Returning to the historic Saban Theater in Beverly Hills, Hollywood Confidential reemerged with its signature event series honoring ICONIC Actress-turned-Producer-and-Director, Meagan Good in recognition of her outstanding 30-year career! Series creator Steve Jones admits, “Hollywood Confidential had been dark for three years (outside of a streaming special) and I wanted to come back in a special way,” and special was definitely the vibe of the night!
Skincare and Shea Moisture, attendees kicked off the night with a networking mixer and pre-panel presented by streaming platform ALLBLK; highlighting the cast and crew of their new series, “A La Carte“, Executive Produced by Meagan Good.
An instant outpouring of love, Meagan’s celebration hosted an array of surprise special guests including: former “Cousin Skeeter” cast-mate, Robert Ri’chard, her “Harlem” co-stars Shoniqua Shandai, Jerrie Johnson and Tyler Lepley, “Insecure” Star Kendrick Sampson, Will Packer Productions & ‘22 OSCAR Awards Producer Shayla Cowan, “Harlem” Series Creator Tracy Oliver, and Meagan’s own Godfather, NFL Hall of Famer and Activist Jim Brown.
Hollywood Confidential Digital Director, Erica Vain, held it down on the red carpet interviewing our honoree and talent whose energy and fashion choices were unmatched. Strutting down our carpet in bold and brilliant colors, the entire cast of “Harlem” (with the exception of Grace Byers who sent flowers in her absence) gave exclusive interviews which are featured on our YouTube channel now!
Steve Jones — longtime friend and collaborator thought it was long overdue for Meagan to join the list of past Hollywood Confidential Honorees. When I asked our series creator why he deemed it necessary to honor Meagan at this time, he replied,
“Why Meagan? Why Not!? She’s been in the business for over thirty years with an impressive and consistent career in TV & film. It was past due, honestly. And I’m surprised it hadn’t been done at this level before now.”
Steve Jones
Taking the stage in front of an audience of 1200 attendees, Good spoke candidly on her career and what it takes to have longevity in the business. When asked how she successfully avoided the pitfalls of being a child star, she let us know that the credit there was due to her mother, who was her on-set chaperone until the age of 26! Much like a handful of black actresses who have spoken of the dread of being typecast as the sexy vixen, or beautiful damsel next door, Good didn’t let it stop her from auditioning for challenging roles. She took charge of her career when she attached herself as a lead actress and producer to the 2011 film, “Video Girl“, a grueling drama about the volatile world of video vixens in the music industry; this was the beginning of her duality beyond acting, and the first of many challenging roles in her adulthood.
“Harlem” creator, Tracy Oliver, spoke in detail about her first impression of Meagan, which contributed to her almost passing on the actress being cast as Camille– a character she wrote to reflect herself. Oliver expressed concern for the lack of awkward zany roles in Meagan’s on screen history, however after meeting and falling in love with Meagan in-person, she decided to offer her the part without question. Interestingly enough, Meagan’s changing her hair into faux locs for her audition won Tracy over in offering her the role, further proving her determination to escape being typecast. Her willingness to read for the part impressed Oliver further, who proclaimed to an Executive, “She’s offering to read for the role and sit down for 12 hours to do faux lox? Give her the part or I’m not doing the show. You don’t ask Meagan Good to read. She is an icon amongst Black Hollywood.’ She was right— Good has earned her keep in a niche group of Disney and Nickelodeon Black Actors who don’t always remain successful after aging out of young adult roles.
She transitioned from teen star to on-screen ‘it girl’, landing roles in culturally notable films like “Roll Bounce“, “Stomp The Yard“, “Think Like A Man“, and “Deliver Us From Eva”. She proved she was more than a pretty face in action packed films like Waist Deep, Saw V, and The Intruder, while showcasing her range in her recent dramas “If Not Now, When?“, and “Death Saved My Life“. From the carpet to the stage, Meagan proudly spoke of her faith being the center of her success, and how she has kept it together thus far in her career, in spite of private and public pitfalls. “To those of you who truly want to have a career in this business, my advice is to Ask God, and if you get his approval, that’s all you need.”
Steve pulled a couple of quick ones during the event with exciting surprises as a doorbell chimed throughout the loudspeaker every 15 minutes to signal that a new surprise guest was ready to take the stage. One of the standout moments was the “leading man” segment, where our audience burst into loud applause and shrieks as we brought out her current love onscreen interest, Tyler Leply, and her very FIRST on screen love interest, Robert Ri’chard, causing for all of the nostalgic childhood feels! Another LEGENDARY moment was when Jim Brown, who happens to be Meagan’s Godfather, also made an appearance to adorn her with praise for her commitment to activism and staying true to herself through it all.
Tears of gratitude and joy were shed as we presented Meagan with her very own ICON award to commemorate her success on screen, and her tireless work behind the scenes to give voice to under-served and marginalized communities. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Good thanked Jones and the audience for coming out to support her.
“Thank you to this room full of people who came to love on me tonight, I needed this. And thank you Steve, for your heart, and for wanting to celebrate and love and to lift up. And you do that not just for me, but for many. Your heart is so good, and I really appreciate you.”
Meagan Good
Jones added, “I’m honored to call Meagan a friend in real life, so it made sense to return to the live event space to recognize someone who means so much to me both off and on screen. My intention was to celebrate Meagan & create a safe space where she could tangibly feel the love that we as a community have for her—especially during this time in her life; personally and professionally.”
