A talent as endearing as she is humorous and genuine, Regina Hall illuminates every movie screen she graces. The Washington, D.C. native continues to headline Hollywood’s funniest flicks, making her a household name and undeniable force. First introduced to audiences as “Candy” in the 1999 film The Best Man, the actress revived her role as the exotic-dancer-turned-housewife in the film’s sequel, The Best Man Holiday, over a decade later. From her role as “Brenda Meeks,” the squeaky-voiced, token Black girl from the Scary Movie franchise to About Last Night, starring funny man Kevin Hart, Hall continues to make a name for herself in more ways than one. Now, she’s dabbling in the beauty realm as the new brand ambassador for the classic, signature fragrance White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor.
Keep reading to find out why she chose to work with White Diamonds, which two super-affordable clothing brands hold her down, her favorite memory from Think Like A Man Too, and why she’s not on social media.
UPTOWN: You’re the new brand ambassador for White Diamonds Lustre Fragrance by Elizabeth Taylor. How did the collaboration come about?
Regina Hall: It’s very exciting! It’s actually my first time and it’s because I love the fragrance. I’ve always said I didn’t want to represent a brand that I don’t actually wear or that I actually don’t think smells wonderful. I really loved the fragrance and I love Elizabeth Taylor. One of the things I do when I do premieres and when I do press is make sure I look classic. She had a style and a grace about her and I always hope that I have that too, whether I’m doing something demure or sexy. I always want to make sure I look like a lady. I think I resonated with both the woman behind the fragrance and the fragrance, so it was kind of a no-brainer to do it and to wear it, more importantly.
U:Speaking of style and grace, what are the top three beauty items you can’t live without?
RH: White Diamonds Lustre is one. I’m a huge believer of under eye creme. I love Kiehl’s lip balm. It’s moisturizing but it gives a little bit of sheen and makes your lips look sexy. You know some people use mascara to perk up their face, I do eye liner.
U: Nice, jet black?
RH: Of course!
U: What is your daily hair routine? How do you keep your hair looking so fabulous on and off the set?
RH: There’s two – when I’m working I wear pieces of weave and when I’m not working, like now, I don’t have anything in it, but I make sure I wash it, obviously. Because I’m in L.A. I usually wear it back because I try not to put a lot of heat on it. My hair is kind of dry. I’m prone to breakage if it’s not moisturized or if I use flat irons, even the great flat irons, the ceramic ones, my hair tends to break. Simplicity is best when I’m not working.
U: When you’re attending red carpet events and premieres, who are your go-to fashion designers?
RH: A lot of people have famous designers they go to, but I’m not one of those people. The truth is I wear what looks nice on me. Lately I’ve been wearing a lot of MissGuided because of the fit, but I have a tendency to find really small designers. I know the great thing is “who wore it best” but I like “who wore it first.” I like all designers, I love fashion! I think all fashion is amazing and it doesn’t necessarily work for everyone, but I love the creativity that fashion itself represents. But personally I end up going to smaller designers. And I just found a new brand I really like it’s called Stop Staring. It has a lot of classic, feminine, and demure dresses.
U: Wow, that name itself is hot!
RH: I know right!
U: The sequel Think Like A Man Too will be out next month. What was the funniest memory from behind the scenes or on set?
RH: We had a lot of fun shooting! We were in Vegas and there was this character I came up with and we just couldn’t get enough of her! Her name was Bitty; it was like “Bitty in Vegas.” We had a lot of late nights, so we laughed a lot, we were there for Memorial Day weekend. It’s like getting paid to have a great time with your friends. And of course Kevin [Hart] always made us laugh. But this time what was so great was I got to work a lot with the ladies. It’s like what we’re doing in Vegas and what they’re doing in Vegas.
U: We were looking for you on social media and couldn’t find you. We only found fan accounts. Are you not on social media?
RH: I’m not yet, I think social media is so wonderful. I love how people can stay connected, I love how you can see what people are doing. I like the mystique of not knowing what people are doing. And there’s so little time, I’m already addicted to “Bejeweled” on my phone. With so much to do, I honestly have not had a chance to do it but I have friends who do it and they love it. They’re kind of cruel to me and I’m like “Can you tweet this for me?” and they’re like “No!” [laughs] I’m like fine then! [laughs]
U: You don’t see it happening anytime in the future?
RH: It’s not even that I wouldn’t do it now that I’m technologically equipped to do it. My girlfriend had to force me to go up to the iPhone, I was holding onto my Blackberry for dear life – the old version. I was still stuck on BBM. It’s not that I wouldn’t do it, I haven’t done it yet. I love how it gives people the opportunity to have a voice. [If I tweeted] they’ll probably be like “Regina’s tweeting about White Diamonds Lustre again!” I’d probably get really passionate about whatever I believe in and tweet and tweet, tweet, so maybe … Maybe!
U: Do you ever Google yourself?
RH: You know I have, and I tell you every time I always find something I don’t necessarily want to see, like who said that?! But I google other people far more than I google myself.
U: What was the craziest thing you read about yourself that you wish were true?
RH: OH! That I was worth $242 million! I had a bunch of tequila limes, it was like I owned so much!
U: Let’s play “Fill In The Blank.” The last restaurant you visited in L.A. was:
RH: California Pizza Kitchen
U: The one thing you ordered that was so good was:
RH: BBQ chicken pizza
U: The most memorable trip you’ve ever taken was:
RH: I went to Puta Mita in Mexico. Oh no! I went to South Africa. That was pretty amazing. I got to pet some cubs, the baby tigers. The safari was pretty amazing and I watched the lions feed. There were some amazing memories from that trip.
[Image: Screen Gems, Inc./Matt Kennedy]