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When Sharon Leal was announced as the woman who would play Zoe Reynard in the film adaptation of Addicted, some people weren’t crazy about the idea. Leal hadn’t really played any provocative roles in the past, so fans of the book were wondering if she could really embody such a complicated character. But she did, and Leal was able to do so because her main focus was not on expectations or making a proper ‘sex film,’ but trying to tell a story many can relate to: How a person’s troubled past can have a major impact on their future.

I had the chance to chat with Leal recently, as Addicted is being released for digital download today, and DVD release on February 10. We talked about the actress initially being nervous about those intense sex scenes, why she wanted the role of Zoe, her track record of playing alongside some very hot men, her budding singing career and much, much more:

If She Read “Addicted” Before Taking The Role Of Zoe

No, I did not. I had not read it. But I was also told that they were going to reinterpret it because it’s very different doing it cinematically than what’s in the book. So we really tried to give it its own vibe. The seed was planted by Zane’s novel, but the movie was not verbatim or the same exact story. It was inspired by it.

Why She Wanted To Play Such A Stripped Down–Literally–Role

I think as actors, we want to challenge ourselves. I know I always get a little nervous when I’m playing the same woman or I keep revisiting the same role. This was doing something different and it felt like a challenge and I really wanted to push the envelope a little bit. Once I had the proper conversations with Billy Woodruff and the other actors, we got to a place where we thought, let’s dive in and get this done. At the core of the film, it’s really about a very successful woman suffering from a very serious disease. We get to live vicariously through her because of these amazing men she gets to romp around with and that sort of fantasy thing that it fulfills in us women. But at the core, we can’t forget that she is a woman who suffered from something very serious as a child and the consequences were that she developed a serious affliction. I really focused on that, and everything else was what it was.

If She Was Nervous About Being Fully Exposed On Camera

Soooo nervous. It’s not anything I’ve ever done before and it’s compromising. It’s difficult, and you’ll never have any guarantee that something is going to resonate the way that you picture in your mind. You hope something positive comes out of it. I didn’t want to just do a sex film just to do a sex film. I hoped that it would have a complete story and enlighten people to something that is very real. So that was daunting and definitely intimidating–terrifying to be quite honest. But I think that we did a good job and we were so fortunate because we had the most enthusiastic and supportive fans. They just really showed up and loved it. They made the whole experience worthwhile.

How Her Boyfriend Reacted To Her Work In The Film

He came to the set one day and I said, ‘Okay, you gotta go. You gotta go back to the hotel. Stop torturing me and we’ll just get this done.’ It’s just not anything I would wish on anybody. I know that if the shoes were reversed, I wouldn’t be there. I wouldn’t want to see it. So, that’s the really difficult thing that all of us actors have to go through. There are rules about all of that stuff. It’s tricky, but everybody was so respectful. We all know how awkward and technical those scenes really are, so nobody was having too much fun [laughs]. It’s not natural to watch your significant other in anything like that for sure. He did see it and he came to the premiere. He knows what it is. He tried it a couple of times saying, “Really??” But at the end of the day, he knows he can’t get upset.

Out Of Her Leading Men, Including Boris Kodjoe, Tyson Beckford And William Levy, Who Did She Have The Best Chemistry (And Kiss) With?

I gotta say, William Levy’s just got something. I’ve never had a Latin lover or Latin boyfriend or anything, but he’s just got this charisma where I didn’t have to work that hard. He would say a line in that accent, and he’s just so gorgeous, you were just there. ‘Let’s do it!’ [laughs] I think it’s because he just has this thing that all of us women just hear about. I was like, ‘I don’t know why this is pushing all the right buttons, but it is!’ He just has that and I was kind of caught off guard I gotta say. I was just like, ‘whoa!'[laughs]

Comparing Levy To Her Past Leading Man, Omari Hardwick

Omari is awesome! What did I do with Omari? Oh, Last Letter! Yeah, I think William just had this thing that I never experienced before. I’ve worked with gorgeous, gorgeous men before, but William came at me from another angle [laughs]. But Omari’s beautiful and so respectful and smart. Omari’s awesome because he’s so positive. You can tell that he loves what he does. He has a real positivity about him that’s very sexy and nice to be around.

Her Singing Career

Giant” is one of the songs on my EP called Leo. There are six songs on my EP, which is on iTunes. This year I’m finishing up my official album. So yeah, I’m pursuing that, but with no other intention than to pay attention to that outlet, which is something I sort of let go of. I started out as a singer and then I started acting. I wrote all the songs on the EP, and it’s just a real outlet for me. I’m just going to get that done and I’m having a blast doing it. It’s just another aspect of what I do. I started out in musical theater on Broadway, so singing is a big love of mine.

If There Will Be A Third Part To Why Did I Get Married?

I know! Well, we hope so. As you know, Tyler Perry is doing so many things and wears so many hats, but I really hope that we get to do a third installment. I’m asked that question often. We’ve kind of fallen in love with those couples and feel like we know them, so I think a third installment would do well. But I don’t know, we have to see. But the fans need to continuously write in and bombard Tyler [laughs]. That cast is so specific that it’s hard to kind of track down everyone, but wouldn’t that be great? I would love it!

What It Was Like Playing Tyler Perry’s Wife On-Screen In WDIGM?

[Laugs] This is a whole kissing interview! Tyler’s great. It’s not really fair because compared to everything else I’ve done, Why Did I Get Married was really PG, right? We didn’t really get to get in there and do anything crazy. We just did ‘muah, muah’ kiss, kiss. So I can’t really accurately judge his kissing, but I do adore Tyler as a person. But maybe in the third one we’ll get a little dirty [laughs]. Highly unlikely!

 

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