Taye Diggs on getting his groove back in ‘Forever': ‘This role was very therapeutic for me'
So says Taye Diggs of Terry McMillan, the writer-producer who catapulted him to stardom in 1998 with How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
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Reflecting on that period of his life, the 54-year-old actor remembers fully expecting to become a star. "I don't know who I thought I was," he recalls with a laugh (watch our full video interview above). "I remember graduating from college and saying, 'I'm going straight to the top.' When I got Rent (on Broadway) I was like, 'OK, when is the next movie coming?' I don't know where I got that confidence from because I don't have it anymore."
Looking to get his own groove back, Diggs reunited with his old friend in Lifetime's Terry McMillan Presents: Forever. Diggs served as an executive producer with McMillan and star, playing Johnnie, a military veteran who falls head over heels for a local policewoman named Carlie (Meagan Good). Home for the first time in years, Johnnie must learn to let go of old grudges to find the true meaning of love and family — while earning the approval of Carlie's three daughters.
While playing the complex character, Diggs was able to pull from his own life experiences like never before. "After having been tossed around a bit, married, divorced, in great relationships, and in some pretty horrible ones, I was able to use all of that in this piece. I didn't know that I had some of that pain within me. This role ended up being very therapeutic for me."
Diggs calls this film "one of the most emotional and tumultuous stories" he's been a part of. Johnnie grapples with Carlie's illness, recovery, and shocking death during a convenience store robbery. "I like to have fun," he says. "I enjoyed doing this film, but I'm not a sadist or a masochist. I don't like to inflict pain and I don't like to feel it. As freeing as it was, I did not enjoy the emotional scenes because I was able to draw on my own emotional experiences. Whenever you have to bring up stuff that isn't pleasant, it's never fun, but it was useful. I'm grateful for that. I was able to pull from my life experience."
The actor was also grateful to portray a positive character with high moral standards on the screen. "Playing African-American characters, very rarely do you see men and fathers portrayed in such a glowing manner. That was wonderful. It was also a character to whom I aspire."
As a single man, Diggs says his onscreen partnership with Meagan Good brought out all kinds of emotions in him. "She was so amazing, and the script was so great, that it actually made me miss having a girlfriend," he says. "I attribute that to her and the writing. You forget some of the positive aspects of being in a relationship. The relationship in this film was so healthy. It reminded me that there are some good elements to relationships as well."
Speaking more about the script, Diggs can only laugh when thinking about the devastating roller-coaster ride viewers experienced watching the movie. "I'm not attracted to roles like that. That's why I had to do it," he says. "I'm not going to do it again! But I needed to do this because people needed to go on this ride. I knew there would be work in this that hadn't been touched on before — and I'm getting older — there's not much that I haven't done. I jumped at the opportunity to be in something that showed more vulnerability."
Now a 2025 Emmys contender for Forever, Diggs had to be reminded that he already has a Critics Choice Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Chicago, as well as two NAACP Image Awards for Kevin Hill and Private Practice.
"I gotta remind myself, shoot!" he jokes before thinking back on the first award he ever won. "Basketball — what is that called? He gave his all (team spirit)! I got that on the seventh-grade B team."
Next up, Diggs is heading back to Broadway to join Wayne Brady in Moulin Rouge! Diggs will play the Duke of Monroth from July 22 to Sept. 28 at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre. "I'm very excited for that," he shares before admitting he still gets nervous. "Right before I step on stage the thought of 'Why did I decide to do this?' will be in my head. Once I get out there I'm cool, but right before, oh my lord. That doesn't go away."
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