‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back’ Director on Universal Appeal, Enduring Legacy of Black Rom-Com

“People of different ages and colors come up to me and tell me their stories of falling in love with the film,” Kevin Rodney Sullivan tells TheWrap

Whoopi Goldberg (left) and Angela Bassett star in 1998's "How Stella Got Her Groove Back"
Whoopi Goldberg (left) and Angela Bassett star in 1998's "How Stella Got Her Groove Back"

This week marks 20 years since Stella got her groove back … and she’s still got it.

The beloved 1998 rom-com “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” saw Angela Bassett — at the peak of her movie career — and the illustrious Whoopi Goldberg pack their bags and head to Jamaica with fresh-faced newcomer Taye Diggs, in his first film role as young, handsome islander Winston Shakespeare.

Back then, 27-year-old Diggs was best-known for originating the role of Benny in Jonathan Larson’s “Rent. The film also marked the feature debut for director Kevin Rodney Sullivan.

The film, and book it was adapted from, captured black and female audiences in the late 90’s and early 2000s.

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