Kyanna Simone has a supporting role in this month’s film The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eata story about the power of chosen family.

The dramedy follows three women, Odette, Barbara Jean and Clarice, as a series of setbacks in their older years forces them to reflect on the seeds sown in their adolescence. Set in two separate time periods, the mid-1960s and the late-1990s, the story is an adaptation of Edward Kelsey Moore’s novel.

“This is a feel-good movie, and it reminds you of movies like Waiting to exhale,” Simone tells ESSENCE. “I think it’s a good time to do that again.”

The characters support and challenge each other in life. They are jokingly compared to the iconic girl group by a beloved restaurant owner, but they continue to operate as “The Supremes” from girlhood to adulthood.

“I’m very blessed with my family members, but God, it feels good to be able to meet someone wherever they’re at, whether it’s in high school, college, or wherever in life, and be able to choose that person,” Simone said.

The bond between the characters will be familiar to many black women. “There’s something to be said about how strong friendship can be when you can choose those people,” Simone said.

“When it comes to Black women in friendship, I mean, those platonic relationships are super, super important,” Simone continued. “Your sisters are going to be there for you throughout your life, your girls, your sisters, your Supremes. They’re going to be there for you, through your romantic relationships, as they come and go.”

The younger versions of the women are played by Simone, Tati Gabrielle and Abigail Achiri.

Their older counterparts are played by Sanaa Lathan, Uzo Aduba and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Simone plays a younger version of Ellis-Taylor’s character Odette in Tina Mabry’s Hulu film.

“My biggest goal was definitely to embody (Odette), and to speak her words and to express her thoughts and her energy to the audience and to show it to the audience. And then right after that, it was to really do Aunjanue justice. I mean, those are big shoes to fill,” Simone said. “I just wanted to make sure that I held my ground so that it would be very seamless when we flashed forward to the ‘90s.”

Simone devoured the book to evoke Odette’s supposed fearlessness.

“I actually read it in two days,” she said. “I wanted to make sure Odette felt real.”

She worked with the director to ground Odette’s teenage bluff. Her character’s takedowns are about defending herself and her fellow black girls, not the cheesy comedy of the sassy black girl trope. “Tina Mabry plays a huge role in this, but I really had to focus on the fact that Odette isn’t trying to show off,” Simone said. “I didn’t want it to seem like she was showing off or putting on a performance. I wanted it to seem like she knew she had to go to extremes to make sure her new friend was protected.”

Simone researched the everyday lives of black people during that time period to prepare for the role. “A lot of times when you think back to the ’60s, your first thought process is: civil rights, Martin Luther King, racial injustice. And what I think the Supremes do so well is acknowledge that and also show these sweet spots of childlike inspiration.”

Simone had a connection with Gabrielle and Achiri during the filming. The young actresses are in a similar phase of their lives as their characters.

“We clicked right away; we ended up on the same flight together, Tavi and I,” she said. They reached out to Achiri and reflected on their good fortune to be able to tell an impactful Black story together. “It’s rare and yet so beautiful,” she said.

“We all went out there,” she said. “We sat down and realized that this was the first time for all three of us to really collaborate with other women who were in the same situation.”

“The conversations were so specific,” she said. “We share such similar experiences that it almost felt like a family reunion with family I hadn’t met yet.”

Simone clicked with her fellow actors and was eager to complete the project.

“When we finished filming, the separation anxiety was intense.”

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eatis now streaming on Hulu.