USA TODAY International Edition
Good channeled her tough times into ‘ Harlem’ crying scene
Both Meagan Good and her “Harlem” character Camille needed to let it out in this new season of their lives.
Good, 41, was approaching what would have been her and ex- husband DeVon Franklin’s 10- year- anniversary while she was filming Season 2 of the Prime Video series ( now streaming).
“That was kind of like a tough week, and then right after that we officially got divorced,” she said Tuesday. “All that stuff was happening while I was directing, while I was acting and then some other personal things.”
“Harlem” centers on friends Camille ( Good), Angie ( Shoniqua Shandai), Tye ( Jerrie Johnson) and Quinn ( Grace Byers) as they navigate their 30s in New York City’s bustling neighborhood. Good channeled her difficult emotions into Camille, who, at the end of the first season, kissed her ex- boyfriend Ian ( Tyler Lepley) the night before his wedding to Mira ( Rana Roy).
“There’s a scene when I’m crying in the first episode ( of Season 2)… that night was one of the toughest nights. I could not wait to shoot that scene because I was like, I need a good cry that I’m saving for this moment,” Good says. “And there is something kind of cathartic about being able to release in your character and to have life experiences that only make you a better actor and make you more intuitive.”
Good and Franklin, 44, filed for divorce in December 2021. They said in a joint statement at the time that despite the end of their marriage, their love for one another remains “eternal.”
“After much prayer and consideration, we have decided to go into our futures separately but forever connected,” the couple said. “There’s no one at fault; we believe this is the next best chapter in the evolution of our love. We are incredibly grateful for the life- changing years we’ve spent together as husband and wife.”
The “Harlem” star met Franklin, a studio exec and bestselling author, on the set of the 2011 dramedy “Jumping the Broom,” according to People. They wed in June 2012.
Good’s character has a turbulent Season 2. After going through her own, the actress says she “judged Camille less” for some of her more “unlikable” moments.
“Camille was going through a lot of changes,” she says. “She was going through a moment of self- discovery and she was having moments where she felt like she failed and then she also was like, ‘ Oh, I gotta pick myself back up and keep moving forward and fight for that joy and continue to learn and self- reflect.’ ”
The actress took a page from Camille, allowing herself to find joy in her acting as well as directing. Good directed Episode 2 of the new season.
“I have such a joy in directing that it doesn’t matter how sad I am, if I get to direct I’m a happy girl, period,” she says.