Melody Rae Interview: She Ball

She Ball, out August 6 in select theaters and On Demand through Redbox and Vertical Entertainment, has Nick Cannon written all over it. From directing to producing to screenwriting, the entertainment mogul wears all the hats in this sports-oriented romance drama. But while many surprising celebrities make appearances in the film – from Cedric the Entertainer to D.C. Young Fly – it is newcomer Melody Rae who is most surprising of all.

The rising star plays Shelby, a basketball lover who winds up playing for a local team. She crosses paths – and exchanges verbal lashings – with Avery (Cannon) through his sister and their mutual interest in the Inglewood community center. While they both love basketball, they seem to agree on very little else. Naturally, this means sparks must fly in more ways than one.

Rae spoke to Screen Rant about taking on her first major film role, transferring her real-life basketball skills to the screen, and the lessons she learned from her experienced costar.

Screen Rant: She Ball is your first big project. How did you land it, and what about the script spoke to you?

Melody Rae: Since I was a little girl, probably five years old, I started playing basketball. And I always said that I wanted a Love & Basketball-style film to be my first film.

It’s funny because, when this came into play, I hadn’t played basketball since college. I only played for one year in college – I had a full ride, and then I left it to model. Then when I got to L.A., I played in this league called Basketball Beauties in 2016. Nick Cannon came to see us get some basketball players for the movie.

When he did that, he was talking about the different roles that he had for people. For Shelby, he was looking at some supermodels, some WNBA players, and other actresses. He hadn’t really found the right person yet, so they suggested me. I auditioned, and here I am.

From the very beginning, Avery and Shelby have this confrontational, complicated dynamic that unveils itself over the course of the film. What would you say they see in each other that sparks that tension?

Melody Rae: At first, I would probably say it’s the dynamics of where they come from. Avery has gone through a lot, and he probably just sees me coming in as the white girl in his area. He’s like, “Who is this showing up and just staying at my house?” Yes, I know his sister, but I think it probably rubbed him the wrong way that I was coming into the community. It’s like, “Who is this playing in our league with my sister? She doesn’t understand us and what we deal with.”

But what he doesn’t know is that I don’t come from a great life either. I have a lot of different dynamics with my family as well, and I’ve dealt with not really having someone by my side. And I think as we start to get to know each other throughout the film, he sees that I’ve come from nothing and have had to do everything on my own.

I really enjoyed that aspect of the film, because you each have lessons that you need to learn about each other. Did you – either as an actress or as a person in a world full of racial tensions – feel like you learned something as well from the role and the film?

Melody Rae: Yeah, I think I’m always learning. I’ve always been someone that wants to learn, and I don’t think I know everything. Since I’ve been a kid, I’ve been in different racial dynamics. I’ve dated outside my race; I’ve played basketball my whole life, so there’s always been different races involved in that. And I think I’ve just always been accepting of people in general, so it’s never been something where I’m like, “I can’t hang out here. I can’t do that.” I’ve always been in the mix.

Working there, even when we were in a really bad area – I guess because I didn’t know that. I learned that when they were like, “Melody, you’re walking around?!’ I was making friends with everybody in the neighborhood that weren’t even on set. I’m like, “Hey, guys! What’s up?” while walking around in my onesie pajamas. I felt like I created a community there as well, and it was really cool.

They said that to me, too. I got a couple of people on set that said, “Man, you just walk around like you don’t see anything. You’re good with everyone. You get along with everybody.” Maybe people would say that’s naivety, but at the same time, I don’t think it is. I think I see people for who they are; the souls of individuals, and that’s a great gift I’ve had since I was a young kid.

I loved the contrast of Shelby stepping into this multi-generational home as someone lacking family herself. What is her reaction to all these new dynamics?

Melody Rae: Yeah. I think I pulled from just feeling the vibrations of each of them, and how they connected with each other. We’re acting, so obviously they’re not really a family – but it was great to see the dynamics of each character, and then where I played and fit into it.

When I feel people’s energy, I feel where they’re coming from, who they are as an individual – because you’re always pulling from experiences in your life for acting. You have to be good at it, of course, but I think acting comes from being empathetic and feeling people. Maybe you’ve not been through that, but just talking to someone and having a conversation with them? I can pull from that. That’s a cool thing that I feel has helped me in the acting world. That’s where I feel like I learned how to step into that family dynamic, and also relate to each character and each scene.

Despite this being your first big role, you got to act opposite Nick Cannon, who is very established in the industry. Furthermore, he wrote and directed this production. What was it like for you to learn from someone that is wearing so many hats?

Melody Rae: Yeah, I’m super thankful. I couldn’t have asked for a better team on that set. Nick was just incredible to work alongside, and I learned so much from our conversations between scenes. Even during the scenes, he helped me so much in understanding how everything works.

Some people can come in and may not be able to ad-lib or add in their own thing; they have to read word for word. But I’m able to play a little bit, and that’s another thing that he allowed us to do at times: play with the lines. He taught me a lot about that and how to handle that when some people were able to play and others aren’t. And then just learning about timing. When I saw it, I was like, “Wow, this is actually a skill that people have to pick up.” Because timing is everything, especially when you have multiple people coming in with different lines. It was really cool to learn from someone that’s been in the [industry].

And then also K.D. Aubert, Cedric the Entertainer, Luenell, Faizon Love… There were so many people in there that have been in different things. I just watched them and saw how they acted, and how they bring everything together. And the cameraman – I love the people running and doing all that. I don’t even know all the different names for everyone doing things for the set, but was just so cool to watch the teamwork and the alignment. I think it’s awesome how everybody had to come together in order for it to work.

Of course, our primary dynamic is Avery and Shelby. But Shelby also has something going on with Michael that maybe blossoms in an interesting direction. What would you say is her first impression of him, and what was it like working with Evan Ross?

Melody Rae: I think it was that he’s got a little bit of an ego, and he’s “the” guy. I feel girls go after the bad boys. You could see me be like, “Who is this? What’s he gonna do? How’s he gonna act?” But then also, he’s smooth. So, he worked his way in, and I was like, “Okay, I’ll give it a shot. I’m new.”

Avery’s being mean to me – he doesn’t even like me at all. So, there was nothing there in that moment. Meanwhile, this guy’s trying to be nice. He’s complimenting me, and he would just show up at random times. I was like, “Okay, let’s go and try this date, and see where it goes.” I think that dynamic is very much like real life. Girls go after the one that’s charming and has a big ego.

Then the one that’s kind of sweet and hard – because that’s what Avery is; he’s got this hard exterior, but on the inside, he’s very soft. Sometimes we don’t see that at first. We’ll go after the guy that’s putting on all the charm and the finesse, even though in the end, they might not be the best for you.

It was very much like real life in that aspect. But behind the scenes, as a person, Evan’s awesome.

There were also a lot of really interesting female dynamics there for you to play with. There’s Makeda, Magic – and of course, the whole basketball team. What was it like to play out all these relationships onscreen?

Melody Rae: The funny thing about Jaliyah [Manuel], who plays Magic, is that I actually put an Instagram post up of her years ago. I saw her online when her dad was posting about her. I was like, “Man, this girl’s work ethic is amazing,” so I reached out to her dad and posted, “This little girl is gonna be amazing.” And then years later, we’re in this movie together. That was insane.

I feel like God’s working for me in all these different dynamics. But that was really cool because I got to help her a lot. She’s never acted before either, so I sat with her a lot and helped her with lines and with feeling comfortable. I was like Mama Mel, or like another mom to her. I became really close to her family; my family still talks to her family to this day.

And then K.D. Aubert is a friend in real life now. That was the coolest thing too because we had to have that best friend dynamic. I think because we actually became close, it just made it even better. I couldn’t imagine otherwise – I mean, you have to. It’s acting, so you have to play best friends even if you don’t get along with someone in real life. So, it was a blessing that we actually got along.

When you are filming the basketball scenes for the camera, how different is it from real life? How do you have to adjust?

Melody Rae: I love you for asking that. I’ve played basketball my whole life, but filming is totally different than a game. I could have thousands of people in there in a real game and be fine. This was like, “You have to hit it at this time. This person’s walking by. This is happening. This shot has to go in.”

Most of the scenes I was doing fine with, but this one scene, I had to go over and over and over again. And I remember the last shot, I literally prayed. I was like, “God, I need your help right now. Just let me make this shot.” It was terrifying, and I had so much anxiety. I’m like, “I’ve done this my whole life. Why is this freaking me out?”

And Nick was great in that too. Nick came up and was like, “Guys don’t mess with her. This is not like a real basketball game. Don’t try to get in her head.” Because this is a lot of pressure, and there [are] different things and dynamics going on. You have to get it spot-on, and it is a totally different thing. That was cool to have him there, supporting me in that. And when I said that prayer, that ball went the next shot. The battery in the camera was about to go out too, so it was perfect timing.

Now that you’ve had this experience, are you looking for more roles? How has She Ball opened the door for you in terms of acting?

Melody Rae: I really would love to do a TV series that has multiple seasons, or even other films. I really want to do romantic comedies, and action films would be fun. I’m a lover, and I know that love never goes out of style. It’s always going to be in our lives; everyone loves a happy ending. So, I would love to have more romance films come out; to play in those and really take my career in that direction.

But I don’t have an agent or a manager yet, so that’s a whole other thing. This will open the door for me, and I want someone that really has my back. I know this industry really well, being in the modeling side for 13 years. I want someone that really pushes me and believes in me, and is not just out here with a billion people they’re representing. I need someone that really has my back – because I know that I’ll push myself, so I need somebody that believes in me like that as well.

She Ball will be out in select theaters on August 6, as well as available via Redbox and On Demand.

About The Author

Tatiana Hullender
(621 Articles Published)

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Tatiana Hullender is a writer at Screen Rant, focusing on film and television, as well as a co-host of several podcasts. In the interviews she conducts for Screen Rant, she seeks to learn what drives each creative mind and how different experiences influence the same narrative. As a graduate of Columbia University in New York City, Tatiana studied theater and comparative literature. She has been passionate about all manner of storytelling since being exposed to Jane Austen and BBC adaptations of her work all at once. But Regency satire of manners isn’t the only genre she loves, as a love of comic books naturally developed into a love of cinematic universes and their superheroes. So long as a story has heart and humor, there’s a chance of finding something to enjoy in the telling of it.
Visit @myrcellasear on Twitter to follow Tatiana’s articles, interviews and podcasts including: The Flash Podcast, Pop A La Carte and Ladies With Gumption. Subscribe to them on the Podcast app, or contact her directly at painted(dot)out(at)gmail.com.

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