Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown & The Ebo Twins interview: 'Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.' speaks for itself

All photos courtesy of Focus Features.

The new film “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.” may have a catchy title, but it took a lot more than that to get it to the big screen. Starting off as a short film from twin sisters Adamma and Adanne Ebo, the project quickly rose through the ranks, attracting actors Regina Hall (“Girls Trip”) and Sterling K. Brown (“This is Us”) to headline the feature version. They play Trinitie and Lee-Curtis Childs, married to God and each other, as founders of a Baptist Mega Church going through hard times in the midst of a growing sex scandal.

After a splashy Sundance debut earlier this year, “Honk For Jesus” even caught the attention of Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluyya, who came on board as producers, helping the film cross the finish line. Regina, Sterling and the Ebo twins recently visited San Francisco to speak with us about the film and the following is a transcription of that conversation.

Q: How do you keep things fresh when you’re going from city to city and doing a lot of press interviews like this one?

Sterling K. Brown: It’s an easy project to talk about. It’s easy to get behind it and not feel embarrassed by it. You could tell if we were embarrassed by it.

Regina Hall: It’s also good doing it with Sterling.

Brown: It’s good to do it with you too, Regina. We get to play off each other.

Adamma Ebo: This is our first film and our first press tour so we had no idea what to expect or how to prepare. We’re struggling a little bit.

Q: Well, since this is your time doing press interviews, what is the biggest misconception you had about the process?

Adamma Ebo: I never considered doing press for the film was going to be a factor. Sometimes I’m still shocked that people wanted to make the movie. But as a writer and director, I’m used to getting lost in the art of it. You forget that there’s this other aspect of marketing to it.

Adanne Ebo: We thought Regina and Sterling would be handling all of that and nobody would want to talk to us. This is our first feature with no name recognition but apparently it’s the opposite of that.

Q: Regina and Sterling, with the Ebo twins are making their first full-length feature with this project. What convinced you to take a chance on their vision?

Brown: They made a short I thought was fantastic and they wrote a script which was equally fantastic. They got Regina Hall to play the lead and I trust Regina’s taste. Regina’s making moves, she’s playing chess while others are playing checkers.

Hall: We all knew that the film does not work without the character of Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs and when Sterling came aboard there was an exhale. We all didn’t like Covid, but during that time of Covid it allowed Sterling to be available because otherwise he would’ve been shooting “This is Us.” We took advantage of that window.

Q: You’re being modest in your praise because there’s a monologue in the second half of the movie that proves otherwise.

Hall: Thank you.

Q: How much prep did you do in advance to pull that monologue off in a single take?

Hall: Fortunately I rehearsed it but I was so upset that day and I had pictured that scene going a different way. I was so upset that I thought I had ruined the film.

Brown: Do you watch it differently now?

Hall: I do. Life is always happening during art.

Q: How many takes did you get it in?

Adamma Ebo: Three. We were losing light and it was a hustle. I think I’ve blocked a lot of it out.

Q: Are there any specific things you did to feel more comfortable on set?

Adamma Ebo: We didn’t have a lot of rehearsal time for this, we had a lot of hanging out. Whenever the four of us got together, we would talk about character way more than we would actually rehearse or read lines. But we would also talk about our lives because we all have a background in organized religion.

Adanne Ebo: Our overlap is very similar so getting to know each other as people made us all a lot more comfortable on set.

Hall: I saw Sterling just walk on set and feel so comfortable, when he walked on stage in the church, that felt like home for Lee Curtis.

Brown: I’ll often walk around empty sets just to inhabit the space and the character.

Q: Do you that more on the bigger films you’ve worked on or the smaller ones?

Brown: All of them.

Q: Did Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluuya come onboard as producers of the film before or after Sundance?

Adamma Ebo: Daniel was onboard before Sundance. We had done a version of the Sundance labs and they have alumni come through and that’s where we met him. He really liked the film’s title and we all connected.

Adanne Ebo: Jordan saw the film at Sundance and helped facilitate the sale at the festival.

Q: How do you feel about your film’s simultaneous release in theaters and at home on Peacock?

Adamma Ebo: I think it’s cool. I 100% want people to go see it in theaters because there’s nothing like seeing it with an actual audience. But I also know that it’s not a possibility for a lot of people and I don’t want them to not watch the film. I love the fact that there are options.

Q: Sterling, I know you went to Stanford, right?

Brown: Yes I did.

Hall: I don’t like all this Stanford stuff.

Brown: (laughs) Hey! Big up to Fordham University! I love them both with all my heart.

Q: We’re doing this interview a few minutes away from that campus so out of curiosity, what are some of your favorite Stanford memories?

Brown: Oh wow! I loved going to the Stanford football games and being in the 6th man club for basketball.  Getting to the elite 8 my senior year was pretty cool. Stanford mall was cool too but I loved being broke in college. You don’t know any better in those days and I loved going to eat at Taco Bell and Jack in the Box as a broke college student while some of the best restaurants in the world are right next door to Stanford. Blissful ignorance is what it was all about and it was a great time.

Q: Is there a single question you keep getting that you wish people would stop asking you?

Adamma Ebo: We are never going to answer this to people’s satisfaction but they always ask us who these characters are based on.

Adanne Ebo: Yeah, they will bring up specific names and assume the characters are based on specific people. They’re based on an amalgamation of different characters and situations in our lives.

Brown: I like this question a lot but I know Regina gets it all the time, and that is what’s going on with a “Girls Trip” sequel.

Hall: (laughs) I honestly don’t know what’s going on with a “Girls Trip” sequel.

Brown: Are you sure?

Hall: (laughs) Yes but I want to know if you’re like Randall from “This is Us” in real life.

“Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.” is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock.