Mary J. Blige Reveals the 'Amazing' Reason She Cast Da'Vinci and Ajiona Alexus in Her Lifetime Movie Trilogy (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Mary J. Blige.Photo:Theo Wargo/Getty

Theo Wargo/Getty

Mary J. Bligeis hitting the ground running in 2025.

Between celebrating her birthday on Jan. 11 and preparing for her upcoming“For My Fans Tour,”which kicks off on Jan. 30, the reigning Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, 54, has her hands full. On top of all this, Blige is leading Lifetime’s “Voices of a Lifetime” movie slate this month.

In an exclusive chat with PEOPLE, the Grammy award-winning songstress and executive producer says that Kendra and Ben’s love story brings a smile to her face.

Mary J. Blige’s Family Affair.Lifetime

Lifetime

“The love story is something that’s beautiful,” Blige begins. “What I love about Kendra and Ben is that they’re meant to be together. And when it’s like that, I love that. I love a ‘meant to be.’ In real life or on television.”

While discussing the film, Blige shares how Alexus and Da’Vinchi were cast. According to the “Be Without You” singer, it was love at first sight… onscreen, that is.

“When I first saw them in the very first season of [Starz’s]BMF, I was blown away,” says Blige. “From that, I decided to have them as Ben and Kendra because their acting was really amazing. And then to meet both of them in person was like, ‘Oh yeah, they’re really good people. They’re beautiful people.’”

Mary J. Blige Family Affair.Starz Entertainment

BMF, which is gearing up for its fourth season, stars Da’Vinchi as Terry “Southwest T” Flenory. Alexus played Katherine “Kato” Eder during the gritty drama’s first season. And prior to the show’s splashy second season, Da’Vinchi starred in Blige’s beachy “Come See About Me” music video in 2022.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

As Kendra and Ben’s story comes to a close (for now), Blige is hoping that the heart of the story resonates with viewers.

“You know, we all want a happy ending, but anything worth keeping or having, you’re going to have to fight for it,” says Blige.

Mary J. Blige’s Family Affairairs on Saturday, Jan. 25 on Lifetime.

source: people.com