You ladies know that we love a good conversation around here, so here's one to get your day started. And it's gooood.
Actor, Dondre Whitfield and his wife, Salli Richardson, are one of those long-term Hollywood marriages that we love to celebrate. They are approaching their 20th wedding anniversary and--to be honest--we're probably more excited than they are about it. Black love is precious and significant to the culture, and they, along with many others who have survived the test of time, are a testament to getting this love thing right.
The two met in the most hilarious way, on the set of Dondre's then television show, Between Brothers. He tells the story to and audience on a live panel for the popular show, Black Love.
"My producers come to me and they say, 'hey, we're going to be casting someone opposite your character. Who do you think would be good in that role?' I always said from seeing her on screen before me met, if I ever get time with her, there's gonna be a problem. I knew it."
He then goes on to say he never thought she'd agree to playing the character, being that her career was taking off and she starred in multiple movies, most notably, A Low Down Dirty Shame. But to his surprise, the producers were able to secure her for the role. Their chemistry eventually led to them going to lunch together and the rest goes down in 'where is my Boaz' history.
"Literally, when we first got together, we spent five days straight--like, I didn't go home. I slept with my clothes on, we didn't do anything. It was the first time in my life that I didn't try anything. There was something about her that I just felt that connection. Everyday I took her to breakfast. I went to the mall so I could buy me some new clothes. I didn't go home for five says straight. That's literally how that happened. That was 22 years ago."
Y'all, I just looove stories like this!
Anywho, Salli, who is now a director and has signed a two-year deal with HBO to develop and direct projects, didn't exactly express the same sentiments. She actually feels that women don't know if their husbands are the one, until they've been married as long as they have.
"I don't know that our journey was as smooth, you know? We had our ups and downs and breakups to figure out, how we work this out, especially in Hollywood and both being in the business and different types of pressures. But listening to you, I feel like once you got married, you don't know still. You don't know what you're signing up for. And I truly believe that now, in our marriage, I don't know if I knew then, but I know now."
Her comment was piggy-backing off of Melissa Fredericks' earlier statement, where they each agreed that you never know if someone is 'the one' until you've been married for a long time. And while men are able to pinpoint the moment where they knew a woman could be their wife, women never know until much later in life. Fredricks said:
"I think the biggest thing about any relationship is that it's really a risk. People have great dating experiences, people have great engagement periods and marriages that doesn't indicate that a marriage is going to last. But now that we've been married for 15 years, I feel like I know now more today than the day I stood on my wedding day. I know today that was a good decision 15 years ago."
Whew, my wig!
It's a really interesting perspective and conversation. Watch the video below (convo starts at the 10:00 mark):
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Featured image by Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com