Sanaa Lathan says Playing an Alcoholic ‘Felt Cathartic’ After Quitting 6 Years Ago

VIDEO – FAMILIAR ROLE –

Aug. 23, 2024 – Lathan, who previously revealed to PEOPLE she had quit drinking in 2018, says there were multiple reasons for both her alcohol intake and decision to stop. “Navigating life as a woman, as a Black woman in Hollywood, is not for the faint of heart,” she says. “And people cope in different ways.

ince going alcohol-free, Lathan’s career has included producing and starring in Nappily Ever After, earning her first-ever Emmy nomination for a guest role on Succession and directing and leading 2022 hit On the Come Up. She says that her success in the last six years is not a coincidence: “I do believe that I would never have been able to direct a major studio movie if I hadn’t stopped. There are things that I’m doing in my life now that I don’t think that I would’ve been able to sustain.”

That’s true for Lathan’s “simple” self-care routine of walks through Los Angeles with her pooch Nala and cherished time with family and friends.”