Nia Long Has Impromptu 'Love Jones' Reunion With Larenz Tate in the Rain
Always and forever! Nia Long had the sweetest reunion with her Love Jones co-star, Larenz Tate. The actress took to Instagram to share that the two ran into one another while walking in the rain, and they declared their love for one another while sheltering under a shared umbrella.
"Walking in the rain right now, s**t happens in the rain, LT! I love you," Long says as she beams into the camera with Tate walking by her side. "It's a thing! S**t happens in the rain," the 47-year-old actor sings as he slings an arm over her shoulder. "I love you back, baby. Always and forever."
Long starts singing Heatwave's "Always and Forever" before she cuts herself off, laughingly sharing that she isn't going to start singing that in the rain. The video ends as Tate presses a kiss to the 52-year-old's cheek.
The duo starred together in the 1997 uber-sensual poetry-driven romantic drama as Darius Lovehall (Tate) and Nina Mosley (Long). The film went on to gross $12.5 million at the domestic box office with a star-studded cast including Bill Bellamy, Leonard Roberts, Lisa Nicole Carson and Khalil Kain. It's well known for its iconic soundtrack, which featured several R&B classics such as "The Sweetest Thing," by Lauryn Hill, which became a hit in its own right.
The reunion comes on the tail of Long reuniting with the cast of The Best Man for Peacock's award-winning limited series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard and Harold Perrineau, reprised their iconic roles for the sequel series, catching fans up on their favorite dysfunctional group as they come into a new era of their lives. Based on the Universal movies by writer-director Malcolm D. Lee, The Final Chapters follows Harper (Diggs), Robyn (Lathan), Jordan (Long), Lance (Chestnut), Quentin (Howard), Shelby (De Sousa), Candace (Hall) and Murch (Perrineau) as their relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.
The limited series brought several recurring guest stars together with our favorite dysfunctional friend group as Harper is given the opportunity to turn his debut novel that kicked off the wild ride over 20 years ago, Unfinished Business, into a movie.
"We've had a ball and, who knows, but I know we definitely feel a sense of a rightful circle," Hall told ET when asked whether the series will really serve as the end of the eightsome's journey.
"Without a doubt," Chestnut agreed with his co-star, noting that although most people never even expected the film to have a sequel (2013's The Best Man Holiday), let alone a spinoff series, there's a finality to the show. "I think one of the differences here is instead of getting two hours, the audience is getting basically...eight hours and eight episodes. So, I think everything comes full circle and you put a bow on it. I think they will be satisfied."
Nia Long Laughs About Life's 'Messy' Moments and on Reuniting With 'The Best Man' Cast (Exclusive)
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Nia Long Laughs About Life's 'Messy' Moments and on Reuniting With 'The Best Man' Cast (Exclusive)
Long noted that the key difference between the franchise's first installment and their final project mainly stems from the changing landscape of media and the stories being told. "This felt different because it was a contemporary story about educated progressive Black people," she said, adding that while the characters she previously portrayed were also important to her, the Best Man budget and the story felt "bigger."
"This was the first time we saw a group of Black friends doing amazing things and [showcasing that] we have many subcultures within our culture," she said.
De Sousa mused that the near-sacred status of the first film is partly to blame for why it took so long for a story to reunite the cast. "I think as an artist, [Lee] had to be inspired to write the next chapter," she reasoned. "Not only that but we grew as actors and as people, he banked on that and incorporated real life into the script. So he had to wait for time to pass in order for us to grow up as people and characters he could actually give a fuller story in the end, and I think it was actually great that some time has passed."
Howard added his two cents, theorizing that because The Best Man was written from Lee's experience in college with his Friday group, he had to understand how the characters could mature "in harmony and juxtapose that to how our own lives have matured and tell the story within those octaves. It’s kind of interesting!"
Still, Howard was adamant that this would be the end of the story for the eight friends. The 53-year-old actor -- who divulged to ET that he was retiring for good this time on the red carpet for the Peacock series -- joked that this time in their lives is "right before you start thinking about fillers and s**t."
De Sousa stayed on the fence about a possible second season of the series, saying that they "have to see what happens after this lands and the impact it has."
"I think at this point in television, it's just so oversaturated with so many shows that it comes out, they binge it and they move on and they've forgotten about you," she said. "And we weren't ever a part of that, our stuff was so spaced out and we did films and it was lasting and it was appreciated and it was craved. But now everything is shake and baked, and it's once you're out there, it's over -- they forget about you. But we'll see if this lasts, if this stands the test of time."
The Best Man: Final Chapters is available to stream on Peacock.
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