- Netflix's latest thriller, Fatal Affair, premieres on Thursday, July 16.
- The film stars Nia Long and Omar Epps in their first movie together since 2004's Alfie.
- OprahMag.com talked with Long and Epps about reuniting on the screen after 16 years, and how Fatal Affair initially was meant to have a predominantly white cast.
As soon as the trailer for Netflix's new thriller Fatal Affair was released in June, fans on social media (including me) had a fit. Because the combination of Hollywood legends Nia Long and Omar Epps, plus the track that played—Joe's "All The Things (Your Man Won't Do)" —was a recipe for peak '90s nostalgia.
Admittedly, Fatal Affair has a storyline that we've seen a lot. (Some would say too often). Hardworking lawyer Ellie's (Long) marriage to her dreamy husband Marcus (Stephen Bishop) is in a rut, so she slips up and has a brief affair with David (Epps), an old college friend who suddenly reappears in her life. But after she ends their relationship, David doesn't quite get the hint, and he soon proves to be incredibly unhinged.
Predictable? Yes, but the film is set in the breathtaking San Francisco Bay area, and gives you major beach house envy. Plus, a reunion between Long, 49, and Epps, 46, is irresistible. Their last film together was 2004's comedy Alfie, and they co-starred for the first time as love interests in 1999's crime thriller In Too Deep.
"Omar is like my brother, so when I read the script he was the first person I thought of," Long tells OprahMag.com. "This is a different genre for both of us. I thought it would be really interesting for him to play a character that was twisted and delusional and really scary. I've never done a thriller, and I wanted some good back-up so I called my friend Omar."
Epps added: "It's like picking up where we left off. I call Nia my 'creative kindred.' We just kind of understand each other, have our shorthand for a better experience... To get to play a guy who's just playing by his own rules and just unpredictable, that was just really, really fun and freeing for me creatively."
Long, who's a producer on the film, explained that when she was first presented with the script for Fatal Affair—which was co-penned by Peter Sullivan and up-and-comer Rasheeda Garner—it was "written for a white cast." But before she signed on to play the lead, keeping in mind that more Black voices are necessary both in-front of and behind the camera, the actress wanted to make sure it was just right.
"Netflix and the producers supported that, and we started to make changes to the script just so it felt like my voice, and there were certain things that we changed to accommodate who I am and then to accommodate the rest of the cast," she says. "That to me says that studios were open to doing what's necessary to keep diversity at the forefront. What you're seeing right now are white actors saying, 'Hey listen, I'm not gonna do the voiceover for a Black character. I'm a white person. I'm going to step down and allow that to be played by a Black person.' That's their opportunity and their right to play that character."
You can stream Fatal Affair on Netflix on Thursday, July 16.
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McKenzie Jean-Philippe is the editorial assistant at OprahMag.com covering pop culture, TV, movies, celebrity, and lifestyle. She loves a great Oprah viral moment and all things Netflix—but come summertime, Big Brother has her heart. On a day off you'll find her curled up with a new juicy romance novel.
