NEW YORK (AP) â , reaping rewards from the hard work sheâs sowed throughout her three-decade career. For the âHarlemâ star, gratitude is her mantra.
âAs crazy as, not even just this last year, the last few years have been for me, this is the happiest Iâve been in a long time. And itâs pretty wonderful,â said Good last week with tears welling in her eyes, emotions heightened as she thought of her relationship with Jonathan Majors, her time on âHarlemâ and the Los Angeles wildfires.âIâm just thankful for the journey and Iâm thankful to be loved.â
Much of that love has been provided by , and the fluctuating journey includes their scrutinized relationship, leading Tyler Perryâs âDivorce in the Blackâ film and starring in the third and final season of âHarlem,â premiering Thursday on Prime Video.
âItâs incredible that the people who have supported us and have watched the show have waited on us like âGame of Thrones,ââ said Good, who plays Camille, a Columbia University professor of sex and love. âItâs really cool to be a part of something so amazing that people love.â
The resilience of âHarlemâ
âHarlemâ has been a survivor, emerging from the coronavirus pandemic and the Hollywood actors and writers strikes. The Tracy Oliver dramedy follows four women in their 30s (Good, Grace Byers, Jerrie Johnson and Shoniqua Shandai) living in Manhattanâs historic Black neighborhood as they navigate love, friendships and careers. While the series didnât reach the it earned a staunch fan base.
âIf you really think about shows about New York, itâs almost like purposefully excluding Black people ... so when we reflect on shows like âFriendsâ or even âSex and The City,â I probably can count on one hand how many Black people Iâve seen in those shows. But in New York, itâs unavoidable because Black people have created the culture here, specifically in Harlem,â said Johnson, who plays Tye, a queer dating app designer for LBGTQ+ people of color.
and thatâs why we loved it because we love seeing these women meeting in this small little apartment to commune with each other ... thatâs why we have such a cult following because there was a hole in the market that Tracy brilliantly filled.â
Good, 43, said the relationship she shares with her cast, crew and streaming platform is one she hadnât experienced. âThis definitely has been the best professional experience Iâve had in my entire career in terms of emotionally, mentally, professionally, spiritually.â
Itâs an emphatic declaration by the former child star whose first major film appearance came in Ice Cubeâs 1995 classic âFriday,â and became a household name to kids on .
Good on her relationship with Jonathan Majors and the cost of fame
Adored for beauty throughout her relatively drama-free career, many fans questioned her relationship with Majors, the and âAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.â It began toward the end of 2023 following the 35-year-oldâs arrest for allegations of escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse toward ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.
But the âThink Like a Manâ and âShazam! Fury of the Godsâ actor said her Christian faith and life lessons prepared her for the backlash.
âI think about being in my 20s and you see the Media Take Outs and itâs a hundred nice things and thereâs like one or two bad things. And I would just internalize it and I would cry and it would hurt my feelings so much,â said Good, who also cited criticism from fellow Christians about her attire and film choices, false skin-bleaching allegations, and the end of her near decade-long marriage with pastor and Hollywood executive DeVon Franklin as perseverance-builders. âI had been praying for maybe like five or six years, âLord, please deliver me from what people think about me. ⊠But I will say the part of it that is still hard for me is to see them drag people I love.â
and a harassment violation. but was ordered to complete a yearlong counseling program. He also settled a civil suit with Jabbari, but the ordeal nearly extinguished his career.
Good, who was by Majorsâ side at court dates and became in engaged to him in November, is optimistic his career will regenerate. (Ironically, in which he proposes scenarios to a potential girlfriend to see if sheâd stand by him, including incarceration.)
âThe idea that people are like, âWell, she got paid,â said Good, rolling her eyes at suggestions itâs a publicity stunt â âit could be hurtful, but I just donât care anymore. And thatâs a good feeling.â
Whatâs next for Good
Good, who aspires to star in an action film, has been open about her desire to have children and is focusing on her future with Majors, including launching a health and wellness brand together.
Admirers and industry colleagues believe Good deserves much more recognition.
âPeople have tried to pigeonhole her in a certain area that now sheâs breaking free. I always tell her that this is her phoenix moment ... the ashes actually being a metaphor for peopleâs expectations of her,â said Johnson. âAbout 75% of my favorite movies that shaped my upbringing have Meagan Good in them ... Iâve learned so much about transitioning into womanhood and adulthood through the characters that sheâs played.â
Good, however, stresses her focus is not on recognition or major awards, but reaching the hearts of people. She circles back to gratitude for a career that has defied Hollywood odds.
âTo have any appreciation is a gift,â said Good. âI feel like my best is yet to come. And I feel like even now, Iâm kind of just getting started.â
___
Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Gary Gerard Hamilton, The Associated Press