Kelly Rowland Stars in Tyler Perry’s Crime Thriller ‘Mea Culpa’: Watch the Trailer

Kelly Rowland puts away her microphone to play a criminal defense attorney in Tyler Perry’s upcoming film Mea Culpa, and now, fans can get a look at her new role in the steamy crime thriller’s trailer, which arrived on Wednesday (Jan. 24).

Rowland’s character, Mea Harper, takes on the case of a lifetime with Zyair Malloy — played by Trevante Rhodes — on trial for allegedly murdering his girlfriend, and the odds are stacked against him. Malloy is a famous artist and seductively crosses lines of client-attorney privilege with Harper while maintaining his innocence as things get hot and heavy.

“You have no idea who he is,” Mea is told in the clip. “A snake is never violent when stalking their prey. It’s only when they get right into striking distance that they become very violent.”

Mea Culpa, which arrives Feb. 23, serves as Perry’s fifth feature film with Netflix and comes as part of the first-look deal he signed with the streaming giant last year.

Additional producers behind Perry and Rowland include Dianne Ashford, Will Areu, and Angi Bones. The rest of the cast is rounded out with stars including RonReaco Lee, Sean Sagar, Nick Sagar and Shannon Thornton.

In recent years, the Destiny’s Child singer has cut her acting chops with appearances in television series such as Grown-ish and The Equalizer.

While Rowland adds to her acting résumé, the multi-hyphenate will be hitting the stage as part of the star-studded Lovers & Friends lineup coming to Las Vegas in May.

Alongside Rowland, the loaded 2024 festival features performances from Usher, Backstreet Boys, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Nas, Alicia Keys, Nelly Furtado, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, TLC, and Timbaland, to name a few.

Watch the Mea Culpa trailer below.