*When the writers of the scripted comedy “Black Monday” included a joke about Whitney Houston’s drug use for Regina Hall’s character to recite, the actress demanded that they flip the script.
Speaking during a Hollywood Reporter Comedy Actress Roundtable, Hall noted that she was not down to mock the late hitmaker, so she asked the writers to remove the joke from the script.
“There was a joke, and I can’t remember, but it was a joke I think about drugs and it was about Whitney Houston, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to say that,'” she remembered. “Artists give so much … and so to make fun of what was a challenge and an illness. … The great thing about our writers is they were like, ‘Absolutely. We’ll just do something else.'”
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“Black Monday” takes viewers back to 1987 on the worst stock market crash in the history of Wall Street. The series stars Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells, and Paul Scheer, and focuses on a fictional second-tier Wall Street firm, which employs traders from minority backgrounds.
“It was great to be in the ’80s and be successful, and be in a world that, no matter what colour you are, a woman who’s Spanish, black, white – they just weren’t really in Wall Street, and they still really aren’t, so to represent a demographic that’s not normally present in a world even today was fun,” said Hall of her character.
In related news, Regina is set to host the 2019 BET Awards live from downtown Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater on June 23. Variety caught up with the “Girls Trip” star to talk about her preparations for the big night and who she’s most looking forward to seeing.
“I’ve watched the BET Awards since its inception so I’m honored to be able to host it. It’s scary though! [Laughs] It’s a big audience. You wanna have a show that’s entertaining for the live audience and the people watching it,” she said.
Adding, “I’m excited to see the performances and all the people being honored. There will be some great achievements celebrated.” But Hall noted, “I love Cardi! She’s honest and really true to who she is. I could say a bunch of things I love about her but most importantly, I love her music. Her sound, her songs, her style, I like the way she rhymes with the accent. She’s really talented.”