Angela Robinson: What made me jump at it? He offered it (laughing). I don’t think it required much thinking. I was so excited just to be a part of his first scripted drama. I’d wanted to work with Mr. Perry for a long time. I had done ‘The Color Purple’ on Broadway, and Oprah was the executive producer on that, so I had already had the opportunity to be a part of a project with her. That; again, was an honor, but it did not take much convincing at all. I was thrilled to get the job.
James Johnson: I think it’s one of the best dramas on television right now, and judging by the success, I’m not the only one who feels this. Why do you think it has become so popular? And before you answer, I’ll say that in the beginning, there were many people who were skeptical about how the show would do.
Angela Robinson: Definitely. Like anything, I believe you have to give it a chance. I think that’s what people did. We had to do some growing, and the people hung in there with us and gave us a chance. They saw that it was a really good show. With any good show, in the beginning the ratings aren't that good when you look it up. People continue to watch and they eventually see that the writing is good, and the actors are good. The storylines are good. They hung in there with us and I’m so grateful. I believe Tyler Perry has some of the best fans in the world.
James Johnson: Oh, I definitely agree with that.
Angela Robinson: So they hung in there, and I am so grateful. I think this season, we’re going to get even more followers, but the fans who have been there from the beginning are going to be on the edge of their seats. It’s such a great season.
James Johnson: Oh we’ll get to this season soon enough. I definitely have a few questions, being an avid watcher and all (laughing)
Angela Robinson: Uh oh…
James Johnson: I’m glad you mention the other actors and actresses and the fact that they are really good in their craft. How long did you all actually work together on putting this together before we as fans actually saw the finished product? Everybody is really good and blend together very well. You seem to be so well connected, and I know you've seen it in the past where some casts just don’t gel. You all started at the top of the realm.
Angela Robinson: You know, I think that is the god-given talent of Tyler Perry. He just knows how to cast and pick the right people, because James, we never got together before we started. We just started!
James Johnson: I just think it’s amazing. Crystal Fox…I mean oh my god! She is amazing in her role as well.
Angela Robinson: She is amazing. He just picks great people and knows what he wants. He knows how people fit together. He’s got a great gift that way. We rarely rehearsed. We showed up on set ready, and did our jobs. I think it helps that he casts people with a theater background. With that type of background, you already know how to work a certain way. That is a plus in it all, and we really genuinely like each other. Even though there’s a lot of throwing things on camera, we are not that way to each other off-camera. We really love and trust each other. We go out afterwards. That helps too with chemistry. It’s not fake at all.
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