'Dotty and Soul' Interview: Leslie Uggams

Moviefone speaks with Leslie Uggams about 'Dotty and Soul' and 'Deadpool 3.' "I just love Ryan, and I'm really excited about it. Blind Al, she cracks me up."

Premiering on digital and On Demand May 19th is the new comedy ‘Dotty and Soul’ which was written and directed by actor Adam Saunders (‘Family Weekend’).

What is the plot of ‘Dotty and Soul?’

‘Dotty and Soul’ revolves around hot shot entrepreneur Ethan Cox (Adam Saunders), who appears poised to sell his self-driving car company and make his investors filthy rich. But when his problematic Halloween costume gets tweeted, the ensuing social media firestorm nearly ends Ethan's career. Desperate to figure out a way forward, Ethan hatches a plan: he will hire a 71 year old snack cart vendor, Dotty (Leslie Uggams), to pose as his company's figurehead, with Ethan still managing from behind the wings. But when Dotty decides to no longer play the straw man, and starts expressing opinions of her own - everything changes.

Dotty and Soul

"He got cancelled. She got promoted."

Not Yet Rated1 hr 28 minMay 19th, 2023

Watch Dotty and Soul Online

Who is in the cast of ‘Dotty and Soul?’

‘Dotty and Soul’ stars Leslie Uggams (‘Deadpool’) as Dotty, Adam Saunders (‘Shimmer Lake’) as Ethan Cox, Margot Bingham (‘Barbershop: The Next Cut’) as Isabella, M. Emmet Walsh (‘Blade Runner’) as Harold Eichelbaum, David Koechner (‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’) as Brannigan, Gary Owen (‘Ride Along’) as Diggy, and Alexis Ren (‘The Enforcer’) as Stefani.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with legendary actress and singer Leslie Uggams about her work on ‘Dotty and Soul,’ her character, Dotty’s relationship with Ethan, working with writer, director and actor Adam Saunders, the message of the movie, and preparing to reprise her role as Blind Al opposite Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in ‘Deadpool 3.’

Leslie Uggams in 'Dotty and Soul.'

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Uggams, Adam Saunders and David Koechner.

Moviefone: To begin with, Dotty is quite the hustler in her own right. Can you talk about your approach to playing the character?

Leslie Uggams: I loved the script as soon as I read the script. I loved Dotty. I think people think that people get a certain age and therefore they don't have many thoughts. She's in her little world, but she knows how to navigate. Then she meets this wacky guy and he awakes the giant in her and he thinks, "Oh, I'll be able to manipulate her." Then all of a sudden he loses control. But he realizes, "Oh my goodness, I think I did the right thing because she's really smart," and you never know where your path is going to take you. She gets an opportunity and she gets to have a wonderful relationship with him, and they learn from each other.

MF: Ethan is a hustler too, and he seems to meet his match in Dotty. Can you talk about their relationship and the true friendship and respect that begins to form between the two of them?

LU: Well, the thing is, the hustler is trying to out hustle another hustler, but she manages to one up him each time. Through this, he begins to realize, "Oh my God, maybe I can learn something from this woman." Plus all of a sudden she realizes, "Wait a minute, I got an opportunity here. Let me go with this. Let me work it." She has some brilliant ideas and they form this wonderful relationship. But also she teaches him, "Stop trying so hard. Stop trying to be somebody you're not, because you are really bright. Look what you've accomplished. What is all that stuff that you're wearing?" Stuff like that. She gets him to come down to earth and he helps her finally fulfill the dreams that she wanted. It took many years, but it's never too late.

(L to R) Adam Saunders and Leslie Uggams in 'Dotty and Soul.'

MF: What was it like for you working with Adam Saunders, not only as an actor, but also as a writer and director?

LU: We had a great time. We did a lot of improvisation, a lot of times. But we were in tune with each other. From the time I met Adam, we clicked. So being on the set, if an idea came that was better, a line that was better, we went for it. It was a happy set, and everybody, even when we weren't shooting, we were laughing. That's a great way to work.

MF: The movie deals with some very serious subject matter, but is also a comedy and is very funny. What was it like for you to have an opportunity to be in a film that is very entertaining but also has an important message at the heart of it?

LU: Well, it's interesting because when we started filming the movie, we were kind of ahead of what was really happening. Then we got shut down because of the pandemic and we didn't go back to it till a year later. All of a sudden, the world had caught up to what we were talking about in the movie. We realized that there was a scene that Adam wrote after we came back that was necessary that wasn't in it originally, but with what happened to (George) Floyd and all these things, we had to address some of the seriousness that was going on in the world. We talked about it, and it turned out to be a wonderful moment. It's not funny. So therefore, there were certain things that we had to address and it was wonderful. It has a message that talks about those kind of things. So even though it's a comedy, life happens and we don't go around laughing every day, especially nowadays. So therefore, it was wonderful to have this teaching moment, that's what I call it.

(L to R) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman discuss Marvel Studios' 'Deadpool 3.' Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds YouTube channel.

MF: Are you excited to reprise your role as Blind Al in ‘Deadpool 3’ opposite Ryan Reynolds and with Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine?

LU: Well, I'm married to an Aussie (Grahame Pratt), so I'm used to those Aussies. I'm not nervous about anything. Of course I just love Ryan, and so I'm excited. I'm really excited about it and Blind Al, she cracks me up. She's funny.

MF: Finally, do you have any fun memories of working with Jim Henson and the Muppets on ‘The Muppet Show’ in 1979?

LU: I loved it. Oh, it was so much fun doing that show. I thought they were real people. I don't care what you say.