'Relationship Goals' Interview: Kelly Rowland and Cliff Smith

Moviefone speaks with Kelly Rowland and Cliff “Method Man” Smith about Prime Video's 'Relationship Goals'. "I love romantic comedies," Rowland confessed.

(L to R) Kelly Rowland and Cliff “Method Man” Smith star in 'Relationship Goals'.

Premiering on Prime Video February 4th is the new romantic comedy ‘Relationship Goals’, which was directed by Linda Mendoza (‘Chasing Papi’), and stars Kelly Rowland (‘Mea Culpa’), Cliff “Method Man” Smith (‘Garden State’), Robin Thede (‘Candy Cane Lane’), Annie Gonzalez (‘Drive-Away Dolls’), Matt Walsh (‘Veep’), and Dennis Haysbert (‘Heat’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kelly Rowland and Cliff “Method Man” Smith about their work on 'Relationship Goals', Rowland’s first reaction to the screenplay and why she wanted to play the role, Smith’s experience appearing in a romantic comedy, and what it was like for them to work together.

(L to R) Kelly Rowland in 'Relationship Goals'. Credit: Amanda Matlovich/Prime. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

Moviefone: To begin with, Kelly, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and why you wanted to play this role?

Kelly Rowland: I love romantic comedies. when I was reading it, I knew I was immediately sucked in. Of course, I love Leah, but I loved all the characters. I felt like they all were just jumping off the paper. I could hear them in my head. I saw the space and the dance between myself and Jarrett, and it was just incredible. I love working with DeVon Franklin. I love working with Linda Mendoza, and this journey with Amazon has been incredible.

Cliff “Method Man” Smith in 'Relationship Goals'. Credit: Amanda Matlovich/Prime. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

MF: Cliff, this is a different type of movie than your fans are used to seeing you in. What was it like for you to play this role and appear in a romantic comedy?

Cliff “Method Man” Smith: It was something that I saw coming. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything like that, but they kept putting me in a space of this sex symbol, so to speak. Right? A good-looking man, whatever. The roles that I played up until that point, didn't reflect that. So, I had a feeling something like this would pop up. I'm just glad that it was with somebody that I trusted, somebody that worked just as hard as I did on their craft. I think that really showed in the scenes of us together, that she stole.

(L to R) Kelly Rowland and Cliff “Method Man” Smith in 'Relationship Goals'. Credit: Amanda Matlovich/Prime. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

MF: Cliff what was it like for you to work with Kelly on this project?

CS: Super-duper excited. Notice that I put the “super-duper” in front of excited. Because I had seen her work in ‘Mea Culpa’. It was brilliant. She was so grounded in that movie. It was like you didn't see Kelly Rowland up there, even though we knew it was Kelly, but it was a totally different person up there. I was like, "This is good." I can't wait to see what we do together. Then we did the chemistry read. Because you take a title like ‘Relationship Goals’, and you say it's a romantic comedy, doesn't that feel a bit on the nose? So, then you think, as an actor, "What could I or the person I'm with do in order to separate this from a stereotypical romantic comedy?" First off, it’s Black love. Period. You know what I mean? That happens with the work that the actors do. This is how you separate your romantic comedy from everything else, the interaction between two people. She loved me, man.

(L to R) Kelly Rowland and Cliff “Method Man” Smith in 'Relationship Goals'. Credit: Ryan Fivish/Prime. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

MF: Finally, Kelly, did you have fun working with Cliff on this movie?

KR: I did. We had the best time, but like he said, I knew it was right when we were bouncing off each other in our chemistry read. He had this one moment and I said, "Linda, it's him." I was so excited. It just became sweet, having this just banter on set. It's been great.

'Relationship Goals' premieres on Prime Video February 4th.

What is the plot of 'Relationship Goals'?

Described as 'a funny and inspiring romantic comedy on finding lasting love and sustaining a healthy relationship at every stage of courtship.

Who is in the cast of 'Relationship Goals'?

Kelly Rowland as Leah Caldwell
Cliff “Method Man” Smith as Jarrett Roy
Robin Thede
Annie Gonzalez
Dennis Haysbert
Matt Walsh

(L to R) Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Kelly Rowland in 'Relationship Goals'. Credit: Amanda Matlovich/Prime. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.