Mara Hall – Saints & Sinners

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) Please tell us the premise of “Saints & Sinners” and about your character?

A) It’s a show where we enter the world of the Greater Hope Baptist Church. It’s about all the goings on with the saints and the sinners, if you will. It’s basically about a church family, led by the church pastor, who have an outstanding reputation in the community. But as the series goes on, a lot of dark secrets are revealed at Greater Hope Baptist Church that no one knows about. “Saints & Sinners” takes you on a wonderful journey of the good, the bad and the ugly at the Greater Hope Baptist Church.

Q) How is your character involved with the church?

A) I play Caledonia and my sister (played by Kelly Price) and I are vocalists in the church choir. We’re kind of like the comedic relief of this drama in the church. There are a lot of shenanigans that go on with the church choir and my sister and I are usually at the head of the foolishness. We’re always spreading rumors and lies.

Q) What made you want to be a part of the show?

A) The first thing is that I just love to act and the show was filmed in Atlanta. So, that was a big draw for me to go back to the South since I live in LA. When it came down to it, when I read the script, it was the chemistry that Caledonia and Cressida (my sister) have. It was keeping things going and making things happen in the church with all of our foolishness. I just love the drama and the nitty gritty pieces that are involved in it.

Q) Was there anything you added to your role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) Yeah, I am naturally comedic so they intentionally had it comedic, but I know I added a lot more comedic flair to my role because I’m just naturally funny. I think the writers saw that and added more things to my character. I think they always knew I would always bring the funny and bring the jokes so they would write that into me. It’s still a drama, but there is a comedic vein in the drama with my character.

Q) How do you relate to Caledonia?

A) I do in her competitive edge with her sister. We’re always trying to compete for the top spot in the choir and my sister is more a natural singer than I am. But I’m a natural competitor so no matter if she is a better singer I’m still going to try to win. So, the competitive aspect of it is what I really relate to because I’m very competitive.

Q) Were you familiar with costar Kelly Price before coming to work together on the show?

A) I did not know Kelly before the show, but I am a big fan of her work and her singing. I remember when her first album came out in 1997 or 1998 (The Soul of a Woman) and that was my favorite album at the time. I just loved who she is as a singer and when I got to meet her I told her that I as one of her biggest fans. We just instantly connected as sisters and built the chemistry. That was one of the things the producers and showrunners really liked about us, that there was chemistry that we both shared on and off camera.

Q) What did you learn about music and performing from working with Kelly?

A) We have to sing in this project and do it acapella. She’s a Grammy nominated singer and phenomenal singer and I’m an actress that sings a little bit. So, I had to really take cues from her and lessons from her in how to project and how to make my voice work in this arena. She took the lead on that as far as the singing was concerned. Then, she looked to me as far as the acting was concerned because she is a singer before she is an actress. So, we helped each other and it was an amazing experience.

Q) What did you find the most challenging aspect of filming “Saints & Sinners?”

A) The most challenging thing for me was actually singing with Kelly Price. It was being able to hold my own and not be nervous in that element (which I was extremely nervous, but I pulled through – with her help). She was just so helpful with rehearsing with me for the different songs. But that was the hardest thing I’ve had to do as an actress was sing with her.

Q) Since it is an eight episode series, do you think fans can get hooked in such a short amount of time?

A) Absolutely! The writing is so good in “Saints & Sinners” that they are going to be hooked form episode one. It’s juicy, meaty, a really great script and a great cast. Christian Keyes, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Clifton Powell, Keith Robinson, Gloria Ruben…I could go on and on! Everyone in the cast is stellar and phenomenal actors. They are going to be hooked form the first ten minutes, I think!

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you will be receiving?

A) Absolutely! I will be live tweeting on Sunday with the rest of the cast. I’m on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @Marla_Hall. So, I’ll be tweeting and giving really good comments and letting people know what is going on. I’m so excited because I’ve never been on a show where I have been able to live tweet what is actually happening. So, I’m very excited about that!

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure fans know about you?

A) I just want to make sure that everyone tunes in Sunday, March 6 for “Saints & Sinners” on Bounce TV. I also have a webseries called “I’ve Got Something To Say” that is on igststv.com. You can also check me out on past episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” as well.