Meagan Good Says Playing Battered Wife Who Finds Her Strength Was 'Therapeutic' (Exclusive)

The star of Tyler Perry's new Amazon Prime film 'Divorce in the Black', out July 11, reflects on the film and her relationship with boyfriend Jonathan Majors

After more than 30 years of navigating Hollywood and life in the spotlight, Meagan Good has made a promise to herself.

“I’m going to take this part of my life and I’m going to make it wonderful,” says the actress, minutes after dancing around in the Los Angeles sunshine, bare feet in the grass, during her PEOPLE photo shoot for this week's issue.

“Every single part of my life is going to matter," she adds, "and I’m not going to regret things. However old I make it to I want to look back and be like, ‘Yeah, I did that.’”

It’s a mindset the 42-year-old star says that she and her latest character — Ava, a battered wife-turned-empowered divorcee in Tyler Perry’s new film Divorce in the Black — have in common. “I felt in some ways it would be therapeutic,” she says of signing on for the role amid her own divorce from pastor DeVon Franklin in 2021.

Unlike her onscreen husband, chillingly played by Cory Hardrict, “my ex-husband is a wonderful, beautiful human being,” she says of Franklin, noting that abuse was never a factor in their marriage or split. “But I do understand the devastation of divorce. There’s this complete grief, then denial, then eventual acceptance.”

Another thing she has in common with her latest character: “I didn’t anticipate falling in love again.” Last year, Good made headlines and set the internet ablaze when she first stepped out with actor Jonathan Majors.

The pair took their relationship public just as the Creed III star, 34, faced misdemeanor charges of domestic assault against his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, who suffered a broken finger and bruises following a March 25, 2023 argument in Manhattan, which was partially caught on camera.

Majors has maintained his innocence and Good was at court by his side earlier this year when he was found guilty on two counts of assault and harassment and later sentenced to attend a year-long domestic violence intervention program.

Related: Meagan Good Says She’s the ‘Happiest I’ve Been in a Long Time’ in Her Relationship with Jonathan Majors (Exclusive)

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

Asked about the complicated connection to her character, a domestic violence survivor, Good says she and Majors “were so busy trying to survive this season of life, I don’t even think we thought about it. It wasn’t until the movie was done that the conversation came up.”

Now, she continues, “I understand the comparison, but what I can say is this, I don’t condone domestic violence at all. And I just have to leave it there.”

As for the film, "I don't look at it as a movie about domestic violence," she says, "but I do think that that is something important that's highlighted in it. I hope women who do see that feel empowered in that."

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.