Source: Courtesy / BET+
A wildly popular BET+ series about an endearingly imperfect couple is back for its third season and the show’s stars are dishing deets to BOSSIP.
Devale Ellis and Crystal Renee Hayslett are continuing to entertain audiences on Zatima as the show resonates with fans on X and TikTok.
Now as Zac and Fatima embark on a new chapter, Devale and Crystal are telling BOSSIP why the couple’s relationship strikes such a deep chord with viewers.
“I would think it’s because it’s real,” Devale told Managing Editor Dani Canada. “We’re actually watching them go through different phases of their relationship. In season one, you get to watch the honeymoon phase turn into the living phase. In season two, they’re living together. So now we get to watch how the lust disappears and it turns into love. But sometimes that love is difficult. When you got outside resources like family and friends, we’re watching them go through that process.”
“I think it’s real because we actually show the hard parts,” added Crystal. “A lot of times in TV, all you see is the fairy tale, and we seek that in real life. But what we’re showing is reflecting what people are really going through.”
Source: Courtesy / BET+
Beyond the on-screen relationship, Devale and Crystle also told BOSSIP how their real-life friendship and brother/sister relationship enrich their performances as an onscreen couple.
“Just knowing that as a woman, I have someone that I feel safe with… A lot of times, working with certain men, you don’t feel safe,” said Crystal. “So, I’m super blessed in that area as well.”
According to Devale, their off-screen bond is palpable on set especially because they have the same work ethic.
“I’m a workaholic,” said Devale. “Typically, I’m the one that gets on people’s nerves because I always want to overwork. To find someone who will match me, but then also pull me up and be like, ‘Aye, D, we didn’t rehearse in a couple of days. It feels good.’”
As fans stream season three, Devale hinted at more complications for Zac, especially amid his strained relationship with his brother, Jeremiah. At the start of the season, viewers were shocked to see the moment when Jeremiah got into a struggle with a pregnant Fatima, knocking her to the ground and stealing money out of her purse.
As you can imagine, if Zac finds out there will be hell to pay.
“In season three, it gets extremely complicated,” said Devale. “Now you get to see how that relationship gets entangled with my wife-to-be. It’s your brother, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, your brother has to be first, family’s first.’ Sometimes you can’t choose family, but when you choose the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, now we get to see who’s going to be the priority.”
Crystal also told BOSSIP about the emotional toll Fatima will face while supporting Zac through his family struggles.
“He’s lost his mother, and they already had a very tumultuous relationship and for Fatima, she wanted to do anything to ease Zac’s pain at that moment because he had a lot going on.”
Devale Ellis And Crystal Renee Hayslett Talk Zac And Fatima’s Friend Circles
According to Devale, Zac will also face tension with his friend group as he tries to balance those relationships with his love for Fatima.
“It’s important for people to see what really happens when you’re in a friend group, and everyone’s single,” said Devale. “It’s difficult for a man to separate from his friends when he finds the woman he’s trying to go through life with, and they’re making fun of it.”
For Fatima, Crystal said that throughout the season having someone to lean on, like her friend Angela, becomes essential.
“To have my own person that I can really depend on in Angela is amazing because I deal with so much with this guy, you know?” laughed Crystal. “I need someone I can really talk to because a lot of times, you feel like you’re by yourself.”
Source: Courtesy / BET+
Devale Ellis And Crystal Renee Haslett Talk Zac And Fatiama’s Pregnancy
As fans will remember, season two ended on a high note with the news of Fatima’s pregnancy and according to Crystal, viewers will see how the big news affects the couple this season.
Source: Courtesy / BET+
“With everything that we’ve gone through, I feel like the baby just more solidifies our love for each other,” said Crystal.
Devale however noted that Zac’s excitement may sometimes overshadow Fatima’s feelings as the season continues.
“Zac, in his immaturity, doesn’t realize how everything is hurting Fatima. He’s neglecting the fact that you’re dealing with a woman here who wants to be the first to carry your child.”
Looking ahead, both stars teased major growth in their characters’ relationship even as they deal with drama.
“It’s a lot of growth,” said Devale. “You’ll see them communicate, and problems they would’ve had in season one, they brush off because they’ve been through this.”
Ultimately, the actor summarized season three this way to BOSSIP;
“It’s good. It’s really good.”
Watch our exclusive with Crystal Renee Haslett and Devale Ellis!