Will Packer, the producer of the comedy Girl’s Trip starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Regina King, and Tiffany Haddish, has announced in a January 10 interview that he will continue with the original cast for his sequel. Questions about Haddish’s involvement have been buzzing since the star has recently been involved in legal troubles. Packer spoke on the issues surrounding the actress but assured fans during his appearance on Club Shay Shay

that “I gotta have the original cast. I gotta take them. Cause people love those ladies. They love those characters.”

Specifically for Haddish, he admitted that her acting and delivery “stole the show.” He explained, “She was a breakout. Everybody else that came in and auditioned for that role they were playing the character they read on the page. But Tiffany became the character. She took what was on the page and took it to the next level.”

Packer insisted upon the questioning of interviewer Shannon Sharp that he would have to convince studios interested in taking on the film that the 43-year-old Los Angeles native was integral to the sequel. 

“I certainly hope so. I think that we are in a time period where there’s not a lot of nuances. It’s just black and white, and the reality is that we live in a gray world,” Packer said. “I think that, you know, she’s very talented obviously, very remorseful and has come out and apologized, so I certainly hope so. Girls Trip Two, I can’t make it without her.” 

He justified the choice by imploring people not to conflate art with the artist.  He said, “I always tell people that it becomes a tricky conversation when you align the art with the artist so much that you don’t have a separation of art and artist,”  Packer quickly clarified, “And that doesn’t mean that you justify bad behavior. It just means that sometimes … in general, you have to look at the art, and you have to judge the art.”

“When you talk about the art, Girls Trip Two, I would definitely want those four ladies.”

Sis2Sis previously reported on the aforementioned hot water that Haddish has found herself in. Haddish and fellow comedian Aries Spears were accused of grooming two underage persons for what was supposed to be a comedy skit in 2014. The court documents claimed that Haddish “aided, abetted and watched Spears sexually molest a child” during the video. Although the two accused victims’ identities haven’t been released, the female victim admitted that she and her younger brother were still “traumatized.”