Beyonce Knowles
Interview By: J.P. Mangalindan
JPMangalindan@TheCinemaSource.com
Unless you've spent the past six months living under a proverbial rock, the tidal waves of hype surrounding Dreamgirls have no doubt reached you: vociferous whispers of "Oscar contender," features in Vanity Fair ("The Movie Musical of the Year!") and delicious gossip ("Beyonce's jealous of J. Hud, y'all!"). Astounding, considering the film--a movie adaptation of an arguably B-level musical--follows in the vapid wake of film duds like The Phantom of the Opera and The Producers.
But then again, neither film held all the ingredients for box office boffo as DreamGirls does. More specifically, neither had Beyonc'. The 25-year-old singer, songwriter, fashion designer-cum-modernday renaissance woman is a star all her own. As talented as they are, theater vets like Nathan Lane can't say they've sold 13 million records--we're just talking solo records here--worldwide, won nine Grammys, or claim they're dating one of the biggest hip-hop moguls in the music industry.
"B", as she's known to her friends and family, is a statistical rarity. And with her understated supporting role as Deena, a Diana Ross-like lead singer in a Supremes-like all-female group, Beyonce's about to add another skill to her considerable list: in DreamGirls, she proves to be a Triple Threat. Yes, detractors, she can sing, dance, and act.
"Everyone knows I can sing," she says off-handedly. If anything, Knowles wanted to prove she could do more than the caricatures featured in films like Austin Powers: Goldmember. "I did this to know that I could act, to know for myself, and to show everyone else that I could."
Knowles was familiar with the source material years before eyeing the script, having heard about the Broadway musical since she was 15. "I wouldn't know what a 'diva' was if it wasn't for this play," she claims. "It inspired Destiny's Child's choreography and staging. So, when I heard they were redoing the film, I was like, 'Oh, I have to be a part of it! I don't care if I'm a stepsister; I don't care if I'm in it for five minutes. I just want to be a part of this movie."
The primary obstacle: proving to skeptical director Bill Condon she could show a different side of herself (ie. act), overcome her celebrity status and inhabit the character of Deena.
"I had a meeting with Bill. He came to see me rehearse with Destiny's Child and I think I scared him because I'm like Tina Turner on the stage rather than Diana Ross. He said, 'I'm not sure if you can play this part. I don't think people will believe you as young Deena when she was more plain and younger.'"
As part of an agreement between her management and Condon, Knowles would be the only person to audition live for the role. Despite this (or because of this), Knowles pulled out all the stops.
"I found the ugliest dress I could find; I found the ugliest wig I could find and put the thickest eyebrows on I could find and I got the part," she says with a smile. Knowles, the first to be cast, would find herself alongside Jamie Foxx, already a platinum-selling musician at the time, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. "I knew this would be important; I knew this would be history: I knew this would be relevant."
That's why Knowles was willing to accept the role of Deena, despite knowing full-well that DreamGirls, in its theatrical and filmic forms, belong to the inimitable character of Effie, brought to stunning reality via Hudson ("She's sweet and incredible," Knowles says of her costar).
"I knew Deena was not written as a strong singer and she's not written as a powerhouse," she admits. "It's an ensemble cast, but I didn't care because I just wanted to be a part of something so wonderful."
Just because she's a supporting character, doesn't mean she's wallpaper either. From her soft vocals to her distinct retro look throughout the film (hello, bushy eyebrows), it's obvious Deena honors Diana Ross, who previous voiced disdain for the musical's loose inspiration of The Supremes' storied career. But Knowles, the consummate professional, makes it clear: Deena is not Diana. Though Ross became a basis for make-up, costumes and certain Deena-isms, Knowles reiterates the story is completely different.
And what of the comparisons the media has made between Knowles herself and Deena' Superficially, the similarities are there: the humble beginnings, the all-female group, the break-out star status. At this, the performer becomes most thoughtful, feeding out her response in slow measures.
"Deena was a woman who grew up in a single-parent home with only her mother in the projects. She didn't have her father. Back then, it was really hard for her to cross over, to a big star if you were African American. Because of that, she was willing to be a puppet, to do anything she had to do to get out of the projects. Because she didn't have a father, she allowed Curtis to completely control her and be her father figure. She was the lead singer for all the wrong reasons: for her looks and not her talent.
"Me on the other hand, I grew up with both parents in a upper middle-class family, went to private school. I was in a group, of course, but made the lead because of my voice and because of my talent. I have a father so I don't have a 'Curtis' [Jamie Foxx] controlling my life. I am Curtis!"
