Please do not call or text me this Saturday July 29 beginning at 9 pm, why you ask, because the final season of Tyler Perry’s Love Thy Neighbor returns to OWN!

I had the privilege of speaking with the very beautiful, Patrice Lovely, who plays the hilarious, Hattie Mae Love, and if you’ve never seen her out of character, you would have no idea that the risqué, raunchy Hattie Mae is such a knockout.

Patrice Lovely of Tyler Perry's Love Thy Neighbor.

The first thing I wanted to know was how long does it take for her to transform into Miss Hattie. Ms. Lovely said, “It takes about an hour to an hour and a half, from the shrinking to the blow drying, to doing what comes natural.”

I’m very sensitive to voices, and there are some that go right through to my bones, but the matter-of-factly, southern drawl of Hattie Mae brings nothing but delight. I asked Ms. Lovely how in the world she brought those vocals to life for this character. She quickly began to describe how what we are seeing in Miss Hattie is her upbringing, we’re seeing Alabama, Mississippi and her mom and grandmother. She even channels her great, great grandmother when it comes to the knots in Hattie Mae’s stockings. She said, “I was shocked to learn that this is how she wore her stockings, I never even met her."

She shared with me what it’s like to play this character saying, “Everybody has a Hattie Mae in their family, and on days when I may be feeling a little down she lifts my spirit. I get so much joy from playing Hattie Mae."

One thing we know for sure is Hattie does not play about her man, her money or her mother. Ms. Lovely said, “During the final season of Love Thy Neighbor, Hattie suspects her man ‘Sam’ is cheating on her and Hattie Mae is out to slay." I can’t wait to see Miss Hattie set somebody straight!

Don’t miss a minute of the final season of love and laughs on Tyler Perry’s Love Thy Neighbor, as it returns on OWN this Saturday, July 29 - 9/8c.

Here’s a sneak peek:

http://www.oprah.com/own-love-thy-neighbor/Love-Thy-Neighbor-Returns

Although we will bid this show a sad farewell, Patrice Lovely will bring Hattie Mae to the big screen on October 20, in Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween. Check out the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA5MHLL5dwk

In addition to starring in numerous stage productions including, A Good Man is Hard to Find; When a Woman's Fed Up; and The Blacker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice, Patrice Lovely was once the ringmaster of Universal Soul Circus, and has recorded two gospel albums, Glory Road and Seven Days, and she told me “she’s working on a new gospel project.”

I can’t wait to see what Patrice Lovely does next, but I suspect whatever this kind-hearted, gem of an entertainer does, we’ll either be laughing hysterically, or praising the Lord.

Marilyn D. Twine, Contributor