Towards the close of April, folks were treated to five remarkable Adidas commercials that starred Donald Glover and Mo’Nique.
Glover wrote the ads, and he hired the famed comedian, who he had perfect chemistry with — despite meeting her for the first time before the shoot. Mo’Nique talked about the experience in a new interview with Complex, and she had nothing but praise for the “Atlanta” actor.
Throughout the discussion, she gushed about how he reached out, the way he treated her on set and how he respected her craft. She also went on about how talented Glover is, as well as his team.
“It was refreshing to see him be beautifully brilliant and his team, like, that black man and his team were so beautiful,” said Mo’Nique. “And that’s why if it appeared effortless, it was because when you’re around brilliant minds and there are no egos and there are no ‘I got to be in charge.'”
It has certainly been a long road filled with many potholes for Mo’Nique since she fell out with Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels for business reasons several years ago.
Mo’Nique claimed she was blackballed afterward and a lot of industry folks turned their back on her, so she was touched that Glover reached out. Not only for the opportunity to work with him, but because it seemed like he was making a statement by hiring her.
She then talked about the difference between working with Glover and other Black men in Hollywood, and she called out the film producer Will Packer in the process.
“I’ve worked with black men who weren’t concerned [about] how I got back home from the set after working 23 hours,” Mo’Nique explained. “But then to work with Donald Glover and his team, and they wanted to make sure that you have enough waters in your trailer. ‘Is the fruit OK? Is this nice? Is that nice?’ They were checking the whole way through. That has nothing to do with entertainment, that has everything to do with your upbringing.”
“Now, that black man that I’m speaking about that didn’t know how to do that, his name was Will Packer,” she added. “I remember the last thing I did working with that black man it was a little disappointing.”
And whether Mo’Nique and Glover will be working together again, the Baltimore native said she’d do it in a heartbeat if the call ever came in.
“When Donald Glover says, ‘Hey, Mo, you want to come play?’ I’m going to say ‘When and where baby?’ And I’m sure if I said ‘Hey, Donald, you want to come play?’ I’m sure that baby would say ‘When and where?'” she stated.
