Yet when it came time to choose her own professional path, she did what any teenager would do: rebelled. “You always want to do the opposite of what your parents do,” says Lathan, who decided to seek a law degree — until she was spotted by a recruiter from the Yale School of Drama while in an after-school arts program at UC Berkeley as an undergrad. “[Yale] made me really kind of admit to myself I wanted it and gave me the courage to pursue it,” she says.
Once Lathan committed to her professional destiny, she pursued acting with full determination. When she landed her first film part in 1998’s campy, she studiously read up on vampires and attended meetings with vampire aficionados. When she was up for the lead of 2000’s, which would be her breakout role, Lathan auditioned repeatedly for five months.
The latest perspective is playing Lisa Arthur, a high-powered attorney who becomes embroiled in the Roys’ civil war on. “I had a blast,” she says. “What stood out was the level of acting and writing, and I love that they let you play around with improv.” When asked about social media criticism of the show’s nearly all-white cast, Lathan quips, “Well, clearly they took the note.”
Restlessness during the pandemic lockdown inspired her to direct a short film in her house with her dog, followed by the actress scoring her first feature directorial gig — an adaptation of Angie Thomas’ novel, about an ambitious 16-year-old rapper. The Paramount Players project, now in preproduction, is proving to be the toughest assignment of her career, but Lathan wouldn’t have it any other way: “I want to be challenged and to use all of my talent. I have a lot to give.
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