Mona Scott-Young has accomplished what most people wish they could in a lifetime. From serving as one of the entertainment industry’s most sought after executives, working with legendary talent such as Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, to creating the widely popular Love & Hip Hop Franchise, to launching her own multi-media entertainment company called Monami Entertainment — Mona deserves all her flowers.
Now, she’s excited as ever to release her own new BET+ original film called Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy. Split into two parts, the Love & Murder boasts an all-star cast including Taye Diggs, Keesha Sharp, and Apryl Jones.
The plot? Lance, a well-known, successful Atlanta businessman, is found murdered in his own home. An investigation is launched to find the killer, which in turn reveals the truths and suspicions behind both Lance’s professional and personal life. Was it a business competitor, threatened by Lance’s bid for a big contract? Or was it a scorned lover, jealous of the women Lance has been sleeping with?
Sheen Magazine spoke with Mona Scott-Young via Zoom to discuss the new film, what she’s most excited for, and more!
Congrats on the new film series, Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy. What are you most excited for?
Just the opportunity to do something scripted. To be in this space to do something that potentially has legs to be a franchisable series. To tell these passion thrillers in a captivating way to work with the incredible, incredible pool of acting talent that’s out there. I’m excited about the opportunity to move into features in the scripted space.
Where did this idea stem from? There’s a lot of true crime shows out there right now.
Yeah, we’ve seen that that’s what this audience loves, right? Female audiences love stories having to do with love, and stories having to do with murder and crimes. This was an idea to take the audience that we’ve amassed in unscripted, and move them over into scripted.We created the Love & Murder banner, so that we could do a bunch of these stories underneath that banner. This is what we hope is the first of many. It’s a two-part series, and it’s a rip from the headline story.
Talk about the all-star cast and how you went about choosing them.
We had these larger than life roles to fill. Because this Lance person, he was this big entrepreneur back in the late 90’s in Atlanta. He was a celebrity in his own right, so we needed somebody who could fill those shoes. Be authentic to the time period, be believable as a ladies man, and also a ruthless entrepreneur. [laughs] Taye Diggs was a no-brainer option, we were so excited when he accepted the role.
Finding the ladies around him, it was about one: trying to match their real life profiles. If you look up the story, and you’ll see some of the women that were involved in his life, we tried to match that. But then finding chemistry, especially in the role of his wife. Keesha Sharp did such a great job with that character, she and Tay had this great dynamic and chemistry together. We managed to find humor with these characters as well in this story, so the casting was fantastic.
What’s the reasoning for splitting it into two parts?
There was so much story to tell. If I’d had my way, we would’ve done it in 4 parts. Ended each part with the murder and have you wondering who’ve done it. But from a story perspective, it was a lot of story for one movie. We ended up doing it in two parts. It’s a great cliffhanger after part one and part two dives more deeply into the aftermath of his murder. It was a great breaking point for the storytelling.
Talk about your entrepreneurship, you own Myx Fusions right?
Yep. I’m part-owner of Myx Fusions Moscato, it’s a wind blend of products. We also have sangria. We released a grape flavor. It’s in a ready-to-drink bottle and also in the full 750’s.
Anything else that you’re passionate about?
These days, it’s family. It’s friends. It’s taking the time for mental health and wellness while trying to pursue our dreams. This year of Hip-Hop 50 has been a great one for me. I started out in music so it gave me an opportunity to not only take a trip down memory lane, but also reconnect with a lot of friends. Just very proud of some of my clients on the music side. Missy Elliott, and the fact that she’s being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Busta Rhymes and all of the accolades he’s been receiving. I have a new client on the music side, Scar Lip, who I got signed to Epic Records. Still getting my hands in a lot of different arenas and staying busy on both the music and the content front.
You’re always put together. Any beauty secrets?
[laughs] People talk to me about my skin, I’m mid-50’s. Just making sure that you take the time to get the proper rest and to pamper yourself. Because this body, we have one body. It’s the only one we have. Taking care of ourselves from the inside because that definitely emanates from our skin. That’s so funny, something I’ve been talking to Scar Lip a lot. Now she loves being pampered: getting massages, going to get a scrub and her facials. Because you’ve got to take care of yourself.
Do you have a favorite moment from Love & Hip Hop Miami this season?
Oh gosh, the show is a machine that runs on its own at this point. I haven’t zoned in on any one moment in particular. Glad to see the fans still tuning in and passionate, but excited now to be expanding the horizons for Monami and for myself. Right now, it’s about Love & Murder.
Anything else you want to let the people know?
Love & Murder out now on BET+. Get your subscriptions, check it out. If you haven’t watched part one yet, I suggest you do that so you’re all caught up. I’d love to hear from you guys about what you think. Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of LMATLPLB
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