Why Jada Pinkett Smith's Presence in Magic Mike XXL Changes the Dynamic

Jada Pinkett Smith is one of the lucky ladies starring in Magic Mike XXL, and as you've seen in the trailers, she's an emcee of sorts. Her character, "Rome," is actually a club owner at the stripper convention Channing Tatum and the boys attend in the film, and I had a chance to chat with the actress when I visited the set with a group of reporters last year. The actress opened up about her character, what her presence means for women, and whether anyone in the very-famous Smith family ever came to set.

What can you tell us about how your character fits into the story?
Jada Pinkett Smith: She's a friend of Mike's from the past; she has a unique club of her own, and he felt as though he would need her skills to help him put together a great show.

Your character was originally written as a male. That's kind of cool.
JPS: Absolutely, and I think also it was really smart for Greg [Jacobs, the director], Steven [Soderbergh], and Channing to really think about making the role female, because it changed the dynamic of the show. You bring a female in, and what men think is sexy and what women like is, you know . . . [laughs]. So you get a little bit of both of what men like and what women like. I think there's a really nice balance that created a dynamic we weren't really expecting, so it's been fun.

As the emcee and nightclub owner, you're kind of filling a role that's similar to Matthew McConaughey's role in the first movie as Dallas.
JPS: Alright, alright, alright. Noooo . . . because Matthew being Matthew, and him being of course just a fine man, I had to come up with a different game. I can't compete with that. There's no competition. I just thought about it from a female's perspective. What would make me go to a club? That's really how I thought about it. I thought, what would make Jada create that club, like every Friday you'd be telling your girlfriends like, "Yo, we going to the spot tonight?" So that's how I thought about it, and what would draw me there? What would the energy have to be? And so that's really what I thought about as far as emceeing and trying to create a language and an environment where women could connect together, and we don't have to feel like we have to compete. It's not a competition. We're all here together to have a good time.

Do you and Elizabeth Banks's character cross paths?
JPS: Oh yeah, in a very interesting way [laughs]. I'll just say this: we have a little bit of a past. But yeah, we cross paths for sure . . . We had a good time filming.

Did you have someone in mind as inspiration for Rome?
JPS: She was really from my imagination, because I think she's the kind of the women that I aspire to be every day of my life. I'm working towards more acceptance of myself and more acceptance of what is, and more acceptance of what is masculine, and what are the realities of that? The balance of man and woman, husband and wife, masculine/feminine, always in search of the balance. So she's kind of what I aspire to be — but not her occupation, just her attitude.

If you only had one chance, which of the guys would you make it rain for?
JPS: I'd make it rain for all of them, if you really want to know the truth. I've seen it all. It would be just a rainstorm. All of them. I think they all have a really unique quality, that there's a little something out there for everybody.

Have you had members of your family that have wanted to visit the set?
JPS: No, I think everybody is busy. Everybody is living their life. Of course Willow is like, "Do I get to come down there and see Channing?" And it's like, "Yeah of course, if he's not stripping. But you can meet him if he's got his clothes on."

Were you attracted to this role because of the empowerment?
JPS: It was something that they allowed me to bring once they decided they wanted a female character. [I'm] trying to find the balance between exploitation yet creating space for women where we can also explore our own sexuality and find ways to have our own sensual adventures without being classified or exploited.

Even in my club, the first dance Channing did at my club, it's a much more intimate space, so it was like 100 women. It was the first time I've been in a space with male strippers. I've never been to a male strip club. I don't need to — I get it at home! I get my own personal show. But being with a group of women and having these gorgeous men that were there that we could celebrate and that were celebrating us, and then just see how all the women in the space, they were just elated and I felt myself really connecting to that energy, and it was like this beautiful community . . . We were all very together as one celebrating these fine men and being celebrated by them. It was a really wonderful experience. It really was.

People going to see Magic Mike XXL may expect to see the same kind of thing from the first time, a lot of hot bodies gyrating and dancing around, but with your character involved, do you hope that it opens a conversation at all?
JPS: I hope so. I really do. I'm hoping that it will. I definitely want to have the opportunity to talk about it because I think there's something in the air with women right now. It's interesting, I was just talking to Channing about that. He said something really interesting: "I think Fifty Shades of Grey didn't turn women on, but it switched something on." And I was like Boom! That's right, it did. I think women are very much so now wanting to have that conversation. I think women are looking for satisfaction and emotional satisfaction, physical satisfaction, happiness, and I think women are tired of playing the game, and I think a lot of women are looking for a way to step out of the box in order to find the thing that works for them. It's going to take us giving ourselves the freedom to explore, the freedom to take criticism, the freedom to take a little pain in order to find the thing that we're looking for.