The Best Man helped make big stars out of the likes of Nia Long, Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, and Sanaa Lathan. The cult classic film features an ensemble cast and many quotable scenes. No scene more infamous than the one between Diggs and Long that featured a slap. The pair revealed recently that the slap in said scene was actually unscripted, and almost resulted in them never working together again.
The Best Man is a 1999 American romantic comedy-drama film which was written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee and produced by his cousin Spike Lee. Aside from the above-mentioned stars, it also serves as the film debut of Regina Hall. Diggs character Harper is an author whose fictional book Unfinished Business pulls heavily from the lives of him and his friends. In the book, which has yet to be released, he tells the story about the night he and his friend Mia hook up. The issue, he and his friends are gearing up to attend Mia’s wedding to fellow friend Lance who is unaware Mia and Harper had been intimate before. To make matters worst, an advanced company of his book has been circulated around friends, and they are putting together the pieces, resulting in a really bad beatdown at the hands of Lance.
Upon returning to friend Jordan’s home (played by Nia Long), Harper explodes on her blaming her for his beat down. She promptly responds by slapping him across the face. Diggs and Long sat with TV One’s Unsung Hollywood to reflect on the film. Speaking on that particular day, Long recalls that while the scene felt great, there was something missing. “One particular scene with Nia Long truly put Taye’s improve skills to the test,” said the overhead voice in the clip.
“I remember the day that we were shooting the scene where he comes over to the apartment. There was just something not on the page. The moment was there, but the words weren’t there. So I said, you know what, let’s just do it.” After showing a clip of the slap, Diggs chimed in. “She really, she slapped the sh*t out of me, like for real. you get a moment where I go ‘Whooo,’ and I stayed in it.”
According to Long, “It was so loud, and I thought ‘Oh my God, I really smacked him hard.’ And I’m so sorry. And I said, ‘Taye are you okay?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah… I’m good.’ I was thinking, ‘He’s not good.'” “I was pissed!” explained Diggs. “I was like, ‘I’m never going to work with her again. How unprofessional.’ But then when I saw it on screen… But after that day, we were cool.” The pair eventually worked together again on The Best Man Holiday in 2013. A series concluding the franchise titled The Best Man: The Final Chapters was green-lit this year for NBC’s Peacock network. The entire cast is expected to reprise their roles in the limited series.
