Born Dana Elaine Owens in Newark, NJ on March 18, 1970, Queen Latifah is an award-winning actress, rapper, singer, author and entrepreneur. She landed an Oscar nomination in 2003 for Best Supporting Actress, as well as Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations for her performance as Mama Morton in “Chicago.”
Here, she talks about her latest movie, “Joyful Noise,” a musical comedy co-starring Dolly Parton.
Kam Williams: Hi Queen, thanks for the interview.
Queen Latifah: Hey, Kam, no problem.
KW: What interested you in Joyful Noise?
QL: I felt that its timely, uplifting story was perfect for me, given what’s
going on in the world right now. And I already loved the studio, Alcon
Entertainment. They’ve made a lot of nice movies in the past [The Blind
Side, Dolphin Tale, etcetera], and they really do a great job of marketing
their films. And I liked the idea of working with Dolly Parton and Keke
[Palmer].
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What was it like working with Todd Graff? It seems
like he knows a lot about both music and comedy. ?
QL: He really does. It was great working with him because he’s very
thorough. I believe he had an excellent grasp of every aspect of the film
from the music to the staging. He knew exactly how he wanted it presented,
which made the process a lot easier. And he likes to rehearse, which I do,
too. So often, you don’t get that opportunity. You only go over everything
once and, the next thing you know, you’re on set. Todd had a vision of what
he wanted to do and, because he also wrote the screenplay, it was easy for
him to make observations, take notes and tweak the script whenever
necessary. It was perfect!
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: What message do you think people
will take away from Joyful Noise?
QL: I would say that overall, the movie offers an inspirational message of
hope, love, camaraderie, joy and overcoming challenges in difficult times.
All that good stuff!
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: What’s your favorite song in Joyful Noise?
QL: My favorite song? For me, it was “Fix me, Jesus.”
KW: Harriet also asks: How hard was it to make the switch from hip-hop to
acting?
QL: Developing my skills and getting really good at acting was actually more
challenging than making the switch. As a rapper, you sort of act in music
videos and in the persona you adopt onstage. You kinda have to put yourself
out there and be courageous even to be a rapper. So, to step into acting was
not that difficult a transition to make. What was difficult was the work and
the practice that went into becoming good at it, because I hadn’t had any
training.
KW: Harriet asks: Is there a classic film that you’d like to star in a
remake of?
QL: Hmm… Good question! The James Earl Jones and Diahann Carroll film
Claudine. Or maybe Taps the military story starring Tom Cruise and Sean
Penn. But that one’s all boys so I probably couldn’t do that one anyway.
KW: Finally, Harriet says: You did such a great duet with Tony Bennett. Who
else would you like to do a duet with?
QL: Gee, there are a whole bunch of people I’d like to duets with. I don’t
know, pick somebody. [Chuckles] Let’s see… Harry Connick, Jr. would be nice.
KW: Kate Newell asks: Will you be making a guest star appearance on the TV
show Glee?
QL: Whenever they invite me. I would love to.
KW: Patricia also asks: What advice do you have for females interested in
founding a record company or breaking the glass ceiling in the music
business?
QL: Try to network with others, and don’t take no for an answer. It will be
a challenge. You just have to connect with people who believe in your vision
and who will work with you and advance your cause. And don’t give up!
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: Of what achievement are you
most proud?
QL: I did get as far as high school. [Laughs] Just kidding. Let me think… I
don’t know… The Oscar nomination?
KW: That’s fine. Tony Noel asks: Are you involved with the community in your
hometown of Newark, and how do you feel about the city’s future?
QL: I’m as involved as I can be. Whenever I’m asked to do something, I
always tend to show up. Lately, I’ve been trying to do some land development
for affordable housing. I feel very positive about Newark’s future, but I
know we need a lot of help. I think that starts with the education of our
kids and making the streets safer.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: Which charities are you choosing
support nowadays, given that lots of non-profits have suffered the last few
years because of the bad economy?
QL: We have our own charity called the Lancelot H. Owens Scholarship
Foundation which has awarded partial scholarships in and around Newark, New
Jersey for the past 15 years. I support many organizations that I feel are
doing the right thing, like Alonzo Mourning’s foundation, Alicia Keys’
foundation, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and other well-established
foundations. I kick out a lot of time and money wherever I can.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
QL: Scrambled eggs.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
QL: I see this 5’10” black lady. She’s sexy! Who is that girl? Me? Oh, snap!
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
QL: Being smacked on my ass in this bright room when I was maybe 4 or 5
minutes old. I remember wondering, “What is going on here?” It was not cool.
[LOL]
KW: Thanks again for the time, Queen, and best of luck with Joyful Noise.
QL: Thank you, Kam.
Related Links
Queen Latifah AALBC.com Author's Profile Page
Queen Latifah - the “Just Wright” Interview