“I didn't think this is what I was signing up for” - Grant Hill on kissing Queen Latifah during 'Living Single' episode
Acting roles for NBA players have a rich history, and Grant Hill exemplifies this tradition. His arguably most well-known performance came in a 1995 episode of the TV series 'Living Single', featuring the female rapper/actress Queen Latifah.
However, aside from growing accustomed to being in front of the camera, 'G-Money' took away another valuable lesson from the experience: always read your script before it's showtime - a point he amusingly shared on a recent podcast episode.
"I don't think what I'm doing is a whole lot, so I don't read the script. But then I show up the next day at the table read... I'm reading it for the first time. At first, I'm like, 'Damn, I'm in a lot of scenes,' and then I'm like, 'Oh man, they got me flirting with Latifah, like her character'...I didn't want to punk out or be difficult, 'cause I'm the guest. But I didn't think this is what I was signing up for," Hill shared on The VC Show with Vince Carter.
Hill's early expectations and acting debut
After excelling at Duke, Hill was selected third in the 1994 Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Upon entering the NBA, the talented forward was quickly dubbed "the next Michael Jordan." To fulfill these high expectations, naturally, increased off-court visibility was essential from early on. One such opportunity arose with a guest appearance (was aired in 1998) on 'Home Improvement' - a series set, as Hill noted, in Detroit, which he found to be quite an "easy" acting gig.
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"Then they are like 'We want you on Living Single.' So I honestly think it is the same kind of thing, that imma make a cameo," G-Money remarked.
However, the future 7-time All-Star was entirely wrong in his assumption. Looking back, Grant said he was "pretty much in every scene" of the 'Living Single' episode.
On-screen romance with Latifah
The comedy, on air from 1993 to 1998 on Fox, depicted six NYC friends navigating the highs and lows in a Brooklyn brownstone. One of those friends was played by Latifah, for whose character Hill's became the "love interest" in the episode's plot.
"We rehearsed, and we rehearsed...but we never rehearsed the couch kissing scene. And I didn't know how that was going and how that would go. I just kind of went with the flow on that. Anyway, it was acting. She was great and she was a great friend," he explained.
Few may know that Latifah was not just a "good friend" but also a good basketball player herself. In her youth, she played power forward on her championship-winning high school team. Competing in a 'Rock N' Jock' celebrity game, she once even had a highlight play against Shawn Kemp and confidently stated, "I don't fear nobody out here!"
