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Mike Colter and JoJo are joining forces for The Very Thought of You, a drama-romance set in Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock neighborhood. The film is described as a soulful, jazz-infused love story.
Colter is best known for playing Luke Cage in the Marvel Netflix series. JoJo, whose full name is Joanna Levesque, is a Grammy-nominated singer and actress. Together, they bring two distinct careers to a story about music, loss, and second chances.
The Eagle Rock setting also gives the movie a strong sense of place. Instead of relying on a generic Los Angeles backdrop, the story puts its characters in a specific community. That choice could make the neighborhood feel like an important part of the film.
The characters at the center of the story
The Very Thought of You follows Emmy, a former talent show finalist who carries a painful past. She has spent years trying to hide what happened to her.
Her entertainment background gives Emmy a personal connection to the world of performance. It also makes JoJo’s casting particularly interesting.
JoJo became a pop star at a young age and faced significant challenges in the music industry. She later rebuilt her career and returned to the spotlight as a respected adult artist.
That experience could help JoJo connect with Emmy on a deeper level. Her own journey gives her firsthand knowledge of the pressures that can come with performing.
Colter plays a widowed jazz pianist who loses his passion for music after his wife’s death. His grief has affected both his personal life and his relationship with the piano.
Music becomes a powerful way to show his emotional state. When he cannot play, the audience can see how deeply his loss affects him.
Emmy and the pianist also share an important connection. She comes from a world of performance but has withdrawn from it. He lives through music but has lost the ability to embrace it.
Their relationship could help both characters confront the parts of their past they have tried to leave behind.
Why Mike Colter and JoJo fit the roles
Mike Colter has built a career playing characters with strength and emotional depth. His role as Luke Cage helped establish his commanding screen presence.
That quality could work well for a grieving musician. Colter can bring quiet intensity to a character who does not openly express everything he feels.
His physical presence may also add weight to the film’s musical scenes. The piano becomes more than a prop for his character. It represents the life he lost after his wife’s death.
JoJo brings a different kind of authenticity to the project. She has spent much of her life performing and understands the emotional demands of the music industry.
She released her debut album at just 13 years old. After facing career challenges, she returned with her 2016 album Mad Love and continued building her reputation as a vocalist.
Her musical background could give Emmy’s story extra emotional weight. JoJo does not have to imagine what it feels like to build a life around music. She has lived much of that experience herself.
Her acting career also gives her an opportunity to explore a different side of her performance abilities. In The Very Thought of You, she can combine her acting and musical talents in one role.
What makes the jazz romance different
Jazz romances remain relatively uncommon in modern Hollywood. La La Land brought jazz and romance together for a major audience in 2016. However, that film focused heavily on ambition, artistic dreams, and sacrifice.
The Very Thought of You appears to take a more intimate approach. Its story centers on grief, love, music, and the possibility of beginning again.
The film also places Black romantic leads at the center of that story. That gives the project an opportunity to explore adult love and loss from a perspective that remains underrepresented in mainstream romance films.
The Eagle Rock setting adds another layer to the story. Jazz films often turn to locations such as New Orleans or Harlem. This project instead connects the musical tradition to northeast Los Angeles.
That choice could give The Very Thought of You a distinctive identity. The neighborhood may also help create a more grounded atmosphere for the characters.
Music could play a key role
The film’s description as a soulful love story suggests that music will play an important role in the narrative.
For the widowed pianist, music represents both his past and his pain. Losing his wife also caused him to lose his connection to the art he once loved.
Emmy faces a different kind of loss. Her experience as a former talent show finalist left her with a painful history that she now keeps hidden.
Both characters have therefore experienced disappointment through performance. Their connection could give them a path toward healing.
That makes the musical element feel central to the story rather than simply decorative. Jazz can become the language that helps the characters understand themselves and each other.
The Very Thought of You brings together two performers with genuine connections to music. Colter and JoJo also give the project an intriguing combination of acting experience and musical credibility.
The film’s mix of romance, jazz, grief, and second chances could help it stand apart from more conventional love stories. With Eagle Rock providing the backdrop, the movie has the ingredients for a deeply personal Los Angeles romance.
Source: PEOPLE.com / Entertainment Staff
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