Tika Sumpter On Working With Kids And Snoop Dogg. Spencer Legacy, Senior Editor of a media channel, spoke with Tika Sumpter, star of The Underdoggs, about the Prime Video comedy film. Sumpter discussed how much she likes working with children and her past with Snoop Dogg. The film will be released exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, January 26.
“Jaycen ‘Two Js’ Jennings is a washed-up ex-professional football star who has hit rock bottom,” according to the film’s summary.
“When Jaycen is sentenced to community service for coaching the Underdogs, an unruly pee-wee football team in his hometown of Long Beach, California, he views it as a chance to improve his public image and change his life.
As Jaycen strives to turn the foul-mouthed Underdoggs into top-tier champions, he reconnects with his past, including an old love and a handful of his ex-teammates, and rediscovers his passion for the game.”
Tika Sumpter: 1) Snoop. I’ve known Snoop for a very long time. I had worked with him on my first job on One Life to Live, but 2.) I thought the writing was highly terrific and entertaining. I adore Charles Stone III, the director. He performed drumline and a variety of other things. I love working with children.
I think it’s odd. It’s like an irreverent, wholesome film — if you take away the profanity but also the mentoring, returning home, and so on.
So I felt it had all the makings of something interesting to watch myself and when my child gets older. [Laughs].
Speaking about kids, you have fantastic chemistry with them throughout the movie. What was it like working with all these rising stars?
Tika Sumpter: I loved it. I like working with children, to be honest. They instilled this young, dynamic spirit, which made them enjoyable to work with.
They were enjoyable to chat with and seemed delighted to be there. It just reminded me why I enjoy doing what I do. It’s like if we got to play make-believe all the time, and it was enjoyable to do so with them.
You mentioned working with Snoop earlier. You have some pretty beautiful scenes with him in the film. Was that chemistry already there, with no need to work on it?
It was a long time ago, and he appeared as a guest star, a rapper. But this time, it seemed as if we could work on our scenarios simultaneously. We ran the lines together and chatted with each other off-camera.
Because we laughed a lot, had an excellent camaraderie, and felt it. It was flung on screen, and you could see the excitement. When I viewed it, I thought, “Ooh, we’re good!” [Laughs].
I appreciate the lesson at the end: victory is not always the end-all-be-all. What were your first thoughts when you read that?
I enjoyed it. It wasn’t the typical ending, right? We all believe that something will happen, but that is not the case. Even when you work hard, things may not always go as planned, but you are a better person. Then what do you do? You go on and do the next thing. So I adore how it ended.
With the movie’s release, do you have a favorite sequence you can’t wait for everyone to see?
I ponder about every situation. I can’t wait for everyone to see. [Laughs]. I want them to witness every moment we filmed, practically.
