‘Love & Basketball’ Director Gina Prince-Bythewood Reveals She Made Sanaa Lathan Cry

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood reflects on some behind-the-scenes tensions on set Love and basketball.

On the November 18 podcast episode Talking about legacy with Lena WaithePrince-Bythewood told Waite about the casting process for the 2000 cult classic, and the moment she felt she had failed as a director, especially when she brought actress Sanaa Lathan to tears on set.

Explaining that while she now knows she made the right choice in casting Lathan as Monica, she revealed that she doubted her decision at the time because Lathan, 53, had no basketball experience.

“I never knew I made the right decision,” he said. Woman King – admitted the 55-year-old director. “Sana and I are great friends now, but during filming she felt it. And I gave off the vibe of, “I don’t know.” Did I make a mistake? »

This sports romance film follows childhood friends Monica (Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps), two Los Angeles kids who strive for basketball greatness. Their complicated relationship eventually develops into a romance.

Prince-Bythewood then described a tense moment right before filming one of the film’s first basketball scenes that left Lathan in tears.

The Independent Spirit Award winner said that after she saw Lathan holding the basketball, “I thought, ‘Holy crap.’ Not at all impressed and scared,” she recalls. “I looked at (Lathan) and thought, ‘That basketball, you have to take it with you everywhere.’ You have to dribble the ball wherever you go. I need you in the driveway, making passes, a hundred a day. I need you to live and breathe it.” I suddenly see her face start to wrinkle and as soon as she turned around, she started crying.”

“And at that moment I thought: ‘I’m the worst director in the world.’ She said, adding that she called shortly after to apologize to Lathan.

“I tried my best to say, ‘I believe in you, but I was wrong in that moment, and I just want the best for the film and for you.’ And she accepted the apology, but there were minor disagreements,” she admitted. “But she was never unprofessional, she was great. I learned a lot from her.”

The Secret Life of Bees The writer also shared that she didn’t realize until editing how lucky she was to have Lathan in her film.

“(I) watched her perform every day (in the editing room) and thought, ‘Oh my God,’” she said. “After the first couple of days, I called her. “You gave me an incredible film, and it’s because of your performance.” ”

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Lathan previously told PEOPLE that the fact that she is not a basketball player also bothers her.

“What a gift it was that I was able to play this amazing, brutal character in this beloved movie at a young age,” Lathan told PEOPLE in August. “When we did it, I was nervous about basketball because I wasn’t really a basketball player. I was like a basketball player because I had a dance background, so I could really imitate.”