'Southside With You': Tika Sumpter Talks Bipartisan Appeal of Watching Obamas' First Date, Playing Michelle

We’re in the middle of a particularly divisive election cycle, but Southside With You star Tika Sumpter says that her new film — which depicts the first date between future POTUS Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) and FLOTUS Michelle Robinson (Sumpter) over the course of one hot summer day in Chicago circa 1989 — will appeal to moviegoers on both sides of the aisle. The independently financed film written and directed by Richard Tanne, which debuted to great acclaim at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, arrives in theaters on Friday.

Related: Director Richard Tanne Talks ‘Southside With You’

“Rich had Republican friends who went in and were kind of like ‘I don’t want to see this’,” the actress tells Yahoo Movies. “And then they walked out [saying], ‘Oh, it’s just a love story!’ Go in with an open heart and an open mind and you’ll not only just get some dating tips, but you might see some reflections in your own life.”

Besides the opportunity to play an already iconic figure like Michelle Obama, Southside With You is a deeply personal project for Sumpter as it marks her debut as a producer. In that capacity, she was closely involved with every aspect of the production, including selecting the actor who would play President Obama. “When we first saw Parker, he did a real impression of 55-year-old Barack,” she says, laughing. “But he had the essence of him down. When he did the screen test, I was like, ‘Hire him now!’ The chemistry was there, and this movie is all based on the chemistry.”

Related: Sundance Report: ‘Southside With You’ Reimagines the Obamas’ Delightful First Date

Sumpter also played her producer card when it came to the film’s soundtrack, helping secure the rights to Janet Jackson’s classic 1989 summer anthem, “Miss You Much,” which plays over the opening credits and gets the audience grooving right away. “I was like, ‘We need to get the money to get ‘Miss You Much’! That [comfy] feeling you get when the opening credits come on is because of that throwback.”

Watch a clip from ‘Southside With You’: