(Photo credit: Screen Gems)
Screen Gems thriller ‘No Good Deed’ is in theaters today!
Oscar nominated actress Taraji P. Henson and Golden Globe winner Idris Elba star in thriller ‘No Good Deed.’ A former district attorney, Terri is now married and a mother of two living in a quaint neighborhood in Atlanta along with her best friend and neighbor Meg (Leslie Bibb). Her life seems picturesque until she finds a charming escaped convict at her door claiming car trouble. A killer in disguise, Colin Evans is a narcissi and psychopath masking his deception. Evan plays a charismatic stranger, preying on the kindness of a neighbor. Setting off the film, Evans scheme’s his way out of the law and into Terri’s house , but before he gets to the intended destination, he goes home to girlfriend (Kate del Castillo) who moved on from her imprisoned boyfriend. The truth behind her disloyalty to Evans, lies an illicit affair with Terri’s husband (Henry Simmons). Seeking his revenge, he charms his way into the home of the former DA only to find she is not as sweet as she looks. He leaves no one safe, from Meg to Terri’s children. As they play cat and mouse, Terri fights for her family’s life by defeating the murderous Colin, ridding her philandering husband and starting over with her children. Terri gets her happily ever after she learns no good deed goes unpunished.
From Think Like A Man Too, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom to No Good Deed, Taraji P. Henson and Idris Elba are keeping busy in Tinseltown starring in one blockbuster after the other. From character- defining roles, making the film, to co-producing, Henson and Elba give up the scoop on ‘No Good Deed.’
(Photo credit: Screen Gems)
Who is Terry? “You meet her as she’s at her lowest point.” “She was a powerhouse, district attorney in New York who fell in love, got married, had two children and lost her self,” Taraji states. Despite losing herself in the shadows of marriage, she finds herself at the hands of a tall, dark and handsome stranger.
On how Terri found herself at the hands of a killer, “If there was a lot going on for her and everything was happy at home she would’ve probably not have opened the door,” she acknowledges.
Terri a vulnerable housewife? “Never once is she in a victim position.” “As soon as she figures out that something is off about this guy, she goes into survivor mode. Is either me or him, and it’s not going to be me.”
A killer in disguise, “I looked at the characteristics of someone who has mental issues, a bad temper and has problems dealing with things,” said Idris.
A redeeming character? “I honestly think on his journey into this story, he didn’t meant to go that far.” “There a lot of stories of men that this happens to. They’ll come out of prison and end up back in prison because they haven’t figured out how to contain themselves.”
On playing a handsome killer, “It’s a compliment; you never get a role that is written for the sexy guy. I don’t get that job, I bring the sex to the role,” states the screen idol.
On not making a habit of answering her door, “the way my house is situated, if I’m all the way upstairs, I’m not coming down. I don’t care how fine you are. I don’t like unexpected guess,” Taraji proclaims.
On taking on the thriller flick “It took us three nights to film it, from being hit with a gun in the mouth, I exhausted a lot of energy every night and was wiped out,” she said. “It was tough, there was a lot of anger a lot of the time and we did a lot of night shoots. Its fun working with Taraji,” states Idris.
On how Taraji was introduced to the film, She recalls seven years ago hosting The Soul Train Awards with Terrence Howard. The Stomp The Yard producer insisted the script would be great for her, though it was written for a white lead. “We were like why not make it two Black leads.”
On not being typecast, “You have to be vigilante about your vision.” I went from playing Mandela to playing a psychotic man, that’s something I think is interesting. “It’s very different from other characters I played.” “It’s nice to have an audience, but I definitely want to challenge and ask my audience not to fall in love with one character or type of character,” he said.
As co-producers, Taraji teases, “I threatened his life and cried, that was the real performance,” on persuading Idris for the film. “Making this movie I wanted to step into a more producer role, bring the elements together.” “I was influential in bringing our director Sam Miller on board and the photography team,” said Idris.
Escaping Colin for Mandela, “I was going from that movie to go to South Africa for 8months to go do Mandela, so I was reading the Long Walk to Freedom as I was playing Colin that was my sort of exit plan to read about someone who actually made a difference in the world.”
Check your local listings for show times and tickets.
