Jada Pinkett-Smith Sweet On New Film

Executive Producer Of "The Secret Life Of Bees" Is Proud Of Film & Star-Studded Cast

(CBS)  The popular book "The Secret Life of Bees" has finally been made into a movie thanks to actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, who is the film's executive producer.

Pinkett-Smith poured her heart into the film, as did the star-studded cast, made up of Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo.

"The Secret Life of Bees," is based on the 2002 bestselling novel by American author Sue Monk Kidd.

The story takes place in South Carolina during the turbulent Civil Rights era, where the intelligent and successful honey-making Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Keys and Okonedo) live.

Their lives are interrupted by the arrival of 14-year-old Lily Owens (Fanning) and her caretaker Rosaleen Daise (Hudson) and they form unbreakable bonds while facing hardships and prejudice along the way.

"It was amazing. Because my bonus son's mother called me and said, 'Jada, you have to read this book' and I fell in love with it. I was tracking the rights to this book for a very, very long time and they became available so Overbrook (Entertainment) grabbed it and I said 'you got to get these rights!'" Pinkett-Smith told Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez.

After having the scripts for a while, Pinkett-Smith hired American director and writer Gina Prince-Bythewood, who Pinkett-Smith says "made a fabulous film with a fantastic cast" that she is very proud of.

"It doesn't get any better than that," Rodriguez said.

"No, it doesn't. It's star-studded with talented women and Dakota Fanning with her old soul. Gina did a fantastic job casting," Pinkett-Smith said.

Although Pinkett-Smith didn't get to spend as much time with the cast behind the scenes since she was working on another film, she was really the one who was moving the logistics of the production along.

"I was really behind getting the film done and getting Gina hired. I said once Gina is hired, I said she's got it," she said. "When I first saw it, I was just amazed. I thought my goodness, we finally did it -- it's done. Because it's such a powerful story and a story that I've loved for so long and it was beautiful."

Pinkett-Smith is also in town to see her friend Katie Holmes, who is starring in Arthur Miller's "All My Sons."

Pinkett-Smith and Holmes, who also has a famous husband (Tom Cruise) have formed a strong bond.

"It's very interesting because it's very hard to find people who can understand where you are. And there's a very small group of us in Hollywood as it is, and it's just nice to have another couple that has the understanding of our lives, and so we get a lot of advice from one another, give each other a lot of support and so it works out," she said.