In The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Winfrey reveals that Warner Bros. wanted the producers to approach Beyoncé and Rihanna to (most likely) play Shug Avery. The shocker is that Oscar-nominated and Emmy-nominated Taraji P. Henson had to swallow her pride and audition to win the role just to prove herself. Winfrey acknowledges the pressure to ensure a hit:
To be completely honest about it, if you were doing this film for $30 or $40 million, the interest in the cast would be very different. Once the film moved to $90 to $100 million, then everybody wants us to bring Beyoncé,” she says. “‘Can you get Beyoncé or can you get Rihanna?’ So we’re sitting in a room saying, ‘Listen, we love Beyoncé. We love Rihanna, but there are other actors who can do this job.’ I do remember conversations about, ‘Y’all, Beyoncé is going to be busy this year.’ It wasn’t even a negotiation, because you’re not getting Beyoncé.
Taraji is a vet now and being devalued during this point in her career must have been a severe slap in the face! Talent and accomplishments alone will never be enough as she sadly discovered. Beyoncé and Rihanna or no Beyoncé and Rihanna, $100 million dollars in Hollywood for an all black cast these days is quite a big deal. So hopefully, people (especially black people) come out in droves to support this project.
6 Comments:
I would be so dissapointed if beyonce was picked to do the role.
Sorry , I hate when people just put Beyonce somehwere because of ratings of box office sales etc now.. Riri would be funny for this role, but I prefer to see neither acting..
Love the current cast, can't wait to see it!
I mean I love Taraji, but she’s not really know for her singing so I would have wanted her to audition too. Beyoncé or Rihanna would not have been a good fit for the movie so I glad that didn’t work out.
Is it a musical? If so, I'll pass.
It is.
Thanks. Not a fan of musicals, find the constant cheesy singing throughout annoying and cringe. But that's probably my autism. I wish it every success.
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