This Is What Lance Gross And His Wife Think About Him Holding Lil Mama’s Hand On The Carpet

[caption id="attachment_835309" align="aligncenter" width="1068"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: SMIRNOFF Teams-Up with Lance Gross for The SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party at ESSENCE Festival 2017 at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF)[/caption]

Credit: Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for Smirnoff

This past Saturday we ran into Lance Gross at the Smirnoff Good Life Day Party at Eiffel Society during Essence Festival. The actor and photographer who told us New Orleans is one of his favorite cities proudly proclaimed, "I came here to eat," but he also came to drink as co-host of the Smirnoff day party with radio personality Angela Yee. And it just so happens that his favorite cocktail, the Moscow Mule, was invented by Smirnoff. "I'm a people person," Gross told us of his excitement about partnering with the liquor brand. "I love interacting with the fans and this is a great way to do it." Interacting with people -- or one woman in particular -- is what recently had Gross's name circling the blogosphere. During the American Black Film Festival, Gross was photographed holding his When Love Kills co-star Lil Mama's hand on the carpet, which caused lots of chatter being that the actor is a married man and Lil Mama is not his wife. We asked him what he thought of the controversy that really wasn't one at all and he told us this:

"It's crazy because that was an innocent moment. She was a little nervous and I'm like her big bro and she's my co-star. The thing is, that day me and my wife took pictures on the red carpet but you don't see those pictures anywhere. You didn't know that my wife was standing like 10 feet away from her when I was holding her hand. It wasn't a big deal. "Me and my wife laugh about stuff like that because when it hits the media and they paint it in a certain way, people take that as the gospel and it's not necessarily that. It was an innocent moment. You might see me hold her hand again at our premiere. As a matter of fact, I might do it again on purpose just to see what they say. Everybody sees things through a magnifying glass, but it's really not that deep."

But, if somehow, you managed to hate Gross for that moment, you're definitely not going to like the role he plays in the movie, he told us. "It's so different from anything I've ever played. I'm usually the nice guy and in this [movie] I play a pimp. Like, you're probably going to hate me because it's totally polar opposite side of what you're used to, but it was fun." As most of us know, when Gross isn't being captured on the red carpet he's busy photographing many of Hollywood's elite himself. He told us Gabrielle Union is one woman he hopes to capture in the future and he'd also love to photograph Tracee Ellis Ross and mom Diana together as well. Fans have come to admire Gross' maternity shoots the most and he told us while he loves doing them now, at first he was scared to capture such a special moment. "I had been fearful of maternity shoots for the longest time. I shot my wife, but that's different. She's my wife, there's no pressure," he admitted. "But for a photographer to capture that moment for a woman, it's a lot of pressure. I started loving maternity photos after I shot Kelly Rowland's photos just because she was already a friend of mine. Her and her husband made it so easy for me and it just became something that I love to do." Click through to see more pics of Lance and other stars kicking back at the Smirnoff Good Life Day Party. [caption id="attachment_835322" align="alignnone" width="5472"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: Angela Yee enjoys a SMIRNOFF Original Moscow Mule cocktail at the SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF) Angela Yee[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835324" align="alignnone" width="2000"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: American Photographer and Actor, Lance Gross Hosts The SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party in partnership with SMIRNOFF and ESSENCE at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF) Lance Gross[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835325" align="alignnone" width="5472"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: Lion Babe performs an epic set at the The SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party at ESSENCE Festival 2017 at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835323" align="alignnone" width="5472"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: Angela Yee enjoys a SMIRNOFF Original Moscow Mule cocktail at the SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF) Angela Yee[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835326" align="alignnone" width="5472"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: SMIRNOFF Hosts the Ultimate Day Party along with ESSENCE Festival and Lance Gross during The SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835328" align="alignnone" width="2000"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: SMIRNOFF And ESSENCE Celebrate Diversity in Music and Culture at The SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party along with and Lance Gross at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835330" align="alignnone" width="2000"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: Stephanie Rivera and Juhahn Jones attend The SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party Hosted by Lance Gross at ESSENCE Festival 2017 at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835331" align="alignnone" width="5472"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: SMIRNOFF Hosts the Ultimate Day Party along with ESSENCE Festival and Lance Gross The SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835336" align="alignnone" width="5472"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 1: SMIRNOFF Hosts the Ultimate Day Party along with ESSENCE Festival and Lance Gross during The SMIRNOFF Good Life Day Party at Eiffel Society on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for SMIRNOFF)[/caption]

The post This Is What Lance Gross And His Wife Think About Him Holding Lil Mama’s Hand On The Carpet appeared first on MadameNoire.