Brandon Hammond Reunites With Vivica Fox For ‘Soul Meals’ Occasion

Actor Brandon Hammond is working to preserve the legacy of the cult traditional movie “Soul Meals” alive by a latest Sunday dinner occasion and an upcoming documentary celebrating the movie’s thirtieth anniversary.

On Nov. 23, Hammond — greatest often known as Ahmad within the 1997 movie — reunited with Vivica A. Fox (Maxine) and Morgan Méchelle Smith (Kelly) for a particular “Soul Meals Sunday Dinner” occasion. In partnership with Cult Classics, 1010 Wine & Occasions, and R.C. Bonds PR, the night featured a screening of “Soul Meals” on the historic Miracle Theater, an intimate Q&A with Hammond and Fox, and a soulful Sunday dinner hosted by 1010 Wine & Occasions.

Created to honor certainly one of Black cinema’s most beloved movies and seize the household heat of the vacations, the occasion aimed to revive the custom of Sunday Dinner and introduce the legacy Of “Soul Meals” to a brand new era. For Hammond, the occasion provided an opportunity to reunite together with his onscreen “mother,” whom he nonetheless speaks with recurrently as they collaborate on the upcoming Soul Meals documentary.

“It was superb. You understand, it’s humorous as a result of I discuss to Vivica fairly recurrently,” Hammond informed BLACK ENTERPRISE. “So it’s at all times good to get collectively along with her. Though we discuss, no less than, you already know, most likely each different week, particularly now that she’s an government producer of the Soul Meals reunion doc. So we have been even conversing lots on enterprise.”

“However that’s mother, you already know, I’ve identified her most of my life,” he added with a smile.

The documentary has been two years within the making, Hammond shared. With preliminary plans of merely internet hosting a reunion occasion for the movie’s twenty fifth anniversary in 2022, Hammond spoke together with his enterprise associate, Genesis Scott, who helped spark the concept for a reunion documentary that catches up with the whole forged to debate the affect of the movie and its continued prominence inside the Black neighborhood.

“That is like my love letter to a film that has meant a lot to me each personally and professionally,” Hammond mentioned, after making nods to the accolades that got here after his standout function within the movie.

Hammond says that whereas followers have loved reunions of beloved ’90s reveals like “The Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air,” “Martin,” and “Pals,” cult-favorite movies hardly ever get the identical highlight. He believes Soul Meals is the proper film to deliver individuals again collectively — a narrative that resonated deeply with its forged, crew, and audiences who noticed their very own households mirrored on display.

“Soul Meals can be proper together with these different initiatives on like legacy IP. And we should always have a good time this movie,” Hammond declared.

He credit Fox for being the primary to champion the undertaking, offering early funding that allowed him to movie an interview with Irma P. Corridor, the legendary Massive Mama. Since then, forged members together with Nia Lengthy, Vanessa Williams, Mekhi Phifer, Michael Seaside, and others have joined in. After Corridor’s interview, Hammond says the assist unfold “like a domino impact.”

“The complete forged agreed to be in it. All people, you already know, Michael, Vanessa, Mekhi, Nia, after all, Viv,” Hammond shared.

The problem, he says, is coordinating the packed schedules of so many high-profile forged members and getting them collectively in a single place.

“They’re so iconic and busy and so they’re at all times working. So it’s been a bit bit making an attempt to coordinate that,” Hammond mentioned.

The documentary additionally holds private significance for Hammond, who plans to share his personal story by the movie, together with why he stepped away from performing after his breakout function in Soul Meals.

“The documentary isn’t solely a reunion, however I’m additionally going to be going into my very own private journey, as a result of so many individuals had questions as to why I finished performing,” he shared. “And for thus lengthy, I didn’t actually give solutions to that query. However within the documentary, we actually go into it. We actually go into my journey personally as effectively. And we join how the ‘Soul Meals’ movie and my ‘Soul Meals’ household have helped me to get to this place of sort of taking my energy again, if you’ll, and telling my story.”

Because the movie’s thirtieth anniversary nears, Hammond is pushing to finish the documentary in time for followers to take pleasure in. Nonetheless, with the present financial challenges impacting the leisure business, he notes that extra funding remains to be wanted to deliver the undertaking throughout the end line.

“We’re about 30%, 40% by the movie. However we’re searching for assist, like buyers, followers,” Hammond mentioned. And you already know, we financially, you already know, to complete the movie, to finish it, and to get it out by 2027 to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary. Look, we’d like that fan assist. Individuals, I do know they need it. However you already know, this business is in a bizarre place proper now. So it’s been a bit tough to get it to the end line, however I do know we’ll. So please, simply anyone on the market wanting to assist, please attain out to me and anyone linked to [the film].”

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