Vivica A. Fox and Erika Alexander are embracing chaos, revenge and a little “Set It Off” energy in their new film “Is God Is”.
The actresses sat down with Jasmine Simpkins to discuss the genre-bending revenge thriller, which follows two sisters on a mission to track down and kill the father who abandoned them after a devastating fire. Along the way, Fox and Alexander portray two women connected to the same toxic man — each handling heartbreak in very different ways.
“Well, you know my character would probably choose violence, OK?” Fox, who plays “God,” joked. “I’ve been known to set it off, OK?”
Alexander offered a more layered perspective on her character Divine, an over-the-top preacher who still longs for the man who hurt her.
“I do not believe that Divine doesn’t have anger,” Alexander explained. “She’s just handling it differently. And hers is longing and lust and all of those things.”
Fox also reflected on what drew her to the film, which shares shades of the stylized revenge storytelling made famous by Quentin Tarantino films like “Kill Bill: Volume 1”.
“I got a call and they were like, a wonderful director by the name of Aleshea Harris wants to discuss with you being in her film,” Fox recalled. “And so she told me the title and she said, ‘I want you to be God.’ So I was like, okay. She said, ‘Yeah, you’re my first and only choice to play God.’ So I had no choice but to honor her wishes.”
Alexander also revealed she drew inspiration from her own upbringing while stepping into the role.
“My father was a minister. My mother was a minister,” Alexander shared. “They grew up in the Southern Cogic. I know what it is to just have people come and lay hands on you and perform all sorts of miracles and visions.”
The film also stars Sterling K. Brown, Janelle Monáe and Mykelti Williamson, with Tessa Thompson serving as an executive producer.
“Is God Is” is now playing in theaters.
