Neither Cory Hardrict nor Meagan Good want audiences to confuse their lived experiences with the drama that unfolds in their new film “Divorce in the Black.” The two stars play husband and wife Dallas and Ava in the Tyler Perry dramatic thriller about a marriage gone awry.
At this point in his career, the Chicago native is a veteran at playing characters whose moral compass is askew.
“Most of my characters been dark. … That’s what I do. I know how to play that guy really well, street guy, you know what I’m saying. And I feel at home playing that character, so it’s kind of like an easy transition when I get these characters,” Hardrict told “The Breakfast Club” in a July 12 interview.
He says that with “Divorce in the Black,” the physical and emotionally charged scenes with co-stars Good and Debbi Morgan were the most challenging.
“I’ve never put hands on a woman in my life, so that was hard. So I had to ask her, ‘You OK?’ Like touching her hand, you know I had to throw her over the kitchen, and I felt bad …she’s fragile. But she said, ‘Cory, go for it. I’ve been doing this. Be an actor. Play Dallas, service the character,’” he recalled of Good encouraging him to give his all.
Things were not any easier with Morgan. “That was hard as hell, man. … It’s a scene I have with Ms. Debbi Morgan and I had to grab her. I had to call her out her name. She’s like, ‘Baby, grab me.’ Like she grabbed my hand. When she did that, I grabbed her,” Hardrict says. He would also go on to speak about fan encounters where it was apparent that people were unable to separate him from his roles.
“I’m glad Cory’s addressing how some ppl can’t separate fiction from reality. Some ppl think these movies are documentaries,” read a comment on YouTube. On Twitter, Hardrict’s embodiment of Dallas has earned him praise. A fan tweeted, “Divorce in the Black is pretty good…Cory channeling his inner Ike, acting is good.”
Hardrict admitted he studied Laurence Fishburne’s character as Ike Turner in “What’s Love Got to do With It.” He said, “Ike was a character and I’m playing a character, so people should know the difference.”
Another person wrote, “Everyone in Divorce in the Black pissing me TF off. from the daddy to that boy following her around! But Cory slaying tf out of being an a**hooole!”
Despite the actors who both have experienced divorce in the past two years saying that the film was therapeutic for them, a fourth fan said, “It traumatized me!!”
Referring to the Good directly, one person on YouTube said, “Something is off with her can’t put my finger to it.”
The film’s subject matter and release come at a time when Good’s own love life has been thrust into the headlines. For a year now, she has been dating actor Jonathan Majors. Their relationship was publicized as the former Marvel villain’s ascent in Hollywood lost momentum when he was accused of physically harming his ex-girlfriend in March 2023.
Majors was charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment that same month. Weeks later, in May, it was confirmed that he and the “Harlem” star were dating. Good would appear by his side for multiple court appearances, including when he was found guilty of recklessly causing injury to his ex. She was also in his corner when he was sentenced this past April.
Good told People in a new interview that the “Creed III” star tried to persuade her from becoming romantically involved with him during that time. She echoed a similar sentiment in a separate interview where she revealed that even her friends advised her not to date the 34-year-old.
When asked by People about the real-life turmoil of Majors’ assault incident and her role in Perry’s project, Good had this to say: “I understand the comparisons, however, what I can is this, I don’t condone domestic violence at all 1000 percent. And for me, I just have to leave it there because anything else I say can be taken a different way or taken however somebody they may wanna take it.”
She added, “So I’ll just be very clear and say that’s something I do not condone.”
“Divorce in the Black” is now streaming on Prime Video.
