Taye Diggs discusses Lifetime film ‘Forever,’ his dating life, and his journey as ‘a recovering control freak’
Taye Diggs is living out stories similar to those he portrays on screen.
The 53-year-old actor stars with Meagan Good in the Lifetime film “Terry McMillan Presents: Forever,” which airs Saturday at 8 PM EDT/PDT and will be available for streaming on Sunday. In the film, Diggs plays Johnnie Taylor, a former athlete and coach who comes back to his hometown and develops feelings for a local police officer.
“It’s a narrative about adults who have faced real life challenges,” Diggs shared with YSL News. “They’ve gone through divorces, they’ve dealt with children … these are the kinds of adult stories that I can genuinely relate to in my own life. I’m single, I’m divorced, and I have a son. It’s rare to see stories that explore the dynamics of people meeting and the vulnerabilities involved.”
Diggs was previously married to actress and singer Idina Menzel, with whom he has a 14-year-old son named Walker. He mentions that, similar to his character, he’s had to push himself out of his comfort zone to start dating again.
“I made a choice to say, ‘I’m going to start dating,’” he explained. “When you’re younger, dating is thrilling. But now it’s more like, ‘What are we going to talk about?’ We discuss our families and our backgrounds, and ‘How long have you been in acting?’ I really had to motivate myself to go on dates. But I’ve been on a few, and they’ve been enjoyable.”
Aside from dating, Diggs has also embraced being more open on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. He has previously attracted attention for an incident in 2014 when his social media director followed many users on Twitter from his account. Now, he’s connecting with fans through self-made “confessional” videos where he showcases his acting talent, from performing different accents to playing guitar in a wig.
“I love that I can freely express my fun side and show aspects of myself that people may not know,” he stated. “As someone who is working on letting go of my controlling tendencies, it’s rewarding to create something in my mind, execute it, and then see the final product.”
