Tamara Bass Talks If Not Now, When Movie

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? is the directorial feature debut of co-directors Meagan Good (Think Like a Man) and Tamara Bass (“All That Matters”) with the latter writing the screenplay. The film stars the ensemble cast of Meagan Holder (Fox’s “Pitch”), Mekia Cox (ABC’s “The Rookie”), Tamara Bass, Lexi Underwood (Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere”), Niles Fitch (NBC’s “This Is Us”) and Meagan Good.

Four friends, who met in high school and are bonded by an event, are suddenly forced back together when one of them suffers a crisis. It’s a story of love, forgiveness and the incredible bond between women.

IF NOT NOW, WHEN premieres On Demand and Digital on January 8, 2021.

Tamara Bass chatted with PVM Magazine about “If Not Now, When.”

With the restrictions that have been placed, what is it that you miss doing the most?

Tamara: Going to the movies. I miss going to the movies. Now that they’ve even taken away outdoor dining, I miss eating out. My friend groups are very small, but I miss being able to go out to eat with them, going to the movies by myself, but more importantly, we have game night. I’m known for my game nights, and we haven’t had game night in all of 2020. Those things I miss, but I will say that in all of the chaos, 2020 has allowed me to really take stock in what’s important to me and who is important to me, and vice versa.

Why did you want to be involved with this production?

Tamara: I wanted to show a different side of me as a performer, but I also wanted to create an opportunity for black women to be showcased. I wanted to honor the friendships that are in my life and the friendships that have shaped me and saved me throughout my whole existence. I’m not afraid to say it, I’m 42 years old and I’ve had my best friend since I was 16, and 26 years later, I look at her, and I’m like ‘I still like you.’ I wanted to honor that and I love directing. This was a chance for Meagan, who I’ve also known since I was 19 and is one of my longest and closest friends. This is a way for me to honor these relationships and make history with someone I’ve known for all these years. Before this, there hasn’t been a movie that was co-directed by two women who are also co-starring in the movie that both of them wrote and that both of them produced. I felt like what better way to do that–to put our stamp on things than to do it this way.

Tell me about the film.

Tamara: It’s a love story between four women who have been best friends since they were in high school. Of course, life got in the way, and things got kind of got trampled over the years. What brings them back together is a crisis that one of them suffers, and when they come back together, they recognize that they need each other. They need each other in a way that they may not have thought they did in their teenage years or their early twenties. Now that they’re in their early 30s, they realize that in order to make it past what it is that their blocks are, they’re going to need that friendship and that bond. It’s a beautiful love story amongst friends.

Can you tell me about production challenges you faced when filming?

Tamara: We faced all kinds. I think our script was 106 pages or 108 pages. We had 19 days to pull it off. We had multiple locations, and we had a shoestring budget. Every obstacle you could think of was thrown our way. We were shooting one day, and our line producer comes up and was like, “so um yeah, that location we had locked for Monday, it just fell through”, it’s Thursday. We don’t have the location for Monday, and it was the only location we were at all day, so it’s like, how do we make that work? But, there are great things about indie film making, and what I’ve learned has helped me. I went this summer and directed a movie for TV One called “Don’t Waste Your Pretty” and that’s coming out in the early part of 2021. Doing “If Not Now, When” allowed me to now know like ‘Ok, I can make it work. What’s the obstacle? Let’s make it work.’ And I think that’s what gives indie filmmakers a leg up when we’re coming into these different scenarios, coming into bigger budgets, or network TV. We’re so used to making it work that nothing you throw at us stops us from making it work. There were tons of challenges from locations being lost to equipment being ordered and then canceled. It was just a lot, but it was great.

What’s the audience going to love most about this movie?

Tamara: I think they’re going to love the camaraderie between the four women. I think they’re going to believe them, and I think that they’re going to root for them at different points. There are going to be times when they root for the guys. I think that they’re going to get that sense of love that we had in making it.

What do you love most about your role in this movie?

Tamara: I like that she speaks her mind. I also love that she gets to be vulnerable, and she gets to hang up her cape, be it with her friends or when she finally allows Walter to love her. Being able to show that there are cracks in this armor that this woman wears and being able to show them without fear. It’s important to me, and it was one of the best parts about making this.

What are your favorite movies of all time?

Tamara: My favorite movie of all time ironically is “Eaves Bayou” which happened to star Meagan. It was the first time in my life that I saw a movie that was telling the types of stories that I wanted to tell, and it was done in such a way that it made me feel everything. I felt like I was in the 60s; I felt like I was in Louisiana. Number two is “Love Jones.” I’m a sucker for a love story. I saw “Love Jones” four times in the movie theater. Then, “Soul Food” because it’s very representative of my life and the relationships I had with my grandmother. So, I would say those and then “Crooklyn,” and it reminded me of what my childhood was like

What’s up next for you?

Tamara: Next up is “Don’t Waste Your Pretty” I directed for TV One that stars Keri Hilson, Deborah Joy Winans, and Redaric Williams. It’s based on Demetria Lucas’s book “Don’t Waste Your Pretty.” That cast was great. Then, because of that, me and Deborah Joy Winans are currently pitching a TV show that would star both of us.