Who knew that when she won praise for her performance in Tyler Perry's 'Why Did I Get Married?' she'd follow up by working with an Oscar-winning director? On Sunday, March 29, Jill Scott will be playing the role of Precious Ramotswe in 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency,' when the series premieres on HBO. The pilot episode is directed by the late Anthony Minghella ('The English Patient').

Based on a series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith, Scott plays a Botswanan woman who starts up the country's first female-owned detective agency. In the series, she is paired with a cast of talented actors, including Tony Award-winner Anika Noni Rose, Idris Elba, Colin Salmon, David Oyelowo and Lucien Msamati.

The celebrated singer and actress spoke with Black Voices about landing the role, working with Minghella, who died before the film had its BBC premiere last year, and working with Tyler Perry on a sequel to 'Why Did I Get Married?'

How did the project come about for you?

Jill Scott: Well, I had heard through the grapevine. My agent called me and told me that Anthony Minghella was auditioning for a role, and I am a huge, huge fan of his work. I had seen 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' and thought that was amazing. The acting was fantastic, and I knew the director had to be the bomb based on what he pulled out of those actors. I was told about the audition, and I went and auditioned once by video. I went back to audition in New York by video. Then I got a call a couple of days later saying that Anthony Minghella was flying in from London to Philadelphia to meet me, which was a huge deal. He came, and we auditioned for about five hours. Every time I saw him after that, I think I auditioned two more times, and it was five hours each time. He had been looking for his Precious Ramotswe for two years at this time.

Did you do anything special to help nail the part?

JS: No. I wish I could have thought of something to do, but I just did whatever he had asked me to do, like play the character with a cold or play the character with one leg. I'm a director's actor in my opinion, and when a director does their part, it thrills me to have that kind of guidance. I love it.

On your way to Botswana you get the news of your pregnancy. How did that work out?

JS: Well, it stopped things for a moment absolutely. I was told I was pregnant on Friday, and I was supposed to be leaving that day at noon. I found out at 10 a.m. It sort of throws you for a huge loop, especially since I was told could never be pregnant. This was a shock, a complete and utter shock to me. I just had to hold things for a day. I called my doctors and, of course, I called my family to let everyone know and to find out if it was okay to travel for that long distance during my first trimester of pregnancy. I wanted to know that I was all right because I hadn't had any shots. What were the possibilities? I wanted to know them all. Once I got the go-ahead from my doctors, I left the following day.

How was filming in Botswana?

JS: It was a challenge this time. The first time we shot there was in the summer of 2007. Our summer is their winter. When we got off the plane, we were surprised to find out how cold it was. You needed hats, scarves, gloves and all of that. It was cold. Nobody told me that Africa could be cold. I had no clue. This time around, we went in our fall, which is their summer, and it was the exact opposite. It was 110, 112, 115 degrees for no reason, just because it's Wednesday or Thursday. That was a challenge. Being pregnant and the heat were very difficult for me, but I had great doctors around me. The crew really paid attention. They didn't seem to mind it so much. There was a deadline, and I'm the lead. As far as I know, I'm the first African American woman to be the lead of an HBO series, so there was a lot of pressure to get the job done, even between morning sickness.

After you did the pilot episode, did you read the books?

JS: No, I read the books before I left for Botswana. By the third audition, I had all the books. I was busy touring, and I had finished shooting 'Why Did I Get Married?' I didn't know anything about the books. Once I read them, I thought this character is so sweet and so powerful and so endearing, and I wanted to be a part of that.

Did you get a chance to talk to author Alexander McCall Smith about the character he created?

JS: Quite frankly, he stayed out of the way. Being a writer myself, sometimes you have that urge to direct, but he had full faith in Anthony and in the production itself. When he met me, I remember him saying, "Oh my God, Precious, it's really you. You're exactly what I thought you would be." That was a wonderful feeling. It also made Anthony very happy as well.

Is there anything that you and Precious have in common?

JS: She's more like my mother. Growing up in Philadelphia, my mother was very active in the community. If there was any kind of drama or trouble, my mother was in the thick of it, trying to make sure everybody was okay. If there was someone who was ill, my mother would try to take care of them. If someone was hungry, she would feed them. She's very much like my mom.

Was it a challenge learning another language?

JS: Absolutely. People talk about speaking Japanese and how tough it is to learn, and it's also difficult to sing in that language, but Botswana is really hard. It's not spelled the way it sounds. Just to learn the alphabet is a challenge. The language is very difficult, and it's very precise. In English or Spanish, if you pronounce a word incorrectly, you can get away with it, but in Botswana, there is no leeway. You have to get it right.

How was working with Anika Noni Rose?

JS: That was cool. She really embodied that character. When we got there, Anika and myself and Lucien, we all had these ideas of what our characters were supposed to be like. Anthony completely flipped the script on us. I think it was because once we got to Botswana, you really get an opportunity to see the people and feel the energy and to get to know the country. Before that, we did everything by phone. We had studied with dialect coaches an hour a day for two months by phone. You don't hear it all the time and so that changes things. You don't see the clothing and how people behave until you get there. Once there, we had to revamp our characters and the dialect as well. We learned the wrong dialect. They were teaching us a Zimbabwe accent.

Since you're the only who has a scene with all the men so far in the pilot and in the series, how was working with Idris Elba, Colin Salmon and David Oyelowo and the rest of the guys?

JS: Fantastic. I enjoyed working with Idris so much on many levels. This is a person who is music lover, and we got along in that aspect. He's just a cool cat to be around. He likes to work fast, and I'm not mad at that. That was cool. Colin is a great guy. Fantastic actor. He plays his part well. Overall, I enjoyed working with everyone, honestly. Lucien is a dear, sweet man. He's a wonderful Shakespearean actor and very popular in theater in London. That made me feel good working with him. There's so much more to come. Patterson (Joseph) plays a terrible man in the series. He's my arch nemesis. The casting was really well done. Also, working with John Kani was amazing. Sitting down with him and talking with him is an eye-opener.

What did you learn from Anthony Minghella as a director?

JS: A lot. I'm glad I started with Tyler Perry. I'm glad I started with Anthony doing a bigger film. What I got from Tyler is a work ethic. What I got from Anthony is sort of a spirit ethic. When you come on the set, you acknowledge everyone. Not that I wouldn't, but to see this Oscar Award-winning director and he is so respected and so nice. He's immensely kind to others. It just lets you know for certain that you can be kind and that you don't have to be rough around the edges and that you don't have to yell and bark and all that other stuff. I have seen this behavior with directors in theater and in television as well. I loved that he came prepared everyday. He knew exactly what he wanted to get from us. He made no bones about what he wanted to see, and he didn't leave until he got what he wanted. At that point, all I wanted to do, as an actress, is give him what he wanted immediately. He would later say to me, "You are a proper actress." That's one of the best compliments I received.

Tyler Perry recently said that he's looking to do a follow-up to 'Why Did I Get Married?' and if so, would you come back and where do you see your character in the sequel?

JS: I would love to come to the role. I'm eight months pregnant right now, so I would love for my character to either be pregnant or want to have a child. There are a lot of difficulties with people trying to conceive. I would like to see that topic addressed. I would love for my character to have baggage from her last marriage even though she has a good man. I have this philosophy that if you have had someone bad in your life, the hardest thing in life is to be with a good one. Those topics would be interesting to me.

Do you have a name picked out for your baby?

JS: I do, but I'm going to wait til I see his face.

So on Sunday March 29, why should anyone watch 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'?

JS: Because I'm in it. It's a sweet film, and it would nice to watch something with your children and your grandma. We don't have television like that anymore. Everything is either really sexual or really violent, and the language is vulgar on some cable channels. It leaves very little for a family to watch together. There is also a stereotype of what Africa is and African people, and I think the series will broaden their horizons and minds about this fantastic continent and one particular country. This will blow the minds of those who think of Africa from the poverty they see on TV and the dialect they hear. It's so far from the truth, it's not even funny. Not funny at all.