It was probably the most strenuous film physically I've ever done. We pulled in a lot of favors. The chemistry was extremely important. We had a two-week rehearsal period, and Gary just had them sit in his office and talk about their characters. There was this great meshing of the actors with their characters.
Audiences respond to that because they sense that it's real.
I think it ads a little spice to the movie, but we didn't do it to exploit it. From the first draft, Clio was gay. We kept that intact. Queen Latifah threw herself into this role, and her energy and her spirit really came through. Everyone cut their prices for this movie, and John did this for a lot less then he normally gets.