NEW YORK (AP) — Meagan Good is in a season of harvest, reaping rewards from the hard work she’s sowed throughout her three-decade career. For the “Harlem” star, gratitude is her mantra.
“As crazy as, not even just this last year, the last few years have been for me, this is the happiest I’ve been in a long time. And it’s pretty wonderful,” said Good last week with tears welling in her eyes, emotions heightened as she thought of her relationship with Jonathan Majors, her time on “Harlem” and the Los Angeles wildfires.“I’m just thankful for the journey and I’m thankful to be loved.”
Much of that love has been provided by embattled actor Jonathan Majors, and the fluctuating journey includes their scrutinized relationship, leading Tyler Perry’s “Divorce in the Black” film and starring in the third and final season of “Harlem,” premiering Thursday on Prime Video.
“It’s incredible that the people who have supported us and have watched the show have waited on us like ‘Game of Thrones,’” said Good, who plays Camille, a Columbia University professor of sex and love. “It’s really cool to be a part of something so amazing that people love.”
“Harlem” has been a survivor, emerging from the coronavirus pandemic and the Hollywood actors and writers strikes. The Tracy Oliver dramedy follows four women in their 30s (Good, Grace Byers, Jerrie Johnson and Shoniqua Shandai) living in Manhattan’s historic Black neighborhood as they navigate love, friendships and careers. While the series didn’t reach the acclaim of Issa Rae’s “Insecure,” it earned a staunch fan base.
“If you really think about shows about New York, it’s almost like purposefully excluding Black people ... so when we reflect on shows like ‘Friends’ or even ‘Sex and The City,’ I probably can count on one hand how many Black people I’ve seen in those shows. But in New York, it’s unavoidable because Black people have created the culture here, specifically in Harlem,” said Johnson, who plays Tye, a queer dating app designer for LBGTQ+ people of color.
“We loved our ‘Living Single,’ and that’s why we loved it because we love seeing these women meeting in this small little apartment to commune with each other ... that’s why we have such a cult following because there was a hole in the market that Tracy brilliantly filled.”
Good, 43, said the relationship she shares with her cast, crew and streaming platform is one she hadn’t experienced. “This definitely has been the best professional experience I’ve had in my entire career in terms of emotionally, mentally, professionally, spiritually.”
It’s an emphatic declaration by the former child star whose first major film appearance came in Ice Cube’s 1995 classic “Friday,” shined in “Eve’s Bayou” and became a household name to kids on Nickelodeon’s “Cousin Skeeter” series.
Adored for beauty throughout her relatively drama-free career, many fans questioned her relationship with Majors, the rapidly rising star of “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” It began toward the end of 2023 following the 35-year-old’s arrest for allegations of escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse toward ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.
But the “Think Like a Man” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” actor said her Christian faith and life lessons prepared her for the backlash.
“I think about being in my 20s and you see the Media Take Outs and it’s a hundred nice things and there’s like one or two bad things. And I would just internalize it and I would cry and it would hurt my feelings so much,” said Good, who also cited criticism from fellow Christians about her attire and film choices, false skin-bleaching allegations, and the end of her near decade-long marriage with pastor and Hollywood executive DeVon Franklin as perseverance-builders. “I had been praying for maybe like five or six years, ’Lord, please deliver me from what people think about me. … But I will say the part of it that is still hard for me is to see them drag people I love.”
Majors was convicted of one misdemeanor assault charge and a harassment violation. He avoided jail time but was ordered to complete a yearlong counseling program. He also settled a civil suit with Jabbari, but the ordeal nearly extinguished his career.
Good, who was by Majors’ side at court dates and became in engaged to him in November, is optimistic his career will regenerate. (Ironically, Good starred in 50 Cent’s “21 Questions” hit music video in which he proposes scenarios to a potential girlfriend to see if she’d stand by him, including incarceration.)
“The idea that people are like, ’Well, she got paid,” said Good, rolling her eyes at suggestions it’s a publicity stunt — “it could be hurtful, but I just don’t care anymore. And that’s a good feeling.”
Good, who aspires to star in an action film, has been open about her desire to have children and is focusing on her future with Majors, including launching a health and wellness brand together.
Admirers and industry colleagues believe Good deserves much more recognition.
“People have tried to pigeonhole her in a certain area that now she’s breaking free. I always tell her that this is her phoenix moment ... the ashes actually being a metaphor for people’s expectations of her,” said Johnson. “About 75% of my favorite movies that shaped my upbringing have Meagan Good in them ... I’ve learned so much about transitioning into womanhood and adulthood through the characters that she’s played.”
Good, however, stresses her focus is not on recognition or major awards, but reaching the hearts of people. She circles back to gratitude for a career that has defied Hollywood odds.
“To have any appreciation is a gift,” said Good. “I feel like my best is yet to come. And I feel like even now, I’m kind of just getting started.”
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Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
