fiancé Courtney  B. Vance when cast in the lead role. The start of production kept  being pushed back by producer Deborah Schindler which was a blessing  and a curse for Bassett. The continued delay of production gave her  ample time to get her body in perfect shape for the film but it also  prevented her from being able to set a definite date for her  wedding. Determined to get married in the fall of 1997, Bassett and  Vance stood their ground and set a firm date for the ceremony,  October 17, 1997, by that point Bassett had been filming for about a  month on "Stella."