ELISE NEAL NEWS, INTERVIEWS & UPDATES



News for 10/10/2005


The following article appeared in the August 2005 issue of Ebony Magazine





News for 8/17/2005


No decorator, no problem for this star

By Diana McKeon Charkalis
Special for USA TODAY


LOS ANGELES — Going up?

The elevator in Elise Neal's home is the fastest way to get from basement to third-story bedroom, but she doesn't often choose that route.

"If I've worked out too hard and I'm exhausted, I'll use it, but most of the time I take the stairs," says Neal, 39, whose new movie is Hustle & Flow, about a pimp who wants to be a rap star.

The actress, also known for her roles in Rosewood and Scream 2, was starring in TV's The Hughleys when she bought her house four years ago. Pressed against the hills, the modern, whitewashed stucco home towers over a narrow, winding street with panoramic views of surrounding peaks and valleys. She spent more than a year searching for it.

"I don't go rushing into anything," she says. "I'm a total planner. I'm very organized, and I just like to know how it's going to be before I do it."

She has made extensive changes to the house, including renovating the kitchen, replacing wall-to-wall white carpets with hardwood floors and painting the white walls in warmer, earthier tones.

"I didn't have a decorator," but for inspiration, Neal scoured European design magazines such as British Trends and Italian Elle Décor.

She shares the house with boyfriend and former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matthew Hatchette, 31. He now runs Team Image, a public relations firm that represents athletes and celebrities.

One of their favorite spaces is the downstairs game room, which is outfitted with a pool table, bar and sound system with two flat-screen TVs mounted on the walls.

"We wanted a room where we could just hang or have friends come over to play pool. If I had more time, maybe I'd be a better pool shark," she says with a smile.

Her spacious kitchen underwent a dramatic change. ("I can cook," she says. "I just like to say I can't.") The once-green room with white cabinets is now done in earth tones with brown-flecked ceramic and marble tile on the floor, walls and backsplash.

"I wanted it to be more streamlined and funky," she says, although the space is outfitted mainly with mass-market items she found at Home Depot's Expo Design Center in Westwood.

The room also sports a built-in Gaggenau oven. The exterior of her stainless fridge is uncluttered, except for a few primary-colored plastic alphabet magnets on the side that spell "Elise luvs Hatchy."

The two met on the set of PlayasBall in 2003. She starred; Hatchette got a small part because filmmakers wanted his sports car in the movie.

"He's very calm and laid-back, and I'm more emotional. But it's a great balance, because I'm learning to let it slide a little bit."

Neal works out in her living room, which has red-clay-colored walls and an ebony hardwood floor. There's a black leather couch and two camel-colored suede club chairs that swivel around for a view of her big-screen TV or the fireplace. Nearby are hand weights, 10 to 25 pounds each.

"I like to watch Desperate Housewives and do squats," she says. "I tell all my friends who don't like to work out to just put some weights in their eye line. You'd be surprised how many sets you'll do without even thinking about it."

She won't be returning for the third season of UPN's All of Us, but she's excited about what's ahead.

"I embrace it all. It's a process. I'm not afraid of a change or a challenge. You can't think everyone is supposed to know how talented you are. You have to prove yourself again and again."

She would like to focus on developing her own TV series, as well as Godiva: Assorted Flavors, her cabaret revue that pays tribute to black entertainers.

She's also taking her time deciding what she wants to do with the rest of her house, which she calls a "work in progress." Her next project is to redo her master bathroom in a contemporary Asian style, using gray tiles for a darker palette. She knows this will involve countless trips up three stories to consult with contractors.

For this project, she just might take the elevator.



Wall-to-wall posters inspire

By Diana McKeon Charkalis
Special for USA TODAY


It started with one poster from the 1954 movie Carmen Jones, starring Dorothy Dandridge. Then slowly, a collection was born, Elise Neal says.

"I bought the first one for inspiration, and then I started to think, 'Maybe I should cover my walls with these.' "

Now, several years later, Elise Neal has done just that. Her game room walls are filled with movie posters that pay tribute to black female stars, including Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt, Diana Ross and her all-time favorite, Dandridge.

"She was someone who was so gorgeous and beautiful and really changed the face of what a female African-American star could be."

Neal, who got her start in musical theater and has traveled the world singing and dancing, says she's particularly drawn to multitalented stars who share her passions.

She checks in frequently with a poster dealer in Los Angeles, who keeps her up to date on great finds. And when she needs motivation, she just looks at the heroines on her walls.

"(They) remind me that it was so much more difficult for them than it is for me to be African-American and in entertainment. It's kind of like my daily reminder to check myself."



News for 8/1/2005


The following article appeared in the August 2005 issue of Sister 2 Sister Magazine