UB Spotlight: Tyler Perry Talks ‘Mea Culpa’ Starring Kelly Rowland | February 23rd on Netflix

The new thriller “Mea Culpa,” from Tyler Perry premieres on Netflix February 23rd.

When criminal defense attorney Mea Harper (Kelly Rowland) takes on the murder case of artist Zyair Malloy (Trevante Rhodes), the truth isn’t as obvious as it seems.

While she tries to determine the innocence or guilt of her cagy-yet-seductive client, it is uncovered that everyone is guilty of something.

“Tyler Perry’s Mea Culpa” explores what happens when burning desire takes hold and things get hot… and dangerous.

Cast includes; Kelly Rowland as Mea, Trevante Rhodes as Zyair, Nick Sagar as Ray, Sean Sagar as Kal, RonReaco Lee as Jimmy, and Shannon Thornton as Charlise.

A Conversation with Writer and Director Tyler Perry

What sparked the idea for the film?
I love all of those older thrillers from the ’80s and ’90s, and I just remember how much my mom enjoyed them and would make me watch them. Those stories were so rich and had so much flavor and so many twists and turns. So I wanted to throw back to some of those days.

Why did Chicago feel like the right backdrop for Mea Culpa?
I felt like Chicago was the right backdrop because the city is beautiful, it’s mysterious, it could be dangerous and sexy, and I think that it was also a character in the movie. It gives every kind of feeling that I needed to paint this picture and this tableau.

What was it like collaborating with Kelly Rowland as an actor and as a producer?
Working with Kelly as a producer was really great because she had these incredible ideas that she would bring to the table and I’d say “Whoa, that is a really, really great idea.” I knew she was creative. I knew she was talented. I know she’s a great singer and artist, but for her to take all of that art and bring it directly to the film was really fantastic. To have a producer like that is really something that I didn’t know I would enjoy that much. It was really great.

As an actress, she is 100% invested. She’s there. Once we established the trust between director and actor, she gave it her all. I just can’t wait for the world and everybody to see the gears that she has and the levels that she put down in this and the way she painted it. I loved working with her. I can’t wait to work with her again on everything.

Why was Trevante Rhodes the right person to play Zyair?
I gave him one of his first gigs in this industry on my show If Loving You Is Wrong, and I knew he was a superstar. I knew he was incredibly talented. For this character that has an air of mystery and danger, I needed someone who could really play that. Trevante, who actually lives in Chicago, was instantly who I thought of and Kelly was very much adamant about it too, “That’s who we need.” I was all for it and it worked really, really well. The chemistry the two of them have is electric.

Speaking of chemistry, that attraction is key to the film. How did you all develop that heat and tension?
First of all, you have to have really, really good actors and it helps if everybody likes each other. Kelly and Trevante like each other. In order to work together and have those kinds of moments, you have to have this incredible level of give and take and this incredible level of trust. I don’t think you can establish that kind of realism in acting without having that bond. That’s really what it was. We all trusted each other, and we all leaned in. Iron sharpens iron. Every great performance inspired somebody to want to be better and push, and all of those things made it work

Kelly and Trevante are the heads of a really strong cast.

Can you tell us about the casting of the other members of the ensemble and what they brought to their roles?

Sean Sagar and Nick Sagar who play brothers in the movie — Mea’s husband and brother-in-law — are from London and I wanted to be the guy that broke them in America. Having them both be a part of it and also just bring it in their first American film, I’m so happy for them, because they did a great job. They deserve what’s happening for them, and I’m just celebrating them.

I’ve worked with RonReaco Lee, who plays the private detective Jimmy, four times now. I want to work with him on everything. He is so incredibly talented and just a great guy. It’s really awesome when the whole crew is saying, “Is RonReaco coming back?” because they love working with him. It’s very important that you not only show up in front of the camera and kill it, as he does every time, but also that when you are off set and you’re talking to people, that people really enjoy having you around.

Shannon Thornton is a superstar. She plays Charlise, Mea’s friend and sister-in-law, and she’s stunningly gorgeous and a phenomenal actor. I was blown away by how she could fall into a moment. If she had an idea, she would say “I want to do it this way.” I’d respond “Okay, great. Let’s try it that way.” And then I’d walk up to her and I’d give her a note, and —this was the same with Kelly by the way— I’d say, “But here’s what I was thinking as a writer, so let’s try this.” And she could drop into it like that. That’s the mark of a really good actor. I want to work with her a lot more.

The thing about Kerry O’Malley, who plays the mother, Azalia, was that I was doing the table read and she was just so good at the table. I thought “Who is this woman?” I’ve cast her in two movies since then because she’s just so phenomenal. She’s such a chameleon. She can be so many things and she really brought this character to life. I don’t want to say too much about it, but when you watch it, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Mea Culpa is a real mix of the things that you are known for — it’s dramatic, sexy, romantic, dark. It’s a twisted thriller. As a writer and director, how do you calibrate all those tones to get the right balance?
It’s very important that it all starts with the script. Once I wrote it and read it back, I thought, “Wow, I’ve got to have the right moments to make this happen. I’ve got to have the right cast. I’ve got to have the right DP. I’ve got to have the right team.” We shoot quickly, so you have to understand how we move and what works. But to have someone like Kelly Rowland come along and say “I’m in,” and then produce beside me and say, “Hey, look at this. What about this? What do you think about this?” She had this thing, for example, where she would say, “Let’s do something in a sex scene that’s never been done before on camera, especially for us as Black people.” So I thought, “What is that? We’ve done it all.” But we came up with this incredible idea. I’m so proud of her for what she’s done. It took all of us – Trevante, Sean, Nick, Kerry, Shannon, RonReaco, to make this film that came out to be Mea Culpa, and I’m very proud of it.

What do you find most interesting about the erotic thriller genre, and how does Mea Culpa break the mold?
To explore the best and worst of humanity is always really fun for me to do as a writer, but to have actors who can paint the picture in ways that even I didn’t see is also always powerful to me. I think that what elevates this one from other thrillers is that everyone who worked on it —from the DP and the way we shot it to the actors — and every moment of it is elevated from what you would think an erotic thriller would be, and that is something I’m really excited about.

The film has so many twists. Did you drop any clues that the fans can catch on second viewing?
What I love about Mea Culpa is that you have to watch it three or four times to catch every little clue that was dropped along the way. It’s going to keep a lot of people guessing until the end.

Kelly’s wardrobe is amazing. What were the conversations like with the costume designer about the looks?
You can’t have Kelly Rowland — who is one of the most beautiful and fashion-forward women in the world — in the movie, playing an attorney who has a little bit of money and not have the fashion be high end. Our costume designer, Raiyonda Vereen, who’s worked with me on many movies, worked very closely together with Kelly on the looks that she wanted, because everything looks good on her. So thatwas part of the problem I had. With my producer hat on I said “Well, why do we need to spend this kind of money on wardrobe when everything looks good on her? Let’s find something affordable that’s nice…” but they weren’t having it. So the wardrobe is clearly a statement of its own in every scene, and Kelly wears it well.

There are some great, classic needle drops in the film including Isaac Hayes’ simmering version of “Walk On By” and the Isley’s take on “Hello It’s Me,” among others. How do you go about choosing the songs for your films?
When I’m writing a film, music is very important to me. Nine times out of 10, I’ll have something on in the background to set the mood. As I thought about this painter and his loft and the mystery, I just kept seeing these old records and record players. I think this character, Zyair — with his love of texture and sound and color— would definitely have music from the ’70s. So Isaac Hayes, that version of “Walk On By,” many people have done it but that one is so haunting and I felt like it was a theme that kept running through for me. And the Isley Brothers’ “Hello It’s Me,” they don’t make music like that anymore. So I thought it was very much important for music to be a character in the film.

What do you hope people feel watching Mea Culpa?
There are movies that I do that I want people to be inspired and motivated, and there are movies that I do where I just want people to laugh. With this one, I just want you to be entertained. Just lose yourself in this moment, two hours where you just enjoy a story, peek into somebody else’s life, be a voyeur, look at what they’re doing, and just escape for a minute. There’s so much going on in the world, so much darkness, so much madness; just take a moment to escape and enjoy this crazy thriller with these incredible actors. I think you’ll have a good time.

“Mea Culpa” marks Tyler Perry’s fourth project for Netflix. His sixth, “Six Triple Eight,” is currently in production. The true story about the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to be stationed overseas during World War II, starring Kerry Washington.

Meet The Characters!

Mea is a confident and strong-willed criminal defense attorney. But when she takes on the murder case of artist Zyair Malloy, it creates a conflict with her family. Her brother-in-law Ray is the assistant district attorney, and he isn’t so keen on having Mea on the opposing team. Still, she’s committed to Zyair’s case and believes she’s the most qualified attorney to take him on — though she doesn’t trust his intentions, and will have to follow her instincts to find the real truth.

Zyair is an enigmatic artist who lives and works out of his Chicago loft. When he is accused of killing his girlfriend, the job of defending him falls to Mea, and he finds his advocate both intriguing and attractive. Despite all the evidence pointing to Zyair — described by one witness as a womanizer and a snake — he maintains his innocence. He may have some wild sexual interests, he says, but he would never hurt anybody. Or would he?

Mea’s husband Kal is struggling to get back on track after losing his job. He’s kept his change in circumstances secret from his brother, Ray, and his mother, Azalia, causing tension in the marriage.

Ray is Mea’s brother-in-law and the Assistant District Attorney who will be prosecuting Zyair’s case. He wants to use the artist as the face of his upcoming tough-on-crime mayoral bid. But in his efforts to make that happen, he gets caught up in his own web of lies. And yes, Nick and Sean Sagar are brothers in real life — this is their first time working together in over a decade.

Jimmy is the private investigator hired by Mea to look into the loose ends in Zyair’s case. What Jimmy finds comes as a bigger shock than either of them expected.

Charlise is Ray’s wife and Mea’s sister-in-law. These two women share a special bond, often leaning on each other through a dysfunctional family dynamic.

Azalia is Ray and Kal’s mother, a classic boy mom for better or for worse (mostly for worse). She isn’t particularly fond of either of her son’s spouses and thinks she knows what’s best for the two men, getting involved in their lives in inappropriate ways.

“Mea Culpa” is produced by Tyler Perry, Dianne Ashford, Will Areu, Angi Bones, and Kelly Rowland.

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