For decades now, we’ve watched movies where two main characters, who couldn’t be more opposite, swap places just long enough to see life thru each other’s eyes. There’s “Vice Versa” (father vs. son), “The Change Up” (monogamous husband vs. the playboy), “A Boy Girl Thing” (nerdy girl vs. the jock), and of course “Freaky Friday” (strict mom vs. rambunctious teen daughter). Looking to follow in the gigantic footsteps of these fanatical films is filmmaker Shequeta Smith’s newly released short film, “The Takeover.” “The Takeover” puts a new spin on the body swap genre of film by swapping the bodies of two best friends of different races. The film stars Chrystee Pharris (Scrubs, Passions) as Tisha Boyd and Lindsey Santefort (All My Children, Castle) as Ashley Fairchild.
The movie begins with Tisha and Ashley discussing the difficulties of dating. Each of them seems to think that the other has it easier. Their nosy but well-meaning barista, Yoshi, played by newcomer Ruben Vernier,
s them to swap bodies. "I’m a pretty big fan of the whole body swap film genre, so when I decided to tackle the challenges of online dating, I thought it would be a fun way to showcase some of the racial stereotypes and ideologies between black and white women,” says Smith. Fueled by positive word of mouth from viewers on Facebook and Twitter, the film has received over fifty five thousand hits between YouTube and Vimeo.
Smith and members of her cast have been special guests on numerous talk radio stations across America. Also, the film recently made its debut into the film festival circuit after being selected into the 20th Annual “Sista's Are Doin' It For Themselves” festival in Hollywood. In addition to working on a comic book version of "The Takeover," Smith is seeking investors for her first feature film, "Rock the Mic;" a music/dance themed movie that she plans to shoot in North Carolina. Smith currently has Teyana Taylor (Madea’s Happy Family, Stomp the Yard) and Romeo Miller (Jumping the Broom, Honey) attached to star.
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