Kimberly Elise- Diary

I recently saw Diary of A Mad Black Woman again and it was great. I can identify with all aspects now. I used to think Shemar Moore's character wasn't a real representation of any man..till I met someone who is just like him!
Here is what he said....

In "Diary" you play the ideal guy. Was there any pressure?

Shemar Moore: Y'know, it took me a minute to find the truth in it. Because I had to find it in myself. I'm like that with most of my work. I'm not saying that I am all of my characters, but for me to bring a character to life, you've got to be able to find your own truth. You know what I mean? So I didn't trust him at first. I was just like – y'know, I have a line in the play where it's like, "You may not believe in fairytales, but if you did, I'd want to be your knight in shining armor."
[Laughs.] There's a thing called game, and when you're out and you're trying to push up on a female and you're going, "Yo, I want to be your knight in shining armor," chances are you're going to get a drink on your face. But that's the lesson in all this. It was truly a lesson in don't take something at face value.
You know, so many of us do in life. Whether it's because of how somebody looks or because of what they're wearing, you kind of assess a person in the first five minutes before they even speak. And a lesson in this movie is dig beneath the surface. And so with my words, with my character, I purposely created a character that was away from how you've known me thus far in my career. So that's what the cornrows were about. I gained 15 pounds. That's what the beard was. It's like, Let me just flip it. Let me just hide a little bit so you can get caught up in who this guy is.

Kimberly Elise talks about her role in Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Imagine being cheated on, made a public laughing stock, and then kicked out of your own home. All this in full view of your husband's smirking mistress. Oh, and then, after a 20 year marriage, not getting a dime in the divorce settlement. Such is the plight of Helen, Kimberly Elise's character in Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

You'd be a mad black woman, too.

But on a winter morning in New York's Regency hotel, Kimberly doesn't show even the slightest hint of rage. Wearing a crisp dark business suit—something serious but sexy, the kind of thing that the female lawyers wear on David E. Kelley shows—Kimberly chats about "Diary," working with Tyler Perry, and why she, personally, would be able to forgive a cheating bastard like Helen's husband.

So what was it about "Diary" that grabbed you?
Kimberly Elise: As an actor, it was a great opportunity to take a character all the way, to go through a complete transition and have a complete arc, versus supporting and servicing other people's storyline. So that was fun. And I was looking for something lighter. Y'know, give the spirit a little rest. What better than to play opposite a man dressed as a woman to lighten things up? Tyler, he's such a comedic genius. I thought, wow, this would be great to work opposite him.

Tyler Perry is known for his improvisational antics. Was he just throwing random stuff at you? What was that like?
Kimberly Elise: [Laughs.] Well, yeah. He stuck to the text quite a bit. But as he got going, he'd ask for one take where he could be free, he could just be free. He would just go and then this brilliance – there would just be this brilliance coming out of him.

What's an example?
Kimberly Elise: When I first got the script, it was kind of scary. I was like, A guy dressed as a woman? That's not funny. I don't get it. It wasn't until I sat down with Tyler, basically, and we all sat around and read the script. I couldn't make it through the script without absolutely dying. Tyler's so different than Madea. He's like, [talks in a low quiet voice], "I'm so happy you're here. It's so nice to meet you. I really respect your work." And blah, blah, blah. I was like, okay. And then [high-pitched whine] when he gets into character. It was just startling. And he played three characters at one time, and I couldn't make it through the script. I was laughing so hard, and I was like, Okay, you got me. I'm in, I'm in. It's been pretty amazing.


Your character in "Diary" is awfully forgiving. Would you be able to forgive him in real life?

Kimberly Elise: For me, I would actually. The thing is, you forgive but you don't forget. Y'know, that whole experience was a lesson in life. First, she got out of it and didn't lose her entire life to it. She could forgive him, because you have to. For me, I understand that. I'm mature enough to know that if I live with this hate and anger, it's just going to swallow me up and they're going to be just fine.
Hugs M