Regina Hall Talks About What Patience And Practice Have Taught Her In Hollywood
Season three of Showtime’s Black Monday returns on Sunday, May 23. Starring Don Cheadle and Regina Hall, the comedy follows the drama behind the 1987 stock market crash.
Hall plays the irreverently hilarious Dawn Towner, the only female head trader on Wall Street. Fans can expect tons of twists, especially with her playing opposite Cheadle, who has earned two Emmy nominations for his performance in the series.
Hall, 50, chatted with BET.com about her character’s evolution throughout the last three seasons including what she and Dawn have in common, and the lessons she has learned from other actors that she continues to use to up her own game in Hollywood.
BET.com: You play Dawn in the Showtime series Black Monday, as we enter season three of the show what changes are happening to your character this season that will surprise fans?
REGINA HALL: When we start the show, Dawn is still in prison and I think people will be surprised to see how she's been able to survive, how she's been able to use so many of the skills that she had outside of the pen, how she's able to use them inside. She unwittingly kind of ends up in the music industry with Mo, which could or could not be a good thing. [Laughs]
BET.com: Dawn is a pretty wild character. How have fans, especially on social media, reacted?
REGINA HALL: The feedback that I get, from what I hear, it's been positive. People like that she's ambitious, and unapologetic about her ambition —just what she means to be a Black woman in the '80s. I feel like she gets and receives a lot of love.
BET.com: How did you approach a character from the 80s to make it work so well for the present?
REGINA HALL: Things really don't change that much and that's the whole fun of the show. A lot of the things that we're referencing, sometimes it sounds ridiculous, but some of it is actually still happening today. The same way with women's progression, the fight continues. We just try to have a lot of fun and if there's commentary, that's because hindsight is 2020. That all really goes to our writers who do such a great job and may allow us to improv. When we get to go and have so much fun and kind of be bizarre and crazy in this setting and time period, it's great.
BET.com: What connection, if any, do you have to Dawn? Can you relate to her in any kind of way?
REGINA HALL: I don't know if I can relate to Dawn, but I love that she's no filter Dawn. You know what, I do have a connection. She's in a male dominated world and I only have brothers. I grew up as an only girl. I know what it is to have to fight for space and fight to feel like you're heard. Plus, my brothers are all older. I certainly understand the way she is so comfortable and the way she relates in a guy's world and how it's so normal for her.
BET.com: What advice do you have for an aspiring actor or actress who is trying to pursue their dreams in Hollywood?
REGINA HALL: Study and get great at what you do. It’s not the size of the role, it's just to get better at your craft. If you're able to really take the time to do scenes, study, get great techniques and practice – and patience.
I know, we're in an age where things do happen a little faster, but patience will allow you to grow and learn and study so that you have a technique and a practice to draw from. So, when you're working with amazing people, you are able to engage and still learn and work beside them. I feel like I still learn when I work with people every day. It's never ending but that's the fun of it.
Watch season three of Black Monday which premieres on Showtime on Sunday, May 23 10PM ET/PT.
