Secrets from ‘The Best Man’ & ‘Girls Trip 2’ Tea with Malcolm D. Lee

Summary

Baby, This is Keke Palmer

Episode: Secrets from ‘The Best Man’ & ‘Girls Trip 2’ Tea with Malcolm D. Lee
Guest: Malcolm D. Lee
Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Keke Palmer
Duration: ~55 min (content summary only)

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Baby, This is Keke Palmer" features acclaimed director, producer, and screenwriter Malcolm D. Lee, known for iconic Black films such as The Best Man, Girls Trip, Barbershop 3, and Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins. Keke and Malcolm dive into his creative journey, the evolution and impact of The Best Man franchise (including its latest novel form), behind-the-scenes casting secrets, the state of Black cinema, developing Girls Trip 2, and the ongoing mission to authentically portray Black stories in Hollywood.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Malcolm D. Lee’s Multi-Faceted Career & Current Projects

• Malcolm describes juggling multiple projects: a new book ("Best Man: Unfinished Business"), promoting his bourbon brand, and editing his first-ever erotic thriller for Blumhouse starring Chloe Bailey, Coco Jones, and Lynn Whitfield (03:10).
  • “It’s probably the sexiest movie I’ve ever done.” (Malcolm D. Lee, 04:07)
  • He shares the challenge of shifting from comedy to thriller but notes the similar rhythmic “payoff” in both genres—waiting for a laugh vs. a scare (03:45).

The Best Man Legacy & New Novel

• The novel “Best Man: Unfinished Business” picks up after the Peacock series, focusing on Harper, Robin, and Jordan’s post-divorce journeys. Robin is running a restaurant in Ghana, Harper is in Brooklyn Heights, and Jordan is reinventing herself in Malibu (08:41-09:21).
  • “We get inside these characters’ brains in ways that we have not done with these characters so far.” (Malcolm D. Lee, 09:45)
• The move to a novel was inspired by creative restrictions of filmmaking and the desire to go deeper: “I always fantasized about being a novelist…using some characters already established that have backstory, and just say, like, okay, let’s see where we can go with this.” (06:52-08:23)
• The book’s structure allows expanded points of view for each main character and is described as immersive, activating “all five senses” for the reader (09:34).

Filmmaking Origins & Getting The Best Man Made

• The film was actually Malcolm’s 6th screenplay, originally inspired by the lack of meaty roles for Black actors—he wrote it imagining Will and Jada Smith in the leads (10:13-16:56).
• Malcolm credits Spike Lee (his cousin) for championing his work and pushing studios: “He’s the kind of person that said, you know, here’s the movie we’re making, and let’s go. You want to do it? Let’s go. And if you’re not in, we’re going somewhere else.” (12:12)
• Noteworthy script changes included Robin (Sanaa Lathan’s character) originally not attending the wedding, which later changed at the producers’ suggestion—creating more character pressure and narrative payoff (13:02).

Secrets & Stories from Casting

• Each role had high-profile names in mind; Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith inspired early versions. Sanaa Lathan won the part by setting the bar in auditions; Wood Harris and Michael Jai White also read for key roles (16:24-18:42).
• Fun fact: Regina King read for Jordan, and Steve Harris nearly played Lance.
• Keke asks who Malcolm would cast her as: “You’re Jordan.” (Malcolm D. Lee, 18:59)

The Best Man: Cultural Impact & Thematic Choices

• Malcolm discusses the emotional complexity of the wedding scene, why he used flashbacks, and how he strove to challenge patriarchal ideas of women’s purity and perfection:
  • “It was his comeuppance. But he’s the only one of those characters that could have done that because of his faith in God.” (15:25)
• The film subverted stereotypes, showcasing “eight healthy roles for Black actors…not just the hoe, gangster, sidekick, or sassy one” (17:00).

The Economics & Realities of Black Filmmaking

• Discussion of the “$10 million rule” for Black films: to guarantee studio support, budgets have to stay low—though Girls Trip proved breakout potential by grossing $148 million worldwide (25:00-26:56).
• “Movies are about timing…Best man was the right script at the right time. Girls Trip was the right movie at the right time.” (26:59-27:08)
• On Black storytelling: “Everything I’ve tried to do, they’re universal stories with cultural specificity.” (29:56-30:19)

Girls Trip 2 and Sequels

• Girls Trip 2 is in development, but Malcolm is determined that the sequel must meet or exceed the original’s expectations, emphasizing the importance of script quality and preparation (30:24-30:59).

The Fate of Modern Rom-Coms

• Malcolm and Keke mourn the absence of big-screen Black romantic comedies—a golden era replaced by streaming and longer-form TV. Malcolm hopes for a return: “I would love to see a big romantic comedy come back. Like When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall. Those are so much my favorite movies.” (35:00-35:27)
• They toy with collaborating on Malcolm’s earlier unproduced script Feast and Famine, with “Damson Idris” suggested as a dream lead (35:45-36:24).

Fact or Fiction: IMDb Trivia Round

• Clearing up Internet rumors:
  • Taraji P. Henson was not offered Dina in Girls Trip (39:11).
  • Lorenz Tate was not offered the lead in The Best Man for being similar to his Love Jones character, despite what’s reported online (40:11).

Industry Lessons & Advice

• On early career mistakes: Malcolm warns against being too precious or tunnel-visioned early on—“could have been a lot more open to opportunities…You never know what’s going to go right” (41:00-42:18).
• For new filmmakers: “It is an industry of relationships. You have to have something that people want…The best man was the right script at the right time.” He sees today’s challenge as “standing out in a crowded market” and urges younger creators to define their voice (47:00-47:56).

Representation, Authenticity, and Legacy

• Malcolm describes his intent: “I love Black men. I love us…I really wasn’t seeing us prior to doing Best man in a way that I thought was authentic. And so I’m always gonna protect us.” (45:13)
• Keke expresses gratitude for Malcolm’s nuanced, authentic portrayals, recalling the joy of seeing Black professionals and relatable family dynamics onscreen as a child (45:48-46:15).
• They discuss how Black male characters are often flattened in media, and how films like The Best Man created space for alternatives—“We exist.” (46:39)

Personal Tidbits

• Malcolm credits his wife, Dr. Camille (a psychotherapist), for being his support and inspiration; together for 31 years and three sons (50:08-50:27)
• Keke leads “Malcolm Knows Best,” a fun rapid-fire round (51:21):
  • Favorite Best Man installment? “Best Man: Unfinished Business” (the book) (51:53)
  • Best modern Black rom-com? “Love Jones” (52:15)
  • Sitcom that raised him? “The Cosby Show” (52:45)
  • Comedy icon? Eddie Murphy—“Eddie Murphy, period.” (53:44)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On becoming a novelist:
  “I fantasized about being a novelist…using some characters already established…let’s see where we can go with this.”
  — Malcolm D. Lee (08:23)

• On story universality:
  “These are universal stories…with cultural specificity—about love, about friendship, about family…settings that people can all relate to.”
  — Malcolm D. Lee (30:07)

• On diversity and pride in representation:
  “I love black men. I love us. I love how we interact…so I’m always gonna protect us.”
  — Malcolm D. Lee (45:13)

• On success and humility:
  “When I turned 50, I was like, eh, I don’t care. Whatever.”
  — Malcolm D. Lee (04:58)

• On film timing and marketing:
  “You can be an artist, but you could also be a starving artist. I didn’t want to starve. I wanted to make something people would understand and be digestible.”
  — Malcolm D. Lee (28:10)

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Useful Timestamps

• 03:10 – Malcolm on current film projects and new genres
• 06:52 – Why he turned Best Man into a novel
• 09:41 – Exploring characters more deeply in the book
• 10:13 – Writing and pitching The Best Man (origin story)
• 13:02 – Major script change: Robin attends the wedding
• 16:55 – Initial dream cast & the real audition stories
• 30:24 – On the challenge of making Girls Trip 2
• 35:00 – The decline of big-screen Black romantic comedies
• 39:11 – Fact or fiction: IMDb rumors addressed
• 41:00 – Early mistakes and industry advice
• 45:13 – Authenticity in Black male representation
• 51:21 – “Malcolm Knows Best” rapid-fire round

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Tone & Style

• Highly conversational, playful, and insightful
• Keke’s energy is bright, animated, and deeply appreciative
• Malcolm is reflective, candid, witty—and occasionally self-deprecating
• The discussion blends nostalgia with insightful critique and forward-looking optimism

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For New Listeners

This episode is a compelling masterclass for anyone curious about Black Hollywood’s history, the making of beloved films, the business behind the art, and how representation on screen is both constructed and fought for. It’s packed with behind-the-scenes stories, actionable career lessons, and plenty of love for Black storytelling.

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For more, find “Baby, This is Keke Palmer” wherever you get your podcasts!

Transcript

[Keke Palmer]

From the best man to girls trip to Roscoe Jenkins.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

His films are the ones we watch.

[Keke Palmer]

Over and over again because they just hit.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

He's a storyteller who's been holding it down for over 20 years, giving us.

[Keke Palmer]

The laughs, the love, the drama and the culture.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

He's built a whole legacy out here.

[Keke Palmer]

Centering black stories, pushing the game forward.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And now dropping a new book and thriller.

[Keke Palmer]

Come on. The brilliant, the visionary, the legendary Malcolm D. Lee, baby. This is Keke Palmer.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

No matter what we doing in the.

[Keke Palmer]

Car, just chilling, pop on Amazon music.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Sit back and listen. Life, love, sex, science, covering it all, especially the bad. Cause money always evolved. No matter what it is, we gonna make it make sense. Nothing else to do but kick it.

[Keke Palmer]

With the homies and kings.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So grab you a drink and a snack, you enjoy. And get into the vibe that only you know it's your girl.

[Keke Palmer]

This is.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

This is Kik.

Baby. This is Icy Palma. Yeah.

[Keke Palmer]

This episode is brought to you by Airbnb. Tis the holiday season, y'.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

All.

[Keke Palmer]

From spacious retreats in dream locations to their guests, favorite, most loved homes. Perfect for family gatherings. Airbnb has amazing stays for every festive escape. Now let's start the show.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Malcolm D. Lee, I cannot tell you how excited I am to speak to you. Has inspired me since I was a kid.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that. I'm very excited to be here. And I've been a fan of yours for a very long time, too. Ever since I saw Akilah and the beat jump and roll.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Did they tell you to say this?

[Keke Palmer]

Who?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Don't nobody tell. That was just you.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

That's just me.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Wow, look at that, guys. I'm excited. Well, you did the pre show pull up question, so I have to see what type of vibe I wasn't ready for.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Those.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

You weren't ready?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, but, you know, let's go.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Okay. Today I'm giving Harper with the side of Shelby. Now, I do feel Harper, I should have. You know, one of my questions today was gonna be about your characters, you know, if you pull them for your life. But you do have that wit like Harper. So I feel that, you know, Harper is in there somewhere. Now, what's the Shelby that's coming out?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I don't know. I'm just. I'm just. I'm trying to match your energy. I'm trying to be ready, you know, so I can be, you know? Cause Shelby's got that. So I want to be ready for that. I knew it was meeting with you, so I was Like, I think I better bring a little Shelby.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I love that.

[Keke Palmer]

Okay, today's mood. In one word, determined.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Now, you told me he has the business stuff you were doing the other day. So determined. Is that about that?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, I think, you know, I just, you know, I'm juggling a lot of things. You know, I've got this book right here. You know, I've got a bourbon that I'm promoting. You know, I'm cutting this movie of mine for Blumhouse.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

All right, I live for that. We're doing a lot of things, but we're doing them well.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Now, what did you listen to on the ride here?

[Keke Palmer]

My.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

This writing. What does it say?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I'm sorry. That's my chicken scratch. I'm sorry. I thought I tried, really. And my editor and my voice.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Okay, so, I mean, I'm excited about this thriller that you have coming out with Blumhouse. We've got Chloe Bailey, Coco Jones, Lucy and Lava's Count, who I worked with on Scream Queens back in the day. He's a real cool dude.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yes, he is.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I mean, what can you tell me a little bit about.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And Lynn Whitfield?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Lin Whitfield, the icon?

[Keke Palmer]

I mean, come on.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

A thin line between love and hate. How could you go wrong?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Right?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So tell me about a little bit tidbit about at least what's happening with the movie right now. You're editing.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I'm editing right now. We're getting ready for a screening and show it to the studio soon.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And you're gonna invite me?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Not quite. But you'll be at the premiere, if you can come to the premiere, please. But I mean, yeah, we're working. It's a new step for me. Different genre. Yes, but I really like that aspect of trying something different. Not always wanting to cut to the joke.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yes.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And there's the rhythm of the thriller and comedies are kind of similar and that you're, you know, we're waiting for the great laugh or they're waiting for the great scare. And this is not like a scare, like, ah, scare. But it's got some stuff. And it's what I would call an erotic thriller.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Now, Tim, what do you mean by that? Like, is it a love story that's.

[Keke Palmer]

The center of this?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

There is a love story of sorts. Yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Kind of a Fatal Attraction type situation.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, there's those elements. Yes. Yeah, it's very sexy. It's probably the sexiest movie I've ever done.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh my gosh.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Without question.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And you already got some sexy people in it, so I mean, people are pulling up to the theaters. I live for that. Okay, one thing that instantly makes you laugh. This question. Yeah. Because what makes you. Like, when somebody asked it, suddenly nothing's funny anymore.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. You know, I was like. I was trying to think, like, what makes me laugh? I don't know. Like, when I read that. I literally laughed when I read that question.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

That is funny. Last screenshot on your phone. No deleting.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, that was me and Cassandra. Cassandra, that's my publicist.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Aw.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

My filling publicist right now. She was the first publicist on the first Best Man.

[Keke Palmer]

Oh, my gosh.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

You guys have known each other for years.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yes, we have.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

That is. I wonder if you've changed to her. I feel like I should pull her up and ask her how much you've changed. She said.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

You know what? I think I'm primarily the same person, by and large, really. I try to stay very grounded. I try not to get too high, too low. You know, I doubt myself, but I've gotten to a place right now, especially when I turned 50, I was like, eh, I don't care. Whatever.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah. I mean, whatever goes.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, exactly.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Damn, I'm looking forward to 50. Let me tell you that. You're Capricorn.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I am.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So you're one of my perfect matches. But then I found out that Dr. Camille, your wife, is a Virgo. So you're surrounded by Virgo.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, not surrounded, but I got the key one that I needed now.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

That's right.

[Keke Palmer]

Yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Key one. Well, I am so excited. You know, I didn't get a chance to run into you at the Essence Fest, but I know you were there. Had a great girls trip, you know, sitting type of situation going on. But you were there promoting your book, the Best Man, Unfinished Business. I mean, what was the highlight for that weekend for you?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

You know, it was great because I got to sit with my co author, Jane Allen and Kennedy Ryan. Awesome. And we did a panel and it was, you know, the fans came out. You know, I'm sure they came out for Kennedy. This is, again, one of the reasons I doubt myself. Right. No, but no, like, they came out. I think they're very much interested in the continuing story of the Best Man. I mean, that's where we pick up where. Where the Peacock series left off. And, you know, so that was great to see everyone come out and, you know, get asked questions and talk about the book, you know, without doing any spoils and then signing, you know, copies as well as, you know, getting to take pictures with Fans. That was great. Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I mean, how was the journey of doing. Doing this in a book as a continuation? Because I loved the peacock. And what I also really loved specifically was the fact that the story evolved with the characters. And I don't think that's easy to do. And what I mean is, like, even in their age, like, what Terrence Howe was experiencing, the fact that you can have marriage and love, and then maybe, is this a divorce? You know, do. Are we separate? Are we not grown together? Like, I felt like the themes were so on point for where the people were in their life. And I really appreciated that.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah. I mean, that's what grown. That's what happens with grown folks. Right. Like, you know, I think when people get to a certain part of their lives and their. And their marriage and, like, they're developing as individuals and in developing as couples. And so, you know, life, as they say, be lifein. And so, you know, so things happen and like, are we in this together? I think a lot of people look around at a certain age. I think once the kids are, like, grown or whatever, they're kinda like, do I wanna be with this person? Do I wanna hang out here? Am I fulfilled? And certainly, you know, Robyn was not fulfilled in that marriage. And she felt like, you know what? You're not gonna change, Meaning Harper wasn't gonna change. And so he said, okay, look, I was done with telling that story at the final chapters because, you know, it was difficult, you know, trying to mount a television show as, you know, very difficult. There's money involved, there's, you know, there's studio demands, there's network demands, what have you. And I was like, okay, we're finished. But then a friend of mine was like, hey, yo, you should think about doing books. And I've always loved the written word. I'm a storyteller at heart. And I said, you know what? Let me try my hand at this. Cause I always wanted to be a novelist. Not always, but I fantasized about being a novelist. And I said, okay, let me try with some characters that are already established, that have backstory, and just say, like, okay, let's see where we can go with this. And teamed up with Jay and Allen, and we came up with something that I think is very, very much an experience when you talk about a book. I mean, people were like, why not a movie? Why not a television show? Very difficult to do.

[Keke Palmer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

But also it fits in the world because, I mean, Harper was a novelist.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So it's kind of like, you know, I'M thinking, like, what happened in college and what was that first original book that even Harper was writing? So I live for that because it's the story within the story and there's nothing more that I love than an embedded storyline.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So it fits.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It does. And you know, I think. And you know, there's a lot of things going on in here with Harper and Harper. This chronicles Harper, Robin and Jordan, and they're in individual journeys and each chapter is kind of dedicated to their pov. And, you know, Harper is, you know, post divorce. He's living in Brooklyn, where you was at. Not in Williamsburg, but in Brooklyn Heights.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So now. And the baby, are they in Africa?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah. Robyn's in Ghana.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Ghana.

[Keke Palmer]

Yep.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And she's opened up a restaurant as she's raising their preteen daughter. And Jordan is in Malibu. You know, she's left her corporate job, but still has the pull of, you know, the grind.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yes.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

But she also a little bit has a pull for Harper, as always. So we'll see what happens there in the book.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Well, very exciting. And I think this is cool because everybody's not visual. So it's great for you to be able to use your mind when reading this.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Absolutely. I mean, not only that, because I think what the book offers you is the opportunity to use all five senses.

[Keke Palmer]

Yes.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Right. You get to hear, you get to see, you get to smell, you get to taste, you get to feel.

[Keke Palmer]

And.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And you know, we get inside these characters brains in ways that we have not done with these characters so far.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, so exciting. Now let's go back to the beginning. Right. Because the Best man was your directorial debut.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Correct.

[Keke Palmer]

And I think.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I mean, that is, when I think about that now, it's hard to get your movies made. And when you think about that cast, the amount of money and then it being a success, I mean, who was that person that said, okay, Malcolm, you can do it, you know, I believe in you. How did that come to be?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, you know, the Best man was my sixth screenplay overall.

[Keke Palmer]

Right.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I had written like five prior. But, you know, and honestly, I wasn't even trying to direct the Best man when I wrote it. So I had written another romantic comedy and I was like, I wanna try and make this movie happen. And I couldn't raise the money for it. And then I said, a good buddy of mine said, listen, let producers raise money, writers, write. Write your next movie. So I said, I'm gonna write something so commercial that I'm going to take that money, I'm gonna sell it and take the money and make my romantic comedy. So in the midst of writing what was then titled My Homeboy's Wedding. Okay, yeah, yeah, yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

My Homeboy's Wedding.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And by the way, I was never gonna be the title.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I love My Homeboy's Wedding.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I thought, it's gotta be a black. And it's gotta be a wedding, and how do I. And then I. And then I was like, there's gonna be black people on the poster. Don't use that. Anyway, I was right at My Homeboy's wedding, in the midst of it, I said, oh, I can direct this. And so Spike, who's my cousin. Spike Lee's my cousin.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And I mean, it should have been right there for me, but I just thought y' all both was Lee's. When I found out y' all were really relatives, I was like, yes, that's Tee Boo.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I got to work with him. He used to live in my parents basement when he was in film school.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my God.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

So I got to see very early on the emergence of a great American filmmaker.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Absolutely.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And so, you know, I'd always given him my scripts. He'd always given me a chance to work with him as a production assistant. And then I got to be his assistant at times. And so, you know, I gave the script to him, and he had seen everything prior to. But he was like, this is it, right?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Wow.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, so this is it. So, you know, right after that, I went out here to LA and was flown out by Columbia Pictures because he had a deal there at the time, sat with Amy Pascal.

Yeah, I can't tell. I can't say that's right.

[Keke Palmer]

No, you can.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Come on.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Can I curse?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

You can.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Okay. So basically, Amy was like, okay, I love this script, but I have a problem with it. I was like, okay. She said, jordan's the smartest person in there, but nobody wants to her. And I said, yeah, it be like that.

[Keke Palmer]

Ah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

You know, I said, but that's not exactly true. But, you know, so anyway, you know, it basically from that point on, because Spike is the kind of person that said, you know, here's the movie we're making, and let's go. You want to do it? Let's go. And if you don't, if you're not in, we're going someplace else. So, you know, Columbia wanted to do some notes, and he said, we're out of here. And so we did that a little bit. And I was like, could we just maybe take a listen and maybe see what they want to say? First, maybe there's something they want to add. So we got to Universal finally and they said, okay, we have some notes as well. They paid me to do a rewrite. And he said, listen, we'll make them pay you. They don't like it, we leave. I said, okay, fine. So I did the notes, and then I think two months later, we were greenlit.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

What were their notes, if you could remember? Was there anything that majorly changed with the movie that, you know, we've seen from the original screenplay?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I will say I don't remember. There's only one specific thing I remember. I remember I'd written it. I can't remember exactly everything that they were looking for, but I got it to a place where I thought it was good. And then one of the producers said to me, well, you know, I've got a note for you. And in the original script, Robin, who's played by Sanaa Lathan, never came to the wedding, right? In my mind, it was like, okay, Harper's gonna go on this journey. He's gonna leave his girlfriend, his current girlfriend at the time, and try to, like, you know, trying to do a little tryst with Jordan. It wasn't gonna work out. And he was gonna get beat up and still get Lance over the broom and whatnot. And he'd come back and he'd say to his girlfriend, you know what? Let's move in together, right? And so they said, okay, what about if she comes to the wedding? I thought, that's ridiculous. That's stupid. That's not the story I want to tell. But what I learned from that very time was you have to put pressure on your characters. You have to give them opportunities to get out of things or see how they're gonn when crisis happens. So once she, you know, came to the wedding, it just changed everything. And I was like, okay, so not only they're not gonna move in together at this point, they have. He has to ask her to marry him at that point. So that's what happened. And so, like, that was a major thing. And by then we were good to go.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I mean, the movie balances so many emotions. Obviously, most people have seen this movie, but, you know, the best man slept with the wife of the groom that's getting married. And so they've come to find all this out. That's what this whole trip is about. But the part that I wanted to ask you as a director is in the end, when they're getting ready to get married and he's up there and they're saying their vows. What made you have those flashbacks? That was so sick.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Um, let's see.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I mean, that was sickening. He's up there saying, getting ready to say, I do. And he can't get Harper and her sleeping together out his head.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, it's more like her. He couldn't get out of his head that she was. Slept with somebody else. So, I mean, you had to do that. We had to do that. And it's funny too. I remember. Cause Morris took it very, very seriously.

[Keke Palmer]

Yes.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It looked like crying and whatnot. And I remember being behind the monitor and laughing and being like, this is gonna be funny, right?

[Keke Palmer]

Yes.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

So then I said, okay. So in the edit, we tried some things and it just kind of worked out that way. Thank you.

[Keke Palmer]

It was perfect.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

It was perfect because Morris was crying and it was the emotion, it was so real. And then it was also like, well.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

You had to do it because it's like, look at the time still today. I mean, like, you know, guys like, like Lance, who, like, are, you know, kissed by God and, you know, super handsome and, you know, that say, hey, I doing my thing, whatever. Oh, it's all right. You know, she gonna be okay. I want my woman's on a pedestal. And then you come to find out, you know, she's not exactly what you thought. And so it was his comeuppance. But he's the only one of those characters that could have done that because of his faith in God.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, I really love that message. It was also really good to see because, Yeah, I mean, we live in sometimes a patriarchy in a place where the standard of what a woman's supposed to be is so insane. And so in this movie, it was really awesome to see that. Yeah, you know, she's not perfect, but you accept her. You choose to love her.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

That's right.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And that it ended with that positive. So that was great. But let's talk about how you got to this cast, because I know that the auditions had to be lethal at this. I'm like, who was auditioning for this? Who did you see for certain roles? You know, did you get the cast you had initially wanted?

[Keke Palmer]

Or.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It's interesting when you're writing. And I had another producer friend of mine who said, you know, like, think of, you know, like, the biggest star you can get when you're. When you're writing. Writing for these people. So I remember when I was starting to write it, I read something. I think it was a Hollywood reporter or something Will Smith had said. There's Such a dearth of roles out there for black actors that I can't even get a script with my wife and I. So I said, I'm gonna write the best man for Will and Jada.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Wow.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

So I had them in my mind.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And her as Robin or her as Jordan. As Jordan, yeah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah. And I had a bunch of people in mind, right? But that's pie in the sky. Like, you know, and once you get greenlit And Universal says $9 million, it's like, we ain't getting Will Smith. Cause that's his budget, right? So it's like, okay, what is realistic? And so what was so beautiful was the acting community was so ready for it. You know, like, here were eight healthy roles for, you know, for black actors who could display their skills and not just be the hoe or the gangster or the sidekick or the sassy one or whatever. And so, you know, we met with a bunch of people. People. A lot of people came in to read once. Like, I'll give you an example. When Sanaa Lathan came in to read for Robin, I had not heard of her, Right. Somebody had told me about her. She had done, I think, Blade, and I think she had done the Wood, but I hadn't seen those two.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

The Wood?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

One of my favorites of all time.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

They weren't out at that time. So when she came in, I had a bunch of other people in mind for Robin. But when she came in, she was Robin. I was like, that's. She's the one. Like, everyone has to reach that bar. And if they can't, she got the part. You know, Tay, you know, came in at first right off of Stella. We saw him in there, like, okay, he'd be a good leading man for this. Terrence came in and read. I mean, there were so many people like Wood Harris read for Wood.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Harris read for what? Raw.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

He read for Quentin.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Wow.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah. You know, I knew Wood since when we were at nyu. He was in acting program. I was in the film program, and I did my second year movie with him. And he's a tremendous actor. And his brother Steve, like, read for Lance, and we were very close to casting him.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my gosh.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Very close.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

What movie was that that you guys did?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Oh, it's a short called Morningside Prep.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Wow.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, yeah, but, yeah, Wood red for that. Michael Jai White came in and read for Lance. You know, there were a bunch of people that came in. Regina King.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Regina. Whoa.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

She was looking at Jordan. Wow. She was looking at Jordan.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Now, wait a minute. If it was done in today's day. What character you think I could have played?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

You're Jordan.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I'm Jordan. Down, boots. Yes, I would.

[Keke Palmer]

Totally fierce.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Harper.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Would you slap him upside his head?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yes. Now, wait a minute. I heard that was an improv.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It was not.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, okay.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

They telling that story now. Listen, I will tell you, baby.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

This is Icky Palma. Yeah.

[Keke Palmer]

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[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

All.

[Keke Palmer]

I'm hosting my very own Airbnb Original Experience in Chicago on December 17, and it is all about cooking up some love in the kitchen. Imagine this culinary dream. You, me, my pops, and a local chef with mad skills, all in one kitchen, cooking up a stick storm. We're talking flavors so good, the make youe Taste Buds do a happy dance. We're talking delicious recipes, kitchen secrets, and plenty of laughs. We're about to make this kitchen feel like the hottest cooking show in town.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And y' all know when my dad.

[Keke Palmer]

And I get together, there is bound to be some entertainment. We might even share our secret ingredient for the perfect comfort food.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I don't know about that one. The best part?

[Keke Palmer]

It's not just about what's cooking in the pots and pans. It's the laughs we'll share, the stories we'll tell, and, yes, the absolutely incredible food we'll devour together. When good people gather in the kitchen, that's where the real magic happens. So whether you're a kitchen pro or novice, this experience is for everyone who loves good food and good company. And trust me, by the end of our time together, you'll feel like a culinary superstar. So if you're ready to roll your sleeves up and join me for some culinary fun, head to airbnb.com kiki to learn more about my Airbnb Original Experience. Experience. Let's make some magic in the kitchen together.

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[Malcolm D. Lee]

What did happen that morning was I was I had written some new pages because he had gotten beaten up so bad that it wasn't going to work the way it was scripted because he had come in a little bit more aggressive and it just didn't quite work. And so you know there's new pages so they were, like, trying to catch up. The whole crew was trying to catch up to everything. And there was supposed to be a stunt person on set. And I think there was. I can't remember exactly what happened, but obviously Tay was a little bit caught off guard with the impact of what happened. And so that's why you guys woo. You know, on that. But it was definitely scripted. It was never not something. She just went ahead and smacked him.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Then it would have been like. That would have taken a way, way longer a day there, you know. Hey, wait a minute. You can't do that. That was the Malcolm. And didn't. Did not go down like that at all.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So you said something that was interesting. That made me think about a conversation that I had with Rick Famua, who was on the show before. You said it took $9 million to make the Best Man.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And then you guys came in at what?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, our opening weekend, we made 9 million, and then I think we ended up grossing a total of 35. Now, I will tell you, had the Wood not preceded it the same year, like, only like five months earlier, I think we would have made more.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Wow.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Because I just think people got confused. They were like, oh, this Black Wedding movie. And Taye Diggs and Sanaza.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, it was almost the same character.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It was almost the same type of movie.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, but totally different, right?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I mean, you know, they're different movies, but it's just like, you know.

I remember Spike saying, we gotta come out before them. And I was like, we're not gonna be able to do that. He was like, well, we gotta do something because we don't want to be the second.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Both classics. And I was talking about this with him, like, in that vhs, that DVD era, like, that's also how black films won is because people was like, I gotta have that.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

But what the real question I wanted to say was, do you think it's true? Because this is what he said. He said, if we can make that. This is the reality. If we can make our movies for under 8 to 10 million, then they'll always be successful.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, if they're good, right?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

He said, but if you can make it, you gotta make it for that low. And that just kind of, to me, was like, damn. So the movie's gotta always be low because the chances are so slim. It was just an interesting thing.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

He has a lot more experience than that. When he did Dope, Dope is a fricking fantastic movie, and he made that for very little money. And so he's got practice in that. I'm sure it was under 8 million or in that vein. Yeah. I mean, I think it depends on audiences, tastes or whatever. Do they have to be all under $10 million? That would be helpful, for sure.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

But then, obviously, we have situations like what you did with Girls Trip. I mean, that's rare. That's not common. But how do you make that happen? I mean, that movie came in at 100. It grows over 100 million domestically. I mean, this was history.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

120, 100. I mean, that's maybe 110. I can't remember, but 148 worldwide.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I mean.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

No, listen, how do you do that, man?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

You know, movies are about timing. You know, you have to have the right. I tell everybody, Best man was the right script at the right time.

[Keke Palmer]

Sure.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

You know, Girls Trip was the right movie at the right time. Right. Everyone needed a laugh. Right. We had just elected somebody.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And I think people needed to laugh. And I think that, you know, at a certain release date, certain materials have to kind of all coalesce so that, boom, it can take off. You just don't. You can't necessarily plan for it. You know, you can try to the best you can, but there's so many factors at work that make a movie launch successful, particularly these days. You know, people aren't going to the movie theater as much as they used to.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Not at all.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And they want to go. If it feels like an event, they can't miss it. Right.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And it's so crazy because you said in Forbes that a director has to have one ear in commerce and the other one in creativity. And I feel like that really tracks with everything you just said. I mean, everything that we're seeing you doing. But I'd love to know exactly what.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, I mean, you know, I think it's not pure artistry. Right. You know, you can be an artist, and that's great, but you could also be a starving artist. I don't want to starve.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, right.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I didn't never wanted to starve. Like, I wanted to, like, you know, make. Make something that people would understand and be digestible. So you have to see. Okay. How do I get my movie made? When I. When I wrote the first Best Man, I was timing it for when Soul Food came out.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And that's one of my favorites.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, great movie. George Tillman, one of my guys. When I saw that that was coming out and it was gonna star, you know, Nia and Vanessa and Vivica and Babyface, Was producing it.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Soundtrack. Back when soundtracks was doing something. Yeah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And I said, okay, like this might be successful. And if it is successful, they'll be looking for the next soul food. This is a copycat industry. Right. So they want. So you have to like, look at, okay, what's playing, what's gonna work. Same thing with Best Man Holiday. Best Man Holiday.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Perfect.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

We got to a place where, you know, black so called black movies were not working and they weren't making them. Right. And then I pitched them the idea for it. I said, here's the idea. And they said, okay, what's next? I said, I gotta wait till Jumpin the Broom comes out.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh my gosh.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And if that's successful, then they'll say, okay, well, this is a proven wedding movie. Even though mine was not a wedding, it was going to be a funeral. And they were like, does it have to be a funeral? I was like, yes, it does. That's what we're doing.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Wow.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

So you have to, you have to have an eye on what's trending, what's, what's, and how do you fit into that?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And how does your artistry fit into that? So that's, that's how like my mindset has been.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And I think even more specifically, what do these things mean about black storytelling and about our window of time? You know what I mean? Don't want to always put emphasis on it, but it does. Emphasis has to be there because either there are not enough people that are at the table to understand this aspect. You know, I think maybe that's it. It's just you don't understand how to tell our stories or how to market our movies. And so does that put more on the creatives or.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, I mean, you know, look like, like everything I've ever tried to do, they're universal stories. Meaning like any group of people could fit into these characters. Right. It has cultural specificity.

[Keke Palmer]

Yep.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

But these are universal stories, you know, about love, about friendship, about family, about whatever. Right. Settings that people all can understand and relate to and put a face on it that is, you know, culturally specific.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. So, any tea on Girls Trip two? How do we make this happen?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

We hope we're working on it. We're working on it. And see, here's the thing about any sequel that I want to do. Right. Like the expectation bar for Girls Trip, you know, the first one was like, oh, it was about here. And we met and exceeded that. Right. So the bar's here now. And so girls trip 2 has to meet that bar.

And or exceed it, and that's not easy to do. So the script's gotta be great. The actors have to be ready to go. I have to be on my game to direct it. And so that's what we're all trying to figure out.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And you did a few sick. I mean, you did Space Jam. You did scary movie 5.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Don't mention that one. Don't mention that. Scratch that from the record, please.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And then obviously, you've created this frame.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Barbershop.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Barbershop. I was in Barbershop too.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I was. Did number three. I know.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Dang. We finally worked together.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It's gonna happen.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my gosh, please. It needs to. You heard it here on Baby.

[Keke Palmer]

This is Keke Palmer.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

We have to hold Malcolm to it.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Hold me to it.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

How did you approach deciding to continue the story of the Best Man? Because it would seem to most people that, oh, this can only be one. But then you did the Last Holiday, and then you guys did the peacock and now the book. So how.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, it wasn't really kind of planned, you know, there was talk of doing the first. I mean, a sequel to Best man right away, but I was like, this is my first movie. I don't want to be a one trick pony. I don't want to tell this one story. I need to grow. The characters need to grow. I'll revisit these characters in, like, 10 years. So that's what happened. And just so happened, though, when it. When it came to it, again, very much strategy involved. As I said, what's my brand? My brand is Best Man. Because, like, there wasn't a lot of work happening for me at the time. I was able to revive that, revive the cast. They all needed it, too. And we made it happen. And we left it open ended with Best Man Holiday. And it was like Universal was like, well, we're not gonna make this movie right away. We couldn't agree on a budget at the time. So I was like, okay, how do I flip this? Because we left people hanging on who's Quentin gonna marry, right? So, like, okay, streaming was very much in a good place. So we'll do eight, ten episodes on that. So that worked out, but I was done after that, you know? But after the smoke cleared and the dust settled, I was like, let me try this novel thing that I've been wanting to do. And so it continues. Plus, the fans said they wanted more. If they said, okay, we love it. We're done. I'm finished. Great. Then I Would have been, okay, we're done. But wanted more, and I wanted to try my hand at novel writing. And I think we've given them an experience that is not only literary, but cinematic.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I cannot wait to read it because I'm definitely one of the fans that wanted more.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Oh, you're gonna love it. Yes, you are going to love it.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Now, you said something interesting when you were talking about the Best man being your sixth screenplay.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I'm just curious, have we seen those other five screenplays? Have you ever revisited them? Do you revisit your works?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Man, those. Let's see.

No, the only one that came close was the one that I was trying to sell Best man for a couple of times. It's a romantic comedy.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

What was it called?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Feast and Famine.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Feast and Famine. What was it about?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It's kind of like a classic New York love story.

College friends, you know, who became lovers.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Whoa.

[Keke Palmer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Starring.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It could be. Let's. Hey, let's discuss.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my God. Because I have to tell you, I had Tay on, and we were just sitting here talking about those rom coms of. I mean, the golden era of your. I mean, we think about the best man. We think about. So all the movies we were naming Love Jones. Love Jones. You know, what do you think? Has something happened or are we just living in nostalgia? You know, nostalgia. Sometimes we just love what was. Or is there truly something missing with the rom coms of today?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I think there's a combination.

You know, I think there's. People have nostalgia for the 90s and in the early 2000s and like, oh, I want that feeling back. Right? But, you know, those types of movies don't get put on the big screen. They're not as magical if they're not on a big screen, to me, right? And so they're on streaming and they're on television and stuff. And, you know, they're happening in longer form series, like, forever, right? Like, it's not really a romantic comedy, but it's a romantic love story. And so I think people want that. I don't think want it on the big screen. And they're not gonna put the kind of marketing dollars behind it unless you got, like, two undeniable stars in it. You know what I mean? I think.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And you think that literally is just the impact of streaming and just the way.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I think that's part of it. I think that's like, you know, youth pretty much drives movies, right? Like, at least those types of movies or, you know, unless they're like big event movies and I think that it's harder. Cause people can get their romantic comedy, you know, Jones fixed, you know, with a smaller screen. I would love to see a big romantic comedy come back. Like When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall. Those are like so much my favorite movies.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, mine too. And it does feel like there's been a difference. But it's interesting to see that, you know, sometimes there's just so much happening, we're having so much content, you don't even know which way to look.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Right. But you know, key, we should go into the studio, you and me, put a script down, be like, let's make this. Let's go.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Famine.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, I'm here for you. Who you want in there?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Well, this is.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

How about Damson Idris?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I know everybody's saying Damson Idris. I mean, if that's who's gotta be, then, hey, you don't have to pull my leg.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I would say like, you know, like, let's do that.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I'm here for Damson.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Mm, good.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

But you know what I'm also here for? I'm here for a young girl, older guy. Love story too. Mm, that's weird.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I don't know. Like, I think it'd be kinda cool.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

It could be kinda cool.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Like what? What?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Like me and Idris Alba.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Oh, my goodness.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

He too old?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I don't. I'm a little uncomfortable with that one. Me personally.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

But I mean, you know, howling.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I don't know.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I'm here for Damson. Okay, if it's Damson, it's Damson.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Okay.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

You know, so let's heard. Let's get into some of these IMDb questions real quick because I want you to break down if these things are fact or fiction.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Oh, boy.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Baby, this is.

[Keke Palmer]

Yeah.

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[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I live for the tropical blend, but.

[Keke Palmer]

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Your wellness routine is about.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

To be that girl.

You already said that Jordan slapping Harper wasn't improv. That was true. So we can knock that off now. In Girls Trip, they said Taraji P. Henson was initially offered the role of Dina. Is that true?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Not true.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

That ain't true either.

[Keke Palmer]

Wow.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Is there any actor that you haven't worked with that you'd want to?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, yeah, plenty. I would love to work with Will. I'd love to work with Eddie.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my gosh. Will and Eddie.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I'd love to work with Damson. There's Idris. You know, there's plenty. Plenty.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah. I love all those people you just named.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Viola Davis. Yeah, I mean, Angela Bassett.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, Angela. Okay. Night school. The film was shipped to theaters under.

[Keke Palmer]

The name Christian Chickens.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Is that true?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

What?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I didn't even know they did that. Do you guys ship movie names? Like sequels?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Oh, that's interesting. Maybe they did. I don't know. That's funny, though.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah. I'm like, when I heard that, I was like, really? They did that?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Maybe because they didn't want to get it stolen or bootlegged or something like that. Maybe that's what they Did.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah. Okay, that's another one that was wrong. Okay, this is.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

But it might not be wrong. That might be correct.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Okay, so that's gonna.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It had nothing to do with me.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

That one's Cliffhanger.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Okay.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

The best man, Lorenz Tate, was offered the lead role of Harper Stewart, but turned it down because he felt it was too similar to his character.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I saw that. He said that. That's not true.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So you saw that he said that.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I saw that. And I was like, Lorenzo, you know, and I love Lorenz. That's my guy. But, like, that's definitely not true. And that would be the reason that I would not want him to do because, I mean, it was very similar to Darius in Love Jones. I would not have done that. And Lorenz is great. Love him. Now, there was something else that I had for Lorenz, but I can't talk. No, you gotta say no, I can't say it.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

No, please.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It's not. It's not. It's not.

[Keke Palmer]

How come?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It's disrespectful. Never mind. Next question.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Damn, that was gonna be good.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I'll tell that later. My memoir.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

All right. All right. Okay. So looking back, do you have. Do you feel like there are any early mistakes that you made or just differences? Okay, so tell us, for the up and coming directors, what are some major things to look out for?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I think, you know, I'm a writer director, and that's what I thought I was. I was like, you know, I'm an auteur. I want to do that. Like when I came out, best man, you know? And of course, when you do a movie like that, that's number one at the box office. That. That everybody. I'm the prom queen. All of a sudden, everybody wants to dance, right? So, like, they're telling me how great I am and blah, blah, blah. So I'm thinking, yeah, that's. I am great. And then there are things come along. Hey, we'd like you to direct this. And I'm like, well, I didn't write it, so I'm not gonna direct it. And, hey, we'd like you to write this thing while I get to direct it. I don't think so. Well, maybe. And I'm like, no, I'm not gonna do a maybe. Right. If I'm gonna get myself into it. So I think early on, I was like, I could have been a lot more open to opportunities.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Cause, you know, you. And you also. I got very much to a place where I was like, oh, I'm going To do this and say tunnel vision, you have to. You see people attached to all kinds of things. Right. Because you never know what's gonna go right. Tastes change. Studio heads change. You know, budgets change. Actors suddenly, like, they're in the stratosphere now or they're. We don't want to work with them anymore. So it's like you have to, like, have multiple things going and not just put all your eggs in one basket. So those are a lot of those lessons I learned very early on. And, you know, you have to, like, diversify.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah, I feel the same exact way. I think it's so important.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Oh, I know. I've been trying to get with you, and you be like, you. Like. I don't know if I can do all that.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Malcolm's never called me, guys. He just made that up.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Right now. I talk to your people, though.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

He never did that. Malcolm playing around. Cause when you called, I'm picking it.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

All right, I'm get that number.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Okay, it's done. Deal. You did another one of my favorite movies. My family and I watch it all the time. Welcome home, Roscoe Jenkins. I mean, some of the funniest people ever. Monique, obviously. Martin Lawrence, Sex the Entertainer. I mean, it was just. How was that being on set? I mean, you've got to be a fan of improv when you're doing something fantastic.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It's funny that you say that, because, you know, when I did Undercover Brother.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, yes.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It was very different than Best Man. And I tried to treat it, you know, the same way as a director. Like, okay, no, no, say that. Say the line like this then. But you have to let comedians improv. They gotta be in the moment. They have to, like, you know, feel like, fresh when they're delivering stuff. So I remember when did Roscoe. You know, they weren't improv. Like, Cedric wasn't improving. And Mike. And like, you know, well, Mike always improv because he never remembers his lines. Mike Epstom talking.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I've heard that about. Cause he did. I'm a Virgo with boots. And it was the same thing he said.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, but he always comes with brilliant stuff. Right? So what's crazy is, like, we. We. We try to do the. The. The movie. And they're. They're not, like, going off book. And I'm like, guys, I didn't cast you not to. To be funny. So, like, go off. They were being very deferential to me and to the script, thinking that I wanted, no, no, do it. And so, yeah, that was fantastic. I mean, Monique and Mike and Cedric Martin, Michael Clarke Duncan, may he rest in peace. James Earl Jones made Rest in Peace. I mean, fantastic cast and I think an underrated movie.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah. I mean, you know, I always go back and forth with that term, underrated. Cause it's like, what are we basing it off of? Because it really is a classic. But, you know, we never, you know, it's like everybody always says that every other day about stuff. But it's underrated. And it's like, but is it if we love it, you know?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Well, that's what I'm saying. Like, who doesn't get the credit, you know?

[Keke Palmer]

Yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

No, I totally agree. I mean, in 99, you told the Washington Post it's important to make of fun, full black male characters because we've been vilified in the media, not just in Hollywood, but television and. But by ourselves.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And I was talking about that, actually with Wood on Forever, about seeing these more nuanced black characters. And I remember thinking to myself, like, the circle of the best, man. Everybody had a dope job. They were nuanced. Like you said, it was given my homeboy's Wedding, but it was also given I'm living and working in corporate America. It was like showcasing the conversation around assimilation, code switching, and the realities that we have. The dual realities that our culture exists in. But like you said, at the same time, being characters that anybody could play. But centering the culture anyhow, not to get so long winded. I'm just curious for you, like, going into the industry with that being your. Your mind frame, how difficult has it been to maintain that intentionality?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I don't know. I mean, I've had a pretty good run. You know what I'm saying? My production company is called Blackmailed Production. It's M A L E D. And, you know, I love black men. You know, I love us. I love, you know, how we interact. And I really wasn't seeing us prior to doing Best man, you know, in a way that I thought was authentic. And so I'm always gonna, you know, protect us. And it's continued in all my work, whether it's Roscoe or Space Jam, like, you know, a father son story or a barbershop father son story as well. You know, roll bounce. Same thing. Roll bounce.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my gosh. And first of all, I've always been a huge fan of Bow Wow, and I love Bow wow. Transitioned to movies, and when he started just acting, I mean, it's so true what you say. And I gotta tell you, man, I appreciate it. So much. Because for me, a lot of times, like, as a kid growing up in the 90s, I mean, I'm. I'm looking and I'm saying, these are my uncles.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

This is how my dad is.

[Keke Palmer]

Right.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

This was like, finally. But when I. When I seen the Wood, when I seen Best man, when I seen. So for him, like, these are the people in my life.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Right. You recognize them?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

You know what I mean?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And, yeah, I wasn't recognizing people that were educated.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

It's like, people didn't get with boys in the hoods. Like, y'.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

All.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

That was boys in the hood. That's not every boy everywhere.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Exactly.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

That's why the damn movie was Boys in the hood.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Right.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Every boy not in the hood. Right.

[Keke Palmer]

You know, it was just.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Not everybody's a minister of society either.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, they was trying to. They was explaining stuff in the titles, but they kind of blanketed it over the whole culture. So we needed those different expressions.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I think so. Because we exist.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

We exist. Yeah. For a lot of people, the industry can feel very hard to access, and I feel probably even harder, maybe when you were coming up than maybe now with social media. I don't know if you feel that it's made it easier for people, but what is a good stepping stone? Because, I mean, when people ask me, I don't even really know what to say.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It's hard. I mean, there's no, like, magic formula.

[Keke Palmer]

No.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Right. At all. Right. It is a industry of relationships. You have to have something that people want. You have to have something that people that think is marketable. That's why I say, like, you know, the best man was the right script at the right time, you know? Cause they were like, oh, we see this. We can make this wedding. Movies are very popular, and there's a plethora of black actors out there that can fill these roles. So, you know, I think, yes, there's a lot more access, you know, and you can get your stuff seen, but everybody can get their stuff seen now. So it's kind of flooding the market a little bit. It's harder to stand out. But, you know, I think right now, this generation of filmmakers needs to define what their story is.

[Keke Palmer]

Yeah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

And I don't see that happening right now. I don't know, what is their Breakfast Club? What is their. They're super bad, you know, And I would love to see that happen. And I think there's an opportunity for indie filmmakers to, you know, break through as well.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

You know, and really make A splash that way. And like, you know, like, into what? To Rick's point, do a low budget thing and hopefully it delivers high.

[Keke Palmer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Because you can't. I mean, when you do do that, I mean, it's like, how. I mean, there's only up that we can go. You don't want to always do it that way. But if you want to do a series of things, it's definitely a good way to freak the system.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yes.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Another thing that I always think about too is like ownership. You talk about blackmailed productions. I mean, having your own production company, doing your own work, starting your own infrastructure. I think there's a piece that a lot of sometimes we don't think about. You know, you're always just outputting and trying to catch on to something else. But I always try to encourage entertainers, whether they are producers, directors, actors or otherwise, create a thing that allows you to continue to create on your own.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Terms if you can do it. I mean, you know, like, you know, Tyler Perry is a genius in what he's done and, like, you know, cultivated his own audience, very loyal audience. And he's built upon that. Cause he. And he really, you know, he's a businessman. He really, like, cultivated that audience and kept it going. Not everybody can do. Like, I'm not built like that, you know, or I haven't built like that. I rely on people who are like, oh, we like you, so here's some money to. I'm like, please. But, you know, it's funny. Like, I tried to go the indie route. It doesn't always work for people.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

It's tough. I mean, the Wayans brothers are people who I always, like, admired for that. I mean, they were. And comedians in general, there was a time where comedians was always doing their own movies. Always.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah. Or television shows.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Or television shows. Creating their own things. And, like, we don't get that as much anymore. Like, that's straight to dvd. That's straight to the consumer vibe, which I think.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Who's the funny person now? Who's the funniest? Stand up right now. I don't know who that person is.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Stand up. Exactly right.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Like, you know, like, you gotta, like, those voices have to be cultivated and also platformed, you know, like the way they did with Def Comedy Jam. Like, you know, a lot of comedians got their platform there.

[Keke Palmer]

Yep.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

And I remember who got jokes, too. Def Jam Comedy Jam, who's got jokes. Yeah, we don't have a lot of that stuff anymore. And it definitely is important. We think about Friday. That's where Chris Tucker. Somebody seen him on stage, put him in a movie.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

That's exactly right.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I could talk to you all day. There's so many things I do want to give a shout out to Dr. Camille because you guys have been married for what, over 25 years? I was trying to read 20.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Let's see. We got married in 20. 25 years. We just celebrated 25th. Yeah. And we've been together 31 years in October.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my gosh. I mean, that's such a blessing. The boys that you guys have.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Langston, Lennox and Lucas.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my gosh. You guys like the L's?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

She likes alliteration. So she was like, these are all Ls. I was like, okay, fine with me.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I love that so much. And you guys have two totally different careers. Like, I mean, but she's. But you kind of both study people.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

She's super educated, right? She's like. She's got like five master's degrees and a PhD and I'm just like, are we done with school now, please? But you know, I would not be the man that I am or the career that I without her. And yeah, she's a psychotherapist. She's always. It's so funny. For years, you know, people always come to her and talk to her. I say, babe, you need to be just like Lucy, put your shingle out five cents and let's go talk. Yes, right. But you didn't charge me for this. You're getting too much free advice.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Oh, my gosh. Well, she that lady that all these people need to sit on the couch of. Go ahead, see Dr. Camille. Talk to that lady. All right, I'm running out of time with you, so I want to play a quick little game before you go, okay? And it's called Malcolm Knows Best. A little play off of the best man.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Usually Malcolm does know best, but go on, you gotta tell my kids that.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

So pretty much I'm gonna give you some category of some classic, you know, films, people, et cetera. Just different categories. And you gotta pick the best. It's really hard, okay? You gotta lose friends over this.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Oh, boy.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I'm kidding. All right, Are you ready?

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I don't think you are kidding.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Okay, pick the best installment. The best man 1999 the best man holiday 2013 the best the final chapters.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

2022.

Best man unfinished Business Woo.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I'm ready for this. I mean, that's pretty big, what you just said.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I stand by it.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Stand behind ten toes.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yep.

[Keke Palmer]

Ten fingers.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yep.

[Keke Palmer]

Period.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Okay. Modern Black rom coms. Love Jones Brown Sugar, the Wood Lovin Basketball.

[Keke Palmer]

The best.

Boy.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Listen, Gina is my girl, okay? Gina. Prince Wrath is my girl, and I love her. I love that movie. But I'm going with Love Jones.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Omg. Love Jones was so sad.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

It's one of my favorite. It very much inspired me to write Feast and Fam. But also best man, Oldboy was such a hater.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

My comedian Bill Bellamy, he was hating all the damn time on Darius. Like, boy, get up off his back.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Exactly.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Okay.

[Keke Palmer]

Sitcoms that raised us.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

The Cosby Show, A Different World. Martin, Living single.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Cosby Show. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, listen, it's beautiful. Rest in peace, Malcolm. Jamal Warner. Yeah, I mean, that. That. That was. I mean, we didn't have a house that nice, but we lived. We lived in a brownstone in Brooklyn. And, you know, I'd be like, that's not real with black people. I said, that is real black people to me. And so. Yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

What were your. Were your parents artistic? Cause I've seen that you. Not only you.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, my dad was a school teacher, but he was. He's a musician. You know, his. His. His brothers and sisters had a. A jazz group called the Descendants of Mike and Phoebe. That's my long lineage of family. A shout out to them. And my mom was a medical records administrator, and then she eventually became a college professor. Wow. And taught people to read.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

That's incredible. That's incredible. So y' all was like, you know, the Cosby's comedy icons in their prime.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Okay.

[Keke Palmer]

Bernie Mac, Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Kevin.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Hart, Eddie Murphy, Dari, Eddie Murphy, period.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

It was quick. It was not even a question. I got the chance to work with Eddie in my last project, and it was really good.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

I saw that. I saw the trailer for it. It looks good.

[Keke Palmer]

Oh, my gosh.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

With Tim. I'm sure you know Tim.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I. I loved it. It was the best ever. I mean, he's really, really chill, but his. My mom always told me as a kid, you know, comedy stems from reality. But when you see someone really do situational improv as quickly and as in tune as he does, it, really, it's a masterclass.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

He's a genius. He's an absolute genius. Like, unparalleled.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Yeah. Well, that's it. That's all I got. Malcolm, I'm really excited for the call.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Are we done already?

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

We're literally done.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Oh, boy. I know we'll have to do this again.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

We have to.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

Or on some set.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

I mean, your words to God, ears. Yes. Thank you so much.

[Malcolm D. Lee]

My pleasure. Thank you.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Malcolm D. Lee has built a body.

[Keke Palmer]

Of work that truly lasts.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Films that connect across generations and put.

[Keke Palmer]

Our culture front and center. From the best man to roll bounce.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

To the pages of his new book.

[Keke Palmer]

He'S never stopped finding new ways to reflect who we are with honesty and so style.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Thank you, Malcolm for the stories, the.

[Keke Palmer]

Laughs and the blueprint.

[Interviewer (possibly Kiki Palmer)]

Baby, this is keke Palmer. Baby, this is this is Kiki. Baby, this is kiki Palmer. Yeah.

[Keke Palmer]

Baby this is keke palmer is hosted and executive produced by me, keke palmer. Lucas Siegel is our post producer. Our producers are Lauren Hampton and Molly Nestor and Hilary esty mclaughlin is our executive producer. Production services provided by evolution media Our original theme song was written and performed by me, keke Palmer for team keke. My producer is Sharon Palmer for wondery. Our managing producer is Olivia fonti. Senior managing producer is Nick Ryan. And our executive producers are Emily feldbrake, Erin o' flaherty and Marshall Louie.