In the latest installment of Shaft, Regina Hall plays the swagged-out detective’s ex and mother of his child. John Shaft II is definitely not the committed type, so obviously the two lustbirds broke up despite having a child named JJ, played by Jessie T. Usher.
Without giving away too much of the hilarious film, Shaft finds his way back into his ex’s life some 25 years later. When Hall’s character, Maya Babanikos spots Shaft II, played by Samuel L. Jackson, she retreats to the lady’s room and proceeds to give herself a pep talk in order to not give in to her old flame.
The pep talk is all too familiar if you’ve ever loved and lost, but it also reminds us of Mirror Bitch in Insecure. That’s the alter ego of Issa, who raps and responds to her conversation from her reflection in the mirror.
ESSENCE spoke with the cast of Shaft, so of course we had Hall and star Alexandra Shipp share their get-over-your-ex break up pep talks.
“You just look at yourself and go, ‘No!’ ” Shipp said.
Hall agreed. “ ‘No, you are not doing it!’ Sometimes you gotta call a friend. You need a lifeline,” she added.
Check out the video above for the hilarious pep talks.