Beyonce Talks About Playing Etta James

LA Times:

Beyoncé's upcoming film, "Cadillac Records," in which she plays Etta James.James, who was born Jamesette Hawkins in Los Angeles in 1938, still performs at blues festivals and was given a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2002. Her signature hit was the swooning ballad "At Last," which has become a staple of film and commercials, but her grittier soul recordings made her a key influence on singers such as Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt. Beyoncé said the singer was "a powerful woman but also so troubled, and that comes across in her music."

The movie, due in theaters Dec. 5, stars Adrien Brody as scruffy music impresario Leonard Chess and chronicles the 1950s Chicago music scene and its backstage scandals, recalling both "Dreamgirls" and Taylor Hackford's Oscar-winning "Ray."

Beyoncé said she surprised the film's director, Darnell Martin, with her willingness to go gritty. She gained 20 pounds and dotted her arms with track marks to portray the R&B pioneer, who struggled with heroin addiction during that era. The singer spent a few days at the Phoenix House, a rehab center in Brooklyn, to learn the junkie stagger and addled rage she uses to surprising poignant effect in the movie.

"I never tried drugs in my life so I didn't know about it all," she said. "It was hard to go there. In the beginning I didn't want to offend anyone, I didn't want to ask the wrong questions or seem judgmental. They were so honest, though, and I am so thankful. I don't think I could have understood that level of pain or need. What they do there is amazing. I learned a lot about life and myself."

Read the whole story: LA Times

Comments

[inluvwkeitholbermann]

beyonce us SO OVERRATED!!!

H0RRlBLE ACTRESS! (she has a wonderful agent (the mob? a hitm@n? a high-level g@ngster?) because i don't know HOW she gets cast in anything!!!! she can't act for SH*T!)

MEDI0CRE SlNGER! (a couple of hits......don't understand the adulation)

FAKE PLASTIC PH0NY (fake hair, fake nose, fake lips.......look it up---she sliced off part of her nose and reduced the size of her lips.......MANY, MANY, MANY pics available on the internet....before and after)

BODY.......NICE! keep that trainer and keep starving yourself so you don't get chunky like you were in DC..... BUT SHE STILL DRESSES TACKY AND SHE'S GHETTO (please get a speech coach or avoid interviews entirely

can't wait for her to "retire"!

[jaydeedub]

I will see the movie because B is in it, however she hasn't shown me that she is a good actor. Fine as hell, but lacking in the acting dept.

[Df7702]

Next stop Wonder Woman . (sarcasm)

[trudem2]

Lot of haters here....

She's a beautiful, young, talented lady......nice too.

[Sandy248]

She's just not a good actress. I think acting roles should go to actors.

[Classof89]

Hate, schmate. Bottom line - the girl can't act, period.

[Badger84]

Yes, she is but she is not a good actress. As singer, she has a great voice but doesn't have the voice or sensibilites of a BLUES singer. Personally, she is a lot like Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey: a beautiful voice but she chooses formulaic, commercialized garbage for material. Her songs are the products of market research. Art has little or nothing to do with it.

[txgal44]

I agree with everything you said, except for one thing. Beyounce does not have a "great voice'. It's an OK voice. What she does have is stage presence. She's a good entertainer and put's on great shows. That's more than you can say for Christina or Mariah. However, I think Christina can sing circles around them both. Unfortunately, the industry is not looking for true artist. They are looking for money machines. This is the main reason Christian has not "arrived", which is really too bad. That girl can sing her you-know-what off.

[ZimboChick]

Well she sure has talent but she sure cannot act. She can sing but she is not the best out there. She is overexposed and overrated. I have Beyonce fatigue. No we are not hating, just telling it as we see it.

[harriettubman]

I think Bey is a very talented young lady and very sincere. At least she's famous for having talent, unlike Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Ritchie and these other no talented girls who have not earned their fame. Britney Spears can not sing but she's a great dancer. Listen to Britney live, without studio enhancements, and you'll cover your ears.

Beyonce's father created her image. The only thing I don't like is every time Michelle or Kelly have a cd coming out, Beyonce has one that comes out the same week as well. Coincidence? Once, maybe but twice, I think not. This is the work of her father and he behaved badly when he formed DC by showing favoritism with Beyonce over the other girls. Looking back at the group you can see Matthew had one goal in mind and that was to make his daughter a superstar regardless of who he stepped on to achieve it.

Matthew has created a limted fan base for Bey. No one wants to see her sing at Obama's inauguration because of her rump shaking and skimpy outfits. She's like another J. Lo, who has since decided to retire the skimpy outfits.

Jennifer Hudson stole the Dreamgirls movie. She was dynamic. Her voice is unique and she acted fantastically. Some people have it and some need acting lessons. Jen does not. Also, she's conservative with her clothes so people are hoping she will sing at the inauguration.

[Badger84]

But she is not a BLUES singer. Doe anyone here have any appreciation of who Etta James is or her body of work?

[txgal44]

I love Etta James. Beyounce can't touch Etta James. As far as Obama's inauguration, Beyounce has not earned that right.

[txgal44]

Listen to Christina Aguilera's version of "At Last" next to Beyounce's version. Christina sing's circles around Beyounce.

[enh8g2]

Has anyone noticed that Beyonce has been a singer in every movie that she has been in? Dream Girls, Fighting Temptations, that MTV movie that was a musical Carmen, she sang in the Austin Powers movie. If she wants to prove that she can act I'm going to need her not to be a singer in her next movie! You would think her agent would recognize this...

[Ms. Lou]

Beyonce has been just lucky in life. She has no acting abilities and cannot sing. She cute but a lot of women are. Hollywood can do wonders for a girl with the right clothes, professional makeup artists and photographers. Her career is at it's peak and she gets the roles. I predict Jennifer Hudson will last a lot longer than Beyonce. She's got talent. Jennifer can sing in front of a live audience. I'll wait for the video.

[txgal44]

I agree with you 100% except for the Jennifer Hudson comment. I'm not on board with her at all. Whitney Houston is the standard to which these singers will be judged by and not one has come close. Now did anyone see Christina Aguilera's tribute to James Brown at the Emmy's a couple of years back? Check it out. This girl is underrated and has a far better singing voice then Beyounce and Mariah put together.

[ZimboChick]

then you need to pick up JHud's album and come back and say that. Jen is not a one trick pony. If you listen to her album you will truly appreciate her talent. Diverse.

[ZimboChick]

This was a mistake. She cannot act. She ruined Dreamgirls and now hates J Hud for shining. Could not even send sympathies through publicist, then takes credit for being at the Hudson funeral when she wasn't even there. cold.

[happycat]

Wow, that Beyonce really is cold.

[Sandy248]

Beyonce is more and more like Diana Ross. She and her dad are like Diana Ross and Berry Gordy. Look how they treated the other two members of DC and look how they tried to influence the script from Dreamgirls. I'll be so glad when Beyonce turns 30 so she can fade away.

[bokiluis]

Excuse me! Diana Ross has been nominated for an Academy Award, won a Tony, won a Golden Globe, Kennedy Center Honors and over 12 Grammy nods. This tired innocuous comment regarding Berry Gordy and Diana Ross shows ignorance and most of all, Envy, one of the 7 Deadly Sins.

The Diana Ross role, "Deena", was always unwritten in the Broadway musical. The script focused more on the drama of "Effie" with the grand and beautiful, "And I'm Telling You".
Beyonce did not outshine Jennifer Hudson, it would have been hard for any "actress" to pull that off.

Critics said that Diana Ross could never play "Billie Holiday". Critical and commercial success proved them wrong. You have not even seen the movie yet, and still you come with your "tired" criticisms.

I for one, having great respect for Diana Ross and Etta James, will give Beyonce her chance. Don't buy a ticket if you are not interested in seeing Beyonce in the role. And don't criticize something you have yet to see.

[harriettubman]

Who knows the truth? People just speculate about things. Anika Noni Rose sent public condolences but I have no clue as to why Bey did or did not. She was just on Oprah Friday and said she had been all over the world just in the last few weeks!!!!

Jennifer and Beyonce are different entertainers with different fan bases. I love Jen and I think Bey is talented but I'm not into the skimpy, rump shaking type concerts. People complain about Mariah Carey's skimpy clothes ALL the time too. I don't know what some women feel they have to prove.

[ZimboChick]

At least Mariah can sing. She may be eternally 12 but she sure can sanggg

[WhirledTraveler]

B is fun, she's entertainment. Not the best singer, dancer, or actress, but she's entertaining none-the-less.

That said, OMG, what were the producers or she thinking?! I just don't see this working well.

Then again, IMHO, Madonna did pull off Eva Peron in Evita and I don't think anyone saw that coming.

[happycat]

I'm still reeling from seeing Beyonce shake her booty on SNL last night. She is enamored with herself. She is a very pretty woman - but please, not much talent there. I don't want to see her playing Etta James. She needs to seriously study acting for awhile and she could also learn a little humility.

[WhirledTraveler]

I don't know about her humility, but that bratty little sister of hers... She's certainly someone who if drowned by humility would still be bleeding vanity and self-absorption when recovered.

[ZimboChick]

not true! i would take Solange all day long over big sis

[happycat]

I forgot about Solange. Thanks for reminding me! :-( Anyway, they both suck!

[Sandy248]

I truly think Dreamgirls deserved more awards and I think the reason they lost out on so many was because of the casting of Beyonce Knowles. She's ok for an artist in the video music era but she is not a capable actress. There are plenty of capable black actresses out there who won't get a chance because studios think black singers are interchangeable with black acting and that's not right.

[brooklyncitizen]

Give her a chance.....she is young and growing as an artist. She's also pretty "clean" or at least her image is not that of Lohan nuttiness & bi-affairs or Brittney's flashing etc....or Winehouse drugging so why not applaud her seriousness and commitment to being an entertainer?

I like her.

[Truye]

Well none of those people can act either. Beng "clean" had nothing to do with acting abilities and she is just not very good. Like many people who were brilliant when it came to putting on a live musical show she falls short when she isn't doing her own material.

[txgal44]

Linsey Lohan can act. She's just a dingbat.

[dct1999]

This is casting malpractice.

[Topgun2]

How abt playing Jesse James?

[HatingTheGame]

Or better yet, Rick James... as in "I'm Rick James, Beaatch!"

LOL

[Amydan48]

Sorry B, but honey you cannot act! You can sing and I love some of your songs & videos, but your acting skills are weak. Gaining 20 pounds and cussing won't get you an Oscar. There's something too mechanical about you Sweetie, not a lot of depth when acting.