:45
tear the tear was at was on my eyelid it
4:49
was not going to fall she slapped the
4:52
hell out of me so hard that it literally
4:54
you know gave me a better acting moment
4:56
though you know what I'm saying y'all
4:58
you have been slapped by the best of
4:59
them i have my face has met the most
5:04
incredible palms in this business from
5:07
Vivica a Fox to Taraji Pensen these
5:10
palms that hit this face bro you can't
5:12
even slap this face bro you can't you
5:14
can't even sit with them but it was a
5:17
great moment too cuz I saw tears
5:19
swelling up in your eyes as you was
5:20
doing your lines i was like "Yo he's
5:22
showing off." And then all of a sudden
5:24
she slapped you um you know what it is
5:26
though is that Viv is Vivica is the
5:29
Vivica A fox and all and what we wanted
5:32
to do is and and I so love what you said
5:34
Sway is that we do start to take it for
5:36
granted because she works so much and
5:39
she's on so many things that she's
5:41
become almost in in some instances
5:43
bigger than her talent you know what I
5:45
mean where it's like she's not just
5:47
she's not just an actor any longer she's
5:49
Vivica A fox and the thing that we
5:51
wanted to do with this film is we did
5:53
not want to just make a film that Vivica
5:54
A fox was in we wanted to make a great
5:56
Vivica A fox film and there is a
5:58
difference and so when she sat in the in
6:00
the screenings and you know every single
6:03
time this this this queen is is crying
6:06
on her own movie you know watching it
6:09
and then she got every straight every
6:12
single time and she got up there and she
6:13
said something she said you know it's
6:14
the gives her the same feeling that she
6:16
had when she first watched Soul Food and
6:18
being that you know obviously that film
6:21
and and films like that and Still
6:22
Magnolia are really the films that in
6:24
influenced and inspired this film that's
6:27
a huge huge huge thing there was nobody
6:30
when I first wrote the Bible for this
6:31
film nine years ago there was
6:34
nobody that could have played this the
6:36
character was not named Cassandra she
6:38
was named Vivica it was named Viv
6:40
because and obviously we weren't going
6:42
to name the character Viv but we but we
6:44
I put the character as Viv because to me
6:47
there was nobody that could do the
6:48
character except for her so to be able
6:50
to see this coming out now on streaming
6:53
is wild to me that she is Cassandra and
6:55
she killed it absolutely vivica we got a
6:58
caller on the line named Tara from
7:00
Dallas who wanted to chime in tara go
7:02
ahead tara hey Tara hey Tara morning
7:05
everyone good morning
7:07
good morning love wanted to say that I
7:09
love you so much thank you so much and
7:12
you inspires me so much thank you that's
7:16
what I'm supposed to do my idol is Pam
7:18
Greer and that's exactly what she told
7:21
me I am to do i am to inspire enlighten
7:23
and encourage you so thank you thank you
7:26
for your call Tara thank you the Lost
7:29
Holiday um is a movie I think all
7:32
families uh should watch for a couple
7:34
reasons you you tap into a just a lot of
7:38
topics that people don't talk about out
7:40
loud you know um especially samesex
7:45
um gun violence um the ability to adopt
7:52
when you in a samesex relationship and
7:55
the dynamic between the family members
7:58
the mother-in-laws the father-in-laws
8:00
the whole nine i feel like this is
8:02
actually a good it's almost like a
8:05
education for people it's like a
8:07
blueprint for people um who in their
8:11
families have people who are um in the
8:14
LGBTQ plus community and you better say
8:17
that right you better say that right
8:20
come on come on we are evolved people
8:24
playing with me uh but but folks don't
8:27
know how to act or what to do under
8:30
those circumstances and a lot of times
8:32
we're indoctrinated with a lot of
8:33
ignorance and um so Jesse when you wrote
8:37
this uh what what what was your purpose
8:40
i mean the purpose was I I co-wrote it
8:42
first of all with the great Jerel Chzn
8:43
who's one of my dear friends um you know
8:46
the purpose was really honestly it was a
8:50
it started off as a love letter to my
8:51
mother okay because my mother in the 70s
8:54
80s you know marrying into as a black
8:56
woman marrying into a non-black family
8:58
wasn't always easy for her to navigate
9:00
that and the things that she dealt with
9:02
and that I grew up hearing I did not
9:04
witness it because it was you know my
9:06
father and my grandmother his mother
9:09
were estranged for a long time and you
9:12
know seeing seeing the way that it
9:14
wasn't until my father passed away a
9:16
decade ago that my mother somehow
9:19
reached out and started to bond with my
9:22
grandmother we never called my
9:24
grandmother grandmother it was always we
9:25
did not know her and it wasn't until
9:28
then and that kind of helped me that
9:30
helped me deal with the loss of my
9:32
father and kind of making peace with him
9:35
from the other side you know um for the
9:38
things that I had not dealt with but it
9:39
was inspiring to see her grace to see
9:41
her forgiveness and we've all had to
9:44
give grace and give and forgive people
9:46
we've all had to ask for grace and ask
9:48
for forgiveness as well so to put that
9:50
in the realm of the the world that I
9:53
know which is you know a man loving a
9:55
man is is really interesting because we
9:57
see all of these all of these dynamics
9:59
and I just want you know I'm the first
10:02
one to speak out and and be like "Hey
10:04
that's wrong that person is ignorant
10:06
that person is this that person is
10:07
that." But at the same time there are
10:09
some situations where we got to give
10:10
people grace we got to give people grace
10:12
for simply not understanding and I think
10:14
especially for for our elders for you
10:18
know the the people that came before us
10:20
you can't un you can't make you can't
10:22
expect for them to understand something
10:24
that has not yet been explained to them
10:27
so it doesn't mean that it it gives no
10:29
excuse or any any understanding to
10:32
people that are spewing hate we're not
10:34
talking about that but we're talking
10:35
about the fact that usually with our
10:37
within our community people are not on
10:39
the front lines of marches yelling you
10:41
know saying the f-word about gay people
10:43
or or you know trying to do all of that
10:45
type of stuff but it's just this it
10:47
truly is an unintentional ignorance that
10:51
we just don't know and so to me again
10:54
I'm not a pastor i'm not a preacher i
10:55
respect the people of the cloth but at
10:57
the same time it's like my job is not to
11:00
preach to people so it's just to hold up
11:02
a mirror and whatever whatever y'all get
11:04
from it whatever I get from it is what
11:06
y'all get from it but who are you
11:08
identifying with cassandra is to me kind
11:11
of the the the perfect example of
11:14
somebody that you think one thing you
11:17
think that she has certain beliefs but
11:19
it's not actually she just has these
11:21
tiny like these microaggressions of of
11:25
slight homophobia that is that is not so
11:28
obvious to pinpoint but it's got to be
11:30
caught you know what I mean and if I can
11:33
jump in there real quick I I'd say my
11:35
character and and the story of the lost
11:38
holiday is a story a dramdy of discovery
11:43
rejection acceptance love and family
11:47
literally in that order yeah yeah
11:50
absolutely and what we see is is that
11:52
Cassandra comes to look the pendulum
11:54
always has to swing all the way to the
11:56
left all the way to the right in order
11:57
to find its way to the center and by the
11:59
time that we get to the end of this film
12:01
we are not we haven't figured everything
12:03
out but at least we found our way to the
12:05
center of trying to figure things out
12:07
trying to get to know each other we're
12:09
in a world where we keep talking at each
12:12
other and if we took a little time to
12:14
talk to each other get to know what the
12:16
backstory is to somebody's life without
12:19
all these preconceived notions I
12:20
guarantee we would be in a better place
12:22
jesse Smlet Lab Viva Fox are here we're
12:25
talking about the lost holiday bro you
12:27
look way more refined in person than you
12:29
do in that film you know what i look
12:31
raggedy as hell didn't I i had I had my
12:34
dad vibe i had Jason is going through it
12:38
okay jason is going through it jason is
12:40
a widowerower jason is trying to raise
12:42
this baby trying to go trying to finish
12:44
the adoption and then here come crazy
12:46
Cassandra you know what I mean that want
12:49
to turn the whole world upside down but
12:51
what kind of research did you get from
12:53
Jason i mean I would imagine that there
12:55
are a lot of uh gay men who deal with
12:57
the same you know adversities what kind
12:59
of research did you have to do well I
13:01
started dating men okay
13:04
you were serious about that film okay
13:06
wait we're getting serious right now the
13:10
you went all in for this one
13:13
but I did true true research but can I
13:16
tell you something that was lovely we
13:17
had at some of our so many of the
13:19
screenings actual gay men that are going
13:21
through adoption saying that this film
13:24
just touched their heart i mean people
13:26
was crying booing and it's just I I ask
13:30
everyone tomorrow we come out on Prime
13:32
y'all to just you know look at this
13:35
story if you want to see some good
13:36
acting if you want to laugh you want to
13:38
cry you want to open your heart to
13:40
discovery The Lost Holiday is a film for
13:43
you absolutely it's on Amazon that's on
13:46
Prime Video that's right that's right
13:48
yeah prime Video that's what I wanted to
13:50
say to Vivica and Jess like
13:51
congratulations because if people know
13:54
this route where you have to at first he
13:56
said nine years ago you you have the
13:58
Bible just starting with the idea
14:02
yeah it's a process bro the waiting the
14:05
waiting and we spoke about that this
14:06
morning for Good News Thursday giving
14:08
glory to God for keeping us while we
14:10
wait you know what I mean like it's it's
14:14
it's cuz you can get distracted you can
14:16
get frustrated it's all the things i'm a
14:17
very impatient person you know see and
14:20
that throws us out of our alignment at
14:22
times because it's so easy to you know
14:24
it's easy and we have to recognize that
14:27
people who are placed by the enemy to
14:29
even make us impatient you talking right
14:31
you talking right cous no you know what
14:33
I'm saying so all of that go ahead can
14:36
we give a shout out because women black
14:40
women really got this film done
14:42
absolutely jesse our executive producer
14:45
Mona Scott Tresa Small yes yes yes
14:50
you know what you know what let me jump
14:52
in on that please because because Vivica
14:55
is one of those black women who got this
14:57
done true there is Vivica A fox there is
15:00
Mona Scott Young there is Tresa
15:01
Smallwood my mother Janet is an
15:03
executive producer sheila Lette sheila
15:06
Leette um there are so many incredible
15:08
women but I have got to equally as
15:12
Vivica you got to show love to Mona and
15:14
Trusta because Mona first of all Mona
15:16
came and loved on me at a time when
15:18
wasn't a lot of people loving on me and
15:20
she's the one she's the one that came
15:22
and jumped on B Boy Blues which was my
15:24
first feature film that the great
15:25
Heather B starred in
15:28
i Okay okay mic drop thank you got her
15:32
that sister's job right oh hey come on
15:35
we talked we talked we talked but but
15:37
but Mona literally physically walked
15:39
this movie into into BET Plus and then
15:43
was a part of The Lost Holiday from the
15:46
ground up she brought in Tresa Smallwood
15:48
from Megamind tresa had been Tresa is
15:50
the one that uh that got Vivica to do
15:52
her directorial debut on BMF oh okay and
15:56
and and so it was it was all of these I
15:59
mean look my whole anybody that knows me
16:01
y'all know me well knows that black
16:03
women have been particularly have been
16:05
the ones to guide me to to to to hold me
16:08
up in the times that it was the most
16:10
difficult show me that I'm loved even
16:12
when the world is saying that you're not
16:13
worth love and so to do this and to get
16:16
this to the finish line is the the all
16:20
when I tell you my whole mission is to
16:23
do this to pay them back and I'm not
16:24
talking about in in financial in
16:27
monetary um uh in a monetary way but is
16:30
to pay them back just to simply show
16:32
them how grateful I am for them
16:34
believing in me when they didn't have to
16:37
you know what I'm saying like they're
16:38
set they their their world is they're
16:40
great they doing it they're legends in
16:42
this game so for them to take the time
16:44
and to put themselves out there and just
16:46
and just bring it home I'll never forget
16:48
it that's why that's why I wanted to say
16:50
congratulations because some of us
16:52
understand that process and it it's
16:55
tough and so to see it as y'all put it
16:57
you in the finish line and tomorrow you
17:00
can say go to Amazon Prime like and it's
17:03
yours you know like that's a huge
17:05
accomplishment you guys congratulations
17:07
for real thank you so much and then then
17:09
it's ironic that it's coming to Prime
17:11
Video Mother's Day this
17:13
weekend that alignment alignment
17:16
alignment yes what is it like uh because
17:19
um B Boy Blues that was your first one
17:22
right back in 2021 feature film and both
17:25
you two Viva A Fox the magnificent
17:28
wonderful icon that you are and Heather
17:31
B the magnificent wonderful icon that
17:33
you are had a chance to work with this
17:35
director like but but you know like he's
17:38
your family he's your nephew cuz cuz can
17:41
I share my experience Vivica this way
17:43
your non-female experience go ahead
17:45
because he he he wrote me a part in a
17:48
movie that ain't came out yet hasn't
17:49
come out yet yeah yeah okay and it was
17:52
traumatizing for me because Vivic
17:56
because he took advantage of our
17:59
brotherhood and he was just forcing me
18:01
to just say lines I wasn't comfortable
18:03
saying oh okay he didn't give me a lot
18:06
of I'm not an actor Vivica and he
18:08
wouldn't give me a lot of takes he was
18:09
just bum bong bong he's fast as hell and
18:13
that was my experience can y'all share
18:15
yours go Viva you first well I must tell
18:18
you that I am a co-producer of the film
18:20
as well okay so an executive producer
18:23
baby thank you thank you co-executive
18:25
producer i was cracking the whip to be
18:28
very honest with you we made this film
18:29
in 11 days oh yeah i mean we did B
18:32
Boy We did B Boy in 11 also what about
18:36
our film how long that take that took
18:41
that's Tyler Perry energy wait wait hold
18:43
on i hate y'all the one with me and Sway
18:45
was half an hour ours was almost two
18:47
hours it's different like what are we
18:52
so I to be very honest with you Jesse
18:54
loved working with me because I had a
18:56
certain way that I would call his call
18:58
him that he would know I wasn't playing
18:59
and it would usually be nephew and he
19:02
would be like "Yes." And I said "Come on
19:04
we got to go i I don't want to lose we
19:05
can't we got to make our day." Because I
19:07
didn't want to lose scenes because as
19:09
far as I was concerned every scene was
19:11
important so you know me being a
19:13
co-producer as well I was in there
19:15
cracking the whip but I would go to him
19:17
with with creative ideas and he always
19:20
accepted and listened you know what I
19:22
mean so he it was really a team effort
19:24
it really was and we got it done and
19:27
even with editing and music and
19:29
everything I'm always I always got
19:31
something to say wow viv you are such a
19:32
professional thank you for having such a
19:34
professional outlook on this Sway
19:36
instead of what Sway did i'm just being
19:38
real i'm speaking my truth icon wow
19:41
only they're over there having a selfish
19:46
moment you can't be that way sway and
19:51
when you when you're doing a a a
19:53
production it's not just about you baby
19:55
i know you felt that way that day i
19:57
think he's used to all of the all of the
20:00
He's used to all of the walls saying
20:04
so you know he's like "What's going on
20:06
in Sway?" Universe right what about for
20:09
you y'all let me just tell y'all
20:11
something that just happened we have a
20:13
new pope oh we have breaking news
20:15
breaking news breaking news breaking
20:17
news the white smoke just came up out of
20:19
the chimney did they make the
20:21
announcement who it is no they haven't
20:22
no but the white smoke means that a
20:25
decision was made thank you Vivica for
20:26
that citizens you can turn breaking news
20:30
channel 116 we'll be covering that live
20:32
here at Siri XM so for me Sway and Viv
20:34
it was totally different with B Boy
20:36
Blues jesse called me because he needed
20:38
a female radio voice a New York female
20:40
radio voice to be a to be a voice over
20:43
you know someone turned the radio on and
20:45
so he said "I'm just going to send you"
20:47
He said "Do it through a a phone." And
20:49
and that's it it was one line so he said
20:51
"I'll send you the script anyway i'll
20:53
send you the script anyway cuz I just
20:55
want you to read it." And I read the
20:57
script and I was like "Oh my gosh this
20:59
is incredible." Because I knew the book
21:01
B Boy Blues um something happened with
21:04
the other actresses and he asked me if I
21:07
would just come in and do a screen test
21:09
do a do a read and did it and two days
21:12
later he called me and said "Come over
21:14
to my house." So Susette and I Uzi
21:16
Kelani's mom we came over to he was like
21:19
"Congratulations Aunt Ruth you got the
21:21
role." I was like "What are you talking
21:23
about?" He was like "Yo your screen test
21:25
was so fire we just wanted you to be a
21:28
part of this film." And the rest was
21:31
history jesse called me a couple years
21:34
back um and just was like "Yo I have a
21:37
text message for you." And forwarded
21:39
what Tyler Perry comments were about the
21:42
film and that's how Sisters came about
21:44
how I was on the red carpet y'all i was
21:47
on the red carpet of the BET Awards and
21:50
I got a text message from that brother
21:52
and he's like "Who is Aunt Ruth?" I said
21:56
"It's the legendary Heather B." He's
21:57
like "That's Heather B." And I was like
21:58
"Yeah that's Heather B." And he's just
22:01
raving about her performance and I was
22:03
like "Can I let her know this?" He's
22:04
like "Yeah let her know." I was on the
22:06
carpet about to go on they're like "You
22:08
got to go on you got to go on." I was
22:09
like "I got to call up Heather real
22:10
quick." You handle your projects your
22:13
work your art your family your extended
22:15
friends with love and I think that's
22:17
what we all listen and I do my best
22:20
because some children don't deserve it
22:22
but hey but I do No listen i do try to
22:28
surround myself with peace love and to
22:30
be as positive as possible but I will
22:33
say that in my life right now I am
22:35
really learning to protect my peace
22:37
there you go and that's been hard it's
22:40
been hard to have like a little bit
22:42
seasons of shedding but I am in the most
22:44
happiest peaceful place I've ever been
22:47
wow and you deserve it fox give her a
22:50
round of applause jesse Smlette you're a
22:52
genius tomorrow y'all yes
22:55
congratulations friday let's just say
22:57
Friday May 9th Amazon Prime Video this
23:00
is one for the family to sit and watch
23:02
especially in our community it's called
23:04
Get Educated the Lost
23:07
Holiday got no plans for Mother's Day
23:09
y'all got plans now there you go man
23:11
congratulations brother always love
23:14
always love before we go man thank you
23:17
for always you Heather B always being so
23:21
supportive i love y'all god bless y'all
23:24
and keep on making it do what it do you
23:26
already know can I just give a quick
23:27
shout out to the music in this film
23:29
really quick there's music in this film
23:32
and it and and our incredible cast you
23:34
know along with the great Vivica A Fox
23:36
we have Jabari Red we have London Carter
23:38
we have Maris Van Britney Britney Hall
23:40
Miriam Aheimman uh Leslie David Baker
23:43
from the office y'all know as Stanley in
23:45
the office um just Gina Bellfonte just
23:48
incredible memphis Cade incredible
23:50
artist and then for the music we got BB
23:52
Bearded who did the score my brother
23:54
producer David Au is here we have so
23:56
many great artists um Melody Ray and
23:58
Tone Stiffith and and uh uh uh uh Miriam
24:01
is on it robin Hood just amazing amazing
24:04
artist so just thank you thank you thank
24:06
you to everyone and you know this is my
24:08
family so I just want to take the time
24:09
and just thank y'all thank you man happy
24:11
Mother's Day happy Mother's Day
24:13
everything's have a great weekend okay
24:15
we love you all right love you babe do
24:18
me a favor to send my love to your mom
24:20
okay i remember you introduced me to it
24:23
man i'll never forget that day tell us
24:25
in my And then and then your entire
24:26
family your your brother did some
24:28
editing on it who jake was one of the
24:30
editors right yeah yeah yeah this is a
24:32
family crazy family affair you know what
24:34
I mean like we just it was it just is so
24:37
yeah Jake was the editor jake edited all
24:39
of my trailers and and everything like
24:41
that so man listen they did my whole
24:43
backyard over remember I did their show
24:45
yeah that's right they bypassed me no
24:48
they was trying to do your place they
24:50
was trying to do your place still got
24:52
the place living by design
24:56
smlet thank you man we want to thank all