LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The boxing film Undercard, in theaters Friday, shows Wanda Sykes in a new, dramatic light. Sykes said she was not looking to change her comedic image, and in fact director Tamika Miller had to convince her she could do it.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Sykes said she was more skeptical than Miller was. Sykes plays Cheryl "No Mercy" Stewart, a recovering alcoholic trainer who ends up managing her estranged son (Bentley Green).
"It really took Tamika convincing me that I could pull it off," Sykes said. "I've got a funny voice. I can make funny faces. People just expect that of me on shows I've done, Wanda's walking in the room, here comes the joke."
Miller co-wrote the film with Anita M. Cal with Sykes in mind. Still, Sykes was skeptical.
"I thought that everyone turned it down," Sykes said. "What, Queen Latifah said no? Niecy Nash said no? I went through the list and she said, 'No, I always had you in mind for this.'"
