EXCLUSIVE: Morris Chestnut and Terrence Howard Talk “The Best Man” Franchise’s Impact and More [Videos]

On Wednesday, Peacock and Universal Television hosted a star-studded red carpet premiere event and screening for the highly-anticipated limited series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, at The Hollywood Athletic Club in Hollywood, California.

The Best Man was released in 1999, with a holiday-themed sequel in 2013, and now Peacock is releasing eight 60-minute episodes wrapping up the characters’ stories.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters’ cast includes Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau.

Baller Alert caught up with a few cast members to discuss the impact The Best Man franchise had on the culture.

In an exclusive interview, Chestnut said the franchise played a “tremendous part” in his acting career. “It launched me as a leading man. And for that, I’m forever grateful.” The Boyz n the Hood actor is reprising his role as Lance Sullivan, a wealthy, professional athlete who recently lost his wife to cancer. In the two films, we see Chestnut and Monica Calhoun exemplify black love in the healthiest form.

Chestnut credited his wife, Pam, for inspiration when asked how he portrays love on film. “She’s the source of where I draw that from, and whenever I’m doing a scene with a wife or significant other, I draw that inspiration from her,” he said. The two have been married since 1995 and share two children, Grant and Paige Chestnut.

The 1990’s film and 2013 sequel continue to move the culture, showcasing sharp, young, black excellence on screen. Terrance Howard expressed how the films changed how “Black people view themselves and their work.”

“The Best man raised the standard from being told that black films are only played in black households,” he said. “To see how this film has traveled around the world– characters have become emulated into other cultures. And to see how many people watch it on Christmas — far more than black people on the planet– is a joy.”

“I’m so happy that I was a part of that. So now all black people don’t have to be funny or act stupid on screen. Now we can have serious lives,” said Howard.

Reprising his role as Quentin (Q), the ultimate lady’s man, Howard shared his disappointment when he learned Q would settle down in the series after reading the script. “I did not like that,” he said. “I like the idea of Q being single. You don’t marry off Q. You don’t cut his balls off. You let Q still be Q.”

The Best Man: The Final Chapters premieres on Peacock on Dec. 22. The Limited TV series will dive into buried secrets that are resurfaced as Harper Stewart’s (Taye Diggs) bombshell book “Unfinished Business” is turned into a movie.