Rel & DeWanda!
Source: Netflix
Everyone’s buzzing over Kevin Hart‘s heartstring-tugging “Fatherhood” performance that’s elevated by Lil Rel Howery and DeWanda Wise’s relatable camaraderie and companionship in Netflix’s heart-melting Dramedy about a widowed single dad who finds himself navigating his grief while taking on the toughest job he’s ever faced: Fatherhood.
Choosing to care for Maddy (Melody Hurd) in the ways he knew his wife Liz (Deborah Ayorinde) would’ve wanted,
Matt (Kevin Hart) is determined to go it alone but learns that raising a child—and becoming a great dad—takes a village.
Source: Netflix
With the help of everyone from his family (Alfre Woodard and Frankie R. Faison) and friends (Anthony Carrigan and Lil Rel Howery), to his boss (Paul Reiser) and a new love interest also coincidentally named Liz (DeWanda Wise), Matt is able to provide Maddy the life of joy, love, and fullness he always wanted for her, no matter how different it turned out to be from what he imagined.
Peep the warm and fuzzy trailer below:
Inspired by a true story, the Paul Weitz-directed heart-melter features two of the best (and brightest) Black actors in Hollywood today.
“He just brought so much energy to the role,” says producer Davis Beaubaire about Rel. “It took the pressure off of Kevin to be the source of all the comedy by having Lil Rel there. So much of what you see on screen wasn’t even on the page. He’s a terrific actor.”
As for DeWanda (who plays the coolest gorgeous girlfriend of our dreams), Beaubaire had this to say: “We wanted to have a really fresh and interesting character in the role of Liz Swan.”
“We were very conscious about trying to avoid having this person feel like she was being compared to or replacing Liz Logelin, but bringing in a very different energy. DeWanda’s scenes with Kevin are just lightning in a bottle.”
We caught up with Lil Rel and DeWanda who opened up about playing Kevin’s best friend and new boo, being a good friend, Black folks dating without drama in movies, Father’s Day plans and more in our interview you can view below:
“Fatherhood” is now streaming on Netflix.