Tika Sumpter on portraying Michelle Obama in "Southside With You"

ajc.com

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Tika Sumpter, who plays Kevin Hart's girlfriend and then wife in the Atlanta-filmed "Ride Along" movies, happened to visit us at the AJC a few weeks ago, just before Hart got married in real life .

"Kevin is annoying. No, I'm kidding! He's so great to work with," she said. "I wish him all the best."

Her latest project, "Southside With You," portrays another true love story. She plays Michelle Robinson, the woman who would become First Lady Michelle Obama, at the very dawn of her romance with the future president. The movie, with  Parker Sawyers as Barack Obama during his community organizing days, is in theaters now.

"This is all done out of heart and respect and a lot of love," Sumpter said during our interview. She prepared for the role with lots of research and grew in admiration for her subject.

"Don't you think she'd be fun to hang out with?" she said. "She's very accessible. She's a girl who wants a lot for herself but who's also very real."

Watch our interview here:

By the way before our interview Ms. Sumpter posed for an adorable selfie with my colleague Ryon Horne's incredible daughter Reagan. It's probably my favorite celebrity photo ever:

Photo: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

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Credit: Jennifer Brett