Beautiful, driven and intense are just a few of the words that describe actress Sanaa Lathan. Then she thrilled audiences in other memorable roles like The Best Man, Brown Sugar, Disappearing Acts, and The Perfect Guy. But she forever has solidified her place in Hollywood with her breakout role in Love & Basketball, nearly 25 years ago.
Little did we know, that role in Love & Basketball was harder on Lathan than anything she'd done at the time.
“I was miserable. I can laugh about it now,” said Lathan to CBS News. “I got the job and I think Gina [Prince-Bythewood] finally got to the point where she had to hire somebody. It’s almost like she hired me because she couldn’t find somebody else. There wasn’t a lot of joy and there wasn’t a lot of trust in me. It was her baby and it was her first time directing. It was a big deal for her and nobody knows me then really. She gets to the point where she makes this decision with me, but I felt like the default.”
“I had to go through so much to get the part and in all the basketball scenes, [they] surrounded me with real ballplayers,” said Lathan. “There was a lot of crying behind the scenes for me.”
But you think that was bad? Lathan always goes "all-in" to her roles as she even shaved her head for her role in Nappily Ever After.
And while she loves the glitz and glamour of film and Broadway, she never takes her health for granted. The talented actress said, “I have so much to be grateful for. First of all, my health.” Lathan mentioned that she was raised to be conscious of the effects of food on the body. So she said that she goes through phases of being vegan or she will try a raw-food cleanse. She also tries to stick to just 1200 calories a day to maintain that nice figure we've grown to love and appreciate. But occasionally, she does binge on her favorite foods.
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"It was instilled in me at a young age, how you treat your body is really important," said Lathan. "We had an aloe vera plant in the house, and if I'd get a cut or scrape my mother would cut off a piece and apply the aloe. I saw firsthand how these things really work. Now we're at a time where we have Whole Foods, everything is green and everyone is going organic."
As for her lovely tresses; "I always deep condition. It's really important to keep my hair moisturized, not put too much...
... heat on it and keep the ends trimmed. Also, I like to rotate my hairstyles. I'll do straight and then when I'm in-between, I'll wear my natural texture. I'll wear pieces and weaves in movies, but I'm loving my own hair especially because I've been taking good care of it and can go without pieces and weaves. I like wearing my own hair in a cool chignon or really wild."
When it comes to her fitness, Sanaa Lathan said, “It’s my job to keep my body in shape too. But, I’m the kind of girl that gets bored easily so I go from thing to thing. Right now I’m doing Barry’s Boot Camp.” She also took a lot of pointers on fitness and nutrition from footballer Adewale Ogunleye whom was she dating.
Apart from her regular visits to the gym where she does cardio and weight training, Sanaa Lathan also loves to hike. She said that she is an outdoorsy person who loves the fresh air. “I visit family and friends, spend time with my pets, and exercise. One of my favorite ways to unwind is to hike. Yes . . . I love to Hike!” said the Love & Basketball actress.
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