Chatting with the Cast of the Single Moms Club

The Single Moms Club is a dramedy starring Wendi McLendon-Covey, Nia Long, Cocoa Brown, Zulay Henao & Amy Smart. I attended an early screening last week & found it to be entertaining, with many funny & heartfelt moments.

When five struggling single moms put aside their differences to form a support group, they find inspiration and laughter in their new sisterhood, and help each other overcome the obstacles that stand in their way.

I recently got to sit down with the cast of The Single Moms Club & chat about motherhood, the importance of having a good support network & what it’s like working on a Tyler Perry film.

QUESTION: How did you identify with the character of this film being that you are not a mom?

Amy Smart: All my friends & family have kids now, so I have been around it. Maybe that’s enough for my character because she’s around it [but] she’s just not as involved in her kids’ lives. What I like is that she’s been so checked out & she’s forced to have to check back in & really get to know her kids on a much more intimate level.

Zulay Henao: In talking about this, I realized what I really loved about my part, my role in the movie, is that I enjoyed being a mother. It was fun. I was raised by a single mother, my father was around but my parents were divorced when I was 14. I was able to kind of go back to that time in my life & to really absorb what that was like to me as a child, like taking the child’s perspective, but then also really understanding all of my mother’s sacrifices. So it was really therapeutic for me, to be honest with you, being on set.

QUESTION: What’s it like working with Tyler Perry?

Amy Smart: It was amazing. Like it was so much fun to go down because he shoots everything in Atlanta. So we all went down to Atlanta & it was such a bonding experience.

Cocoa Brown: I’ve worked with him for three years on [the television show] For Better or Worse. He allows me to “do me” in the sense that he trusts my funny. It’s always a good comfort zone for me that I can come on there & I can bring the realness to the character. I don’t feel like I have to stay married to the script.

Wendi McLendon-Covey: Working with Tyler is really fun because he is very collaborative & he encourages you to improvise. I personally like doing ensemble comedy. So it was fun to get to bond with these women & watch them be hilarious.

Several of the film’s funniest scenes came from Cocoa Brown who became a single mother while shooting this movie. When asked how this impacted the filming of her role, Cocoa said “I began to use it. Once I was able to say ok, you know what, I’m not going to try to hide it, I’m just gonna let this pain come out in whatever way it does. It became organic for me in the course of the filming. It was healing…it was very healing.”

The film highlights how important it is to have a support network. Although Amy Smart doesn’t have kids yet, she does have a wonderful group of friends, stating “I have some incredible girlfriends in my life that I love so much & I feel like the female bonding network for me is super strong.”

When asked about her support system, Cocoa responded “I have a great village of just incredible men & they’re of all races & colors & backgrounds. They loved me & my son enough to swoop down & kind of fill that void when me & my husband separated & [ultimately] divorced. He has all of these uncles & they surround us with so much love.”

QUESTION: Did you have any aha moments while filming?

Cocoa Brown: One of the biggest breakthroughs for me that I learned while filming is that it’s ok to let my pain out & do it through my work. As a standup comic, people are so used to me being “on” & being funny & I got to actually just let that mask off & just be real.

I really enjoyed meeting these actresses, who were so open & honest with their experiences. The interview ended with a group photo of the cast with all of the mom bloggers who attended this media event.

I’ll have my complete review of this movie on the blog by the end of the week, so stay tuned! I will say this though – whether or not you’re a mother (single or otherwise), you’re going to want to grab your BFF & watch this movie about sisterhood.

The Single Moms Club opens in theaters on March 14, 2014.
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Disclosure: I attended a press event for this film. Images used with permission from Lionsgate. All opinions are my own.