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Interview: Sharon Leal

In Soul Men, Sharon Leal provides the perfect counterpart to Sam Jackson and Bernie Mac's buddy duo. She plays the daughter of a girl Jackson and Mac's characters loved, and she hitches a ride with them when they pass through town. However, they quickly realize she's got some serious pipes, carrying tunes with massive power. Talking to ARTISTdirect.com, she discussed working with these acting legends, her own music, and much more.

Have you been singing your whole life?

My first gig was on Broadway, and I did a lot of community theater. I was a big theater geek as a kid, so I have sung quite a bit. I had a great time working with Bernie and Sam. We had so much fun, and we had such great material with the Stax compilation. So all of us were excited just to sink our teeth into that music and that era. We really had fun with it. I was schooled on the whole soul music thing. When they sent over "Comfort Me," it was a rendition by Carla Thomas, and I was really excited. It was a really pretty song. I knew this was something people were going to really enjoy, and we had good stuff to work with.

Do you have to get into a different mindset when you're singing in front of actors as opposed to getting up in front of a real crowd?

I don't know. Obviously, theatrically speaking, everything's much bigger. There's an adjustment that takes place. With Dreamgirls and this, I had the chance to get out there and do it all. So to be able to sing, dance, and act in one bag has been great. I'm happy that films with music are so well received. We took a lighthearted approach to everything. We went in there and did what we had to do. Dreamgirls was different because everything was so huge. The kind of talent and work ethic that Beyonce [Knowles] has is ridiculous. Her standard for the way she likes things to be done is amazing. It was great working with her. She couldn't have been lovelier and nicer. We were so close, and she was so professional, gracious, and humble. Doing Dreamgirls, everything was so perfectly executed. [With] Soul Men, we were like, "Let's have fun."

What was working with Bernie like?

Bernie was instantly a mentor for me. He took me under his wing and gave me a lot of advice about the business, how to stay sane and keep grounded. He talked a lot about his background and where he came from. I think, being a guy who had a normal blue-collar job for a lot of his life and fell into his success later, he had a real sense of where he came from. He had a real responsibility and kindness towards the people who supported him. If we were out shooting, he'd see fans on the street, and they loved him. They adored him. He always stopped to sign autographs, say "hello," and if someone said something to him, he always commented back. I learned more personally about how to keep my own perspective from him. He was a really inspiring person to be around. I was lucky to have met him. He was a people person, and he was very in tune with the human condition.

What music stood out for you in the film? Were there any songs that really spoke to you in particular?

"I'm Your Puppet" was a great number. "Walk in the Park" was great. "Comfort Me" was amazing. "Walk in the Park" was the biggest number that I was in and obviously the finale song. So that was probably the most memorable in terms of a performance piece. I had a lot of fun.

What about your own music?

I'm still writing, working with producers, and pursuing that. It's a difficult thing when you're first starting out because you have to put all your eggs in that basket and really focus on it. When I go out and do a movie, I get off track a little bit, but I'm still pursuing it and hopefully there'll be even more to talk about. My music is a little bit acoustic soul. It's pop/R&B.

In the script, do you think Cleo has an idea of who her father is?

I don't know. I was playing it like a girl that's been dealt a pretty bad deck of cards. I think she knows that her father is somebody her mother met through the business. Maybe subconsciously, there's a sense that it could be anyone. I think she's kind of resigned to say, "Well, he hasn't been around, and my mother just died. I don't really expect much." I think anybody who would be in a relationship with someone like Lester and be stuck in a rut doesn't think about it too much. At the end of the film, it's sweet that her father reaches out to her, and they have a relationship. We decided that her and Lester went to high school together. She had no family, and this was somebody that was always around. It's that classic situation of, "I don't know what I'm worth but this guy has always been here, I'm not about to ruin his life." Thank God, a couple of guys came and rescued her. [Laughs]

Would you say that there was a particularly good vibe surrounding the set and the film?

Yeah, there definitely was! We had a great cast, and they were a whacky bunch. [Laughs]

—Rick Florino
11.07.08