WANDA SYKES TAKES A DRAMATIC TURN IN "UNDERCARD"

Funny lady Wanda Sykes knocks it out of the park in her first dramatic role as a boxing trainer, in Undercard.

I always say, funny people make the best dramatic actors. Wanda Sykes - known for her humour and acerbic wit shows her other side in the boxing drama, Undercard.

In the film Sykes plays Cheryl “No Mercy” Stewart, a two-time former boxing champion and recovering alcoholic, who reaches out to the 21-year-old son she abandoned, she is met with deep-seated resentment. Keith Stewart, a naturally gifted fighter, relies on raw talent—but without discipline or focus, he can’t reach the top.

After a devastating loss caused by his gambling-addicted trainer, Keith’s career loses direction and his confidence takes a hit. Cheryl sees a chance not only to save her son’s career, but to reclaim the family she lost. With everything on the line, mother and son enter an uneasy partnership, balancing ambition, forgiveness, and the price of a second chance.

It’s a gritty drama but Sykes was up for the challenge and delivers a knock out performance. Also starring alongside Sykes are, Bentley Green (White Men Can't Jump) Estella Kahiha (The Women in the Yard), Xavier Mills (“Chad Powers”) William Stanford Davis (“Abbott Elementary”)Berto Colón (“Orange Is the New Black”) and Roselyn Sánchez (“Devious Maids”).

Undercard is co written and directed by Tamika Miller.

I had the opportunity to speak with Wanda Sykes, Tamika Miller and Xavier Mills about working on this film.