Meagan Good

Meagan Good
Good in Hollywood, California, August 14, 2012
Born	Meagan Monique Good (1981-08-08) August 8, 1981 Panorama City, Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation	Actress, film producer
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	DeVon Franklin (2012–present)
Website
www.meaganmgood.com

Meagan Monique Good (born August 8, 1981)^[1] is an American film and television actress and occasional film producer. Beginning her career at the age of four, Good has appeared in numerous commercials, television shows, feature films, and music videos.

In 2011, Good featured in an ensemble cast of the highly successful film version of Think Like a Man. She played Joanna Locasto, the lead character on the NBC drama series Deception.

Early life and career

Good was born in Panorama City, Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Tyra Wardlow-Doyle, worked as Good's manager into her teens, and her father, Leondis "Leon" Good, is an LAPD police officer.^[2][3][4] According to Good, her maternal grandmother is "Jewish and African, so I guess that would be considered Creole. My mother's father was Cherokee and something else. My dad's mother's Puerto Rican and black, and his father was from Barbados."^[2][5] Good was raised in Canyon Country (now known as Santa Clarita), California, with her three siblings. She began her acting career around the age of four.^[6] In the early stages of her career, Good started out doing work as an extra on television shows such as Doogie Howser, M.D. and Amen.^[6] When she was thirteen, Good was cast in her first film, the 1995 hit Friday.^[2] Good first began to gain recognition for her performance as troubled teen Cisely Batiste in Kasi Lemmons' critically acclaimed 1997 film Eve's Bayou, which earned Good two award nominations, including her first NAACP Image Award nomination.

Career as an adult

After taking on small film and television roles for the next few years, Good would begin to transition into more mature roles in the early 2000s. From 1999 to 2003, she appeared as Nina on Nickelodeon's hit show Cousin Skeeter. Good later took on small roles in the films 3 Strikes and House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute. 2003 proved to be a major year for Good, as she landed roles in the action-drama Biker Boyz and the romantic-comedy Deliver Us from Eva, which helped her transition from child to adult actress. Good also appeared as the character Vanessa for five episodes during the third season of My Wife and Kids, before being replaced by Brooklyn Sudano for unknown reasons.^[7] In 2004, Good starred alongside Jordana Brewster, Sara Foster, and Jill Ritchie in the action film D.E.B.S., and for her performance received a Best Actress nomination at the 2005 Black Movie Awards. She also had small roles in The Cookout, Lance "Un" Rivera's directorial debut, and the teen dance film You Got Served.

In 2005, Good co-starred in the horror film Venom as well as the well-received indie noir Brick. She then played opposite rapper/actor Bow Wow in Malcolm D. Lee's Roll Bounce. In 2006, Good took on the role of Coco, which she felt was her first true leading lady role, in the urban action-drama Waist Deep.^[6] Good also voiced a character for the video game Scarface: The World Is Yours that same year.^[8] The following year, Good landed a role in the dance movie Stomp the Yard, starring alongside Ne-Yo and childhood friend Columbus Short.^[2] In 2008, Good appeared in the horror film One Missed Call and the Mike Myers comedy The Love Guru, and in the latter half of the year could be seen in Saw V. Good also starred in 2009's The Unborn with Gary Oldman and Odette Yustman. Good's most recent role was in 2012's Think Like a Man, a movie based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book Act like a Lady, Think like a Man.

Good has also made appearances in many music videos, by artists such as 50 Cent, Imajin, Isyss (of which Good's sister La'Myia Good is a member), Lil' Johnny, Memphis Bleek, Tyrese, and Will Smith.^[1]

She has also started her own production company, Freedom Bridge Entertainment, with Marlon Olivera, and fellow actors Tamara Bass and Ty Hodges.^[9]

Blue dress controversy

Good wore a plunging royal blue dress designed by Michael Costello to the June 30, 2013 BET Awards ceremony. The dress caused a controversy on both traditional and social media because Good had recently married Sony Pictures Executive and Seventh-day Adventist pastor Devon Franklin and she was presenting the BET Award for Best Gospel Artist.

Background

According to Christine Thomasos of The Christian Post, Good has a history of defending her stylistic choices of presenting herself as a "sexy Christian". She had stated that "there is a classy way to do everything and there is nothing wrong with being sexy or having sex appeal and I think that I am definitely going to be someone who is boldly going to go out to the masses and be someone who say, ' Look! Women its okay'..." during a speaking engagement earlier in the year.^[10] Good and Franklin had wed on June 16, 2012 at Triunfo Creek Winery in Malibu, California.^[11] During their courtship and engagement periods the couple claims to have observed chastity.^[12] Good presented the 2013 BET Award for Best Gospel Artist with Lala Anthony.^[13]

Design

The royal blue dress was designed by Michael Costello. It had a neckline that plunged to her midriff and a front slit that rose to her mid thigh.^[14] Rachel Levy of the British Daily Mail said that the dress "hugged Meagan's curves, ruching from her waist down." She also stated that Good accentuated her cleavage by going braless with the "skintight, long-sleeved" dress and presented athletic legs via the front slit in silver peep-toe pumps along with "dangling silver earrings".^[15] Good matched her sparkly silver heels with a silver clutch and dark lipstick, but few distracting accessories.^[13][12] According to Fashion & Style journalist Jessica Durham, "the hemline extended behind her into a sweeping train".^[13]

Reception

Los Angeles Times journalist Greg Braxton sarcastically queried whether a new social rule should be put in place: "Should there be another commandment: 'Thou shall not wear skin-bearing dresses when presenting religious awards?'" His column was one of many that questioned the propriety of a cleavage bearing dress given her role as a presenter of a gospel award.^[16]

Julee Wilson of The Huffington Post noted that Good "stole the show" at the BET Awards but described the controversy as follows: "the night's holiest honor came with a side of cleavage, which definitely got people talking". Wilson also noted that the wide-ranging public response included a sizeable proportion that wondered how a fashion mishap was avoided, specifically wondering about her use of fashion tape.^[14]

Amethyst Tate of International Business Times said that Good "pulled out all the stops", comparing the dress to the Green Versace dress of Jennifer Lopez and describing Good's voluptuous figure.^[12]

Levy described the out fit as "raunchy".^[15] Fashion & Style editors selected her as "worst dressed" at the ceremony.^[13]

Good responded to the controversy via Instagram:^[10][17]

@adriannacolbert That's the thing Girl- is that I don’t feel convicted about this at all. my spirit is saddened that our people only know one way to think and process things..

I'm not any less holy because the dress I wore -I may not be who people think I should be -but I'm morphing into exactly who God wants me to be.. My excuse is never 'I'm going to do me' and I don’t feel that I need to make an excuse or defend or what I wore .. I know I have a responsibility -and I’m working daily to fulfill the full potential of all God has created me to be..

A dialogue was started about my character, integrity, my walk with God and my Husband -simply based on a dress that I wore.., Of course I'm going to have a reaction to people saying negative things… It's just sad.. Makes me sad not regretful.. My heart and spirit is always open to whatever my Father would want to share with me… And my spirit tells me to be exactly who I authentically am -because that's what’s going to reach who I was authentically designed to touch.. people like me who are often misunderstood and told their cut of God's promise -because they don’t look the role …when God doesn’t care about us 'looking the role'..he is always cared about bringing us in -and us being whatever we need to be to bring Those left out in ..

And it just makes me sad that us as Christians can’t see beyond our initial reaction and don't seek God before the attack other brothers and sisters …and never think for one moment that: God knows what he's doing and he uses everything for his glory .. and he has a plan for every specific situation.. I had intentions on anything .. Merely picked a dress I saw and loved … God knows my heart and that I didn’t do anything wrong .. And he will use even people’s thoughts to bring him glory.

—Good

Personal life

Good currently lives in Studio City, California.^[2][5]

Although she was not raised in the church, Good is a Christian, considers herself a very spiritual person and has stated in numerous interviews that she would not do roles that she feels might "disappoint God".^[18][19] She explained in an interview that Jesus tops her hero list and the last book she read was the Bible.^[20]

In early April 2012, Good became engaged to boyfriend DeVon Franklin, an executive for Columbia Pictures and a Seventh-day Adventist preacher. The two began dating in 2011 and were married on June 16, 2012, in Malibu, California.^[21]

Filmography

Film

Television

Award nominations

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meagan Good.

• Meagan Good at the Internet Movie Database