Meagan Good stars in NBC’s midseason drama “Deception” as Joanna Padget Locasto, a San Francisco narcotics detective with childhood ties to a notoriously secretive and powerful New York family, the Bowers. When her childhood best friend, Vivian Bowers, is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Joanna is enlisted by the FBI to help to find the killer, agreeing to go undercover into the opulent lifestyle she thought she’d left behind.
Meagan has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after young actresses, recently completing a season-long arc on Showtime’s acclaimed series “Californication” as well as a role in “Think Like a Man,” the feature film based on the best-selling book by Steve Harvey. In 2011, she starred on the big screen alongside Angela Bassett and Paula Patton in “Jumping the Broom.”
The versatile actress has mastered a variety of film genres, ranging from horror with “The Unborn” opposite Odette Annable and Gary Oldman to comedy with “The Love Guru,” co-starring Mike Myers, Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake. She rose to fame as a result of her box-office hit “Stomp the Yard,” but was recognized earlier for her acclaimed performance opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the eerie family drama “Eve’s Bayou,” for which she received an NAACP Image Award nomination.
Additional feature film credits include the critically-acclaimed cult film “Brick,” opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “You Got Served,” “D.E.B.S,” “Waist Deep” with Tyrese Gibson, Queen Latifah’s “The Cookout,” “Biker Boyz,” “Deliver Us from Eva,” “Friday” with Ice Cube, “Roll Bounce” and the horror film “Saw V.”
Besides acting, Meagan has produced independent films such as “Miles from Home,” which she starred in opposite actor/director Ty Hodges. The picture screened at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival, the Washington D.C. Independent Film Festival and the Atlanta Film Festival, where it swept all of the awards – Best Feature, Best Actor and Actress (Meagan Good) and Best Director. More recently, she produced and starred in “Video Girl,” the “Gia”-esque film that depicts the sordid and misunderstood life of a music video superstar.
Born in Panorama City, California, Megan began appearing in commercials at the age of 4 and to date has completed over 60 national television commercials. She made her primetime television debut on the WB nighttime series “Raising Dad,” and her first major television role was as a regular on the hit show “Cousin Skeeter.” And she has guest-starred on “Moesha,” “The Steve Harvey Show,” “The Division,” “The Parent ‘Hood,” “My Wife & Kids” and “All of Us,” too.
Meagan was recently married to DeVon Franklin, an executive for Columbia Pictures who is also a preacher and motivational speaker. Here, she talks about her new show, “Deception,” which airs Monday nights on NBC at 10 PM ET/PT. (Check local listings)
Los Angeles Sentinel: Hi, Meagan. Congratulations on your marriage, newlywed!
How was the honeymoon?
Meagan Good: It was fantastic, especially considering we were celibate until marriage!
LAS: What interested you in Deception?
MG: The script was incredible and there were so many elements that appealed to me creatively and physically, and the cast seemed like an amazing group of people.
LAS: Tell me a little about the show?
MG: My character’s name is Joanna Locasto. Her mother worked for the Bowers family and she grew up in the house and was best friends with Vivian. They had a strange falling out when they were 17 and I moved to San Francisco and went on to become a narcotics officer with the SFPD, while Vivian went on to become a “celebutante.” The show opens with Vivian’s murder and the FBI brings me in undercover to find out who did it
LAS: Will solving this murder take up the whole first season?
MG: Yes, but the show is so crazy and there are many other things that unfold while the murder is being solved.
LAS: How would you describe your character, Joanna Locasto?
MG: Tough, ballsy, and vulnerable, with a strong moral compass. She has a moral heart and wants to pursue justice and see the right thing happen.
LAS: How did you prepare for this role? Did you consult your father, since he was a police officer in the LAPD?
MG: Yes I did, and also his wife who is currently in the FBI. They helped me learn about the mentality of a police officer and what a day in their life is like, and what it takes to be a person who will give their life for the call of duty.
LAS: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
MG: I wish someone would ask if I was “saved” before I met my husband. A lot of people assume I had a spiritual awakening when I met him and it bothers me that people think that happened overnight.
LAS: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read? MG: I’m currently reading my husband’s book, “Produced by Faith.”
LAS: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
MG: I love anything vintage. And I love Marc Jacobs and shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti.
LAS: Dante Lee, author of “Black Business Secrets,” asks: What was the best business decision you ever made, and what was the worst?
MG: Best – to do Deception. Worst – one or two films I did that I won’t call out by name.
LAS: The Michael Ealy question: If you could meet any historical figure, whom would it be?
MG: Rosa Parks or Jesus.
LAS: The Pastor Alex Kendrick question: When do you feel the most content?
MG: When I’m with my family.
LAS: The Toure question: Who is the person who led you to become the person you are today?
MG: God. And my mom has been amazing.
LAS: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
MG: They don’t believe in “no.”
LAS: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
MG: Keep God as your main focus. Make sure your desire to do what you’re aspiring to do is deeper than just fame and being a celebrity. Be willing to work hard, and don’t believe that when a door closes it’s anything personal.
LAS: How do you want to be remembered?
MG: As a woman who represented God but was controversial, stood by what she believed and wouldn’t allow other people’s opinions of her to manipulate her directions. As someone who helped others, loved others deeply even if they tried to hurt her, was there for people when she could be, and ultimately made everything she did about God and not just about herself.
