From the moment American movie star Gabrielle Union entered Tonight's offices, the males here were drooling. It's a rare sight, but for once these cynical journalists were star-struck.
Dressed down, in casual capris and a tank top, Union couldn't hide the fact that she's a stunner - the sort of gal who probably grabbed male attention from day one.
Having starred alongside Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J and Omar Epps, Union has created both an image and reputation in a relatively short space of time.
Union and director Jordan Walker-Pearlman were in Durban this week for the screening of their new movie Constellation - at the KwaMashu Film Festival - which will be released next year.
Walker-Pearlman had met with SA actor Edmund Mhlongo, who was putting together the festival at the Ekhaya Multi Arts Centre.
I had told Edmund about my new film and he was very interested in screening it at this festival. It was his way of bringing film to a community where they were not able to go and see it for themselves, the director explained.
And so when lead actress Union heard about his plan to visit South Africa for the screening, she decided to join him. I wanted to join in the seminar and give my take on the role I played. From my perspective, the story is about a man who chooses to succumb to fear instead of standing up for love and following his heart. This in turn has repercussions on everybody else's lives.
Walker-Pearlman, who looks very much like his more famous uncle, actor/director Gene Wilder, is known for producing films that focus on raw human emotion.
Union says portraying characters in a drama requires much more work than comedies. Drama is so much more time consuming, but I'm learning to tackle every genre. With the TV series Nightstalker that I was working on, it was sci-fi, something I had never done before. Ultimately as an actor, I'm just happy to work, she laughs.
She says that working with some of the big Hollywood stars in films like Bad Boys 2 and Cradle to the Grave has, surprisingly, not been particularly intimidating.
We are all friends, and we all live in the same suburbs, so I see them all the time which makes it easier. I love the fact that I can act with friends and still get paid to do it.
Her next movie Running with Scissors, in which she plays opposite Hollywood A-listers Annette Bening and Gwyneth Paltrow, is due for release next year.
Union plays Bening's lesbian lover and says the role was interesting.
It was very different for me but I had a ball doing it. I did not feel I was compromising my beliefs as a Catholic, but played the role with integrity for the gay community. It was not controversial at all, it was great.
Union is married to Chris Howard, a retired NFL star. The couple have settled in California.
Although the 33-year-old started acting only in her twenties, she feels she has plenty of time in the industry because as she says: good black don't crack.
I was quite old when I played a teenager in Saved by the Bell and Bring it On, and managed to pull it off thanks to good genes, she jokes.