December 22, 1995
Web posted at: 10:30 p.m. EST
From Entertainment Correspondent Sherri Sylvester
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Is it really possible to find that one perfect guy? Perhaps not, but the women of the new film "Waiting to Exhale" are hoping to find a reasonable facsimile of Mr. Right. They're not asking for much, just the one guy with whom they are so comfortable they can finally relax and exhale.
"Waiting to Exhale" is about girlfriends, guys, and relationships. It stars Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon. Together, the foursome is bringing Terry McMillan's bestseller to life. In the movie, they're looking for a man that dreams and movies are made of.
Speaking of movies, the women agreed to do this picture partly because it offered the actresses a rare opportunity to portray African-American women as bright, intelligent, and beautiful. But before the cameras rolled, a lot of female bonding had to take place. In fact, Loretta Devine says the first scene rehearsals actually took place in Angela Bassett's house.
When shooting finally began, the dating scenes were fairly easy. But, according to Lela Rochon, the love scenes were not as fun.
"I couldn't have worked with a more giving, pleasant actor (than) Wendell Pierce," Rochon says. "But just having some guy on top of you for two days -- it's not fun."
Whitney Houston says she also wanted to know more about the love scenes she had to shoot. Meetings with the film's director, Forrest Whitaker, convinced her that it was going to be a funny experience.
Making the movie also took the actresses down their own memory lane. Houston recalls a little boy named Aaron as the first person to ever make her gasp. Basset says her puppy love took place in elementary school.
"Oh, Sean in first grade," says Basset. "But I didn't want to hold his hand, not in front of everybody."
But in the end, it's not the dating or love scenes that make the movie. It's the four actresses, and their relationships amongst each other.
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