Not a particularly large role in the short, 84-minute film (Lee enlisted his father to fill it), the character of Sonny Darling, Nola’s father, will probably expand in significance in the ongoing television series. So the decision of who to cast in his shoes relies much more on general talent, versatility for the role, and who has good potential chemistry with the rest of the cast, than it does personification of a certain character. Forest Whitaker (Panic Room, The Last King of Scotland) has worked with Nate Parker and Jurnee Smollett-Bell on The Great Debaters, and the Oscar Winner is clearly interested in working in television (Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior).
Greer Childs is the second of Nola Darling’s three suitors. He’s a conceited and egotistical actor who wants Nola as his glorified arm candy. Like Mackie, Nate Parker (The Secret Life of Bees, Red Tails, About Alex) is criminally underappreciated. He’s also not hard on the eyes, and has a natural charm and confidence that could easily be translated into cockiness for the role. Parker has also worked with Smollet-Bell before, as teammates in The Great Debaters with Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker.
Watching Tommy Redmond Hicks as Jamie Overstreet only brings one contemporary actor to mind, and that’s Anthony Mackie (Notorious, The Hurt Locker, Captain America: Winter Soldier). With his deep voice and stoic demeanor, Jamie seems like the sweetest and most mature of Nola’s love interests, but eventually he grows frustrated with Nola’s indecision, and in an attempt to monogamize Nola, he forces himself on her. Spike Lee has since said that he regrets including the scene, because it chips away at Nola’s rightful independence, but nevertheless, it represents a darkness in the otherwise polite character that Mackie could portray with complexity.
Nola Darling is She’s Gotta Have It’s titular heroine. Originally played by a magnetic Tracy Camilla Johns, Nola’s an ambitious and attractive career-woman enjoying an urban life in Brooklyn, who’s fiercely jealous of the ability of men to be a sexual beings without social stigma. Rejecting monogamy for independence, Nola enjoys being with all three of her love interests, and makes it plain that she doesn’t want to choose between them. It’s the men that create drama trying to change and capture her sole affection. Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Friday Night Lights, True Blood, Full House) has proven charisma on television screens. In fact, as a supporting character, TV is where she’s thrived. Smollett-Bell flips between a certain sexiness and innocent charm with ease, and, above all, she’s relatable. It’s time she has a series that’s hers.
The role of Doctor Jamison was a small one in the 1986 film, but it did launch the career of S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order). Paula Patton (Déjà vu, Idlewild) has a similar mentor-vibe (think her role as Ms. Rain in Precious) to Merkerson in the original. She could also play a conservative foil to Nola’s progressive edginess.
Mars Blackmon is taken the least seriously of Nola’s three boyfriends. Played by Lee himself in the original, Blackmon is goofy and playful, and, much the disdain of Overstreet and Childs, Nola finds him utterly endearing. Lee was just beginning his career when She’s Gotta Have It came out, and was growing into the black hipster intellectual profile he’s now the icon of. Scott Mescudi—better known by his musician name, Kid Cudi—echoes that persona in a contemporary way. Not just because of his music, or his demonstrated interest in acting, but also because, as Domingo Brown on HBO’s How to Make It in America, he’s already played the flaky, comical friend before.
