Beyonce Knowles Talks About Her Starring Role in "Dreamgirls"
By Rebecca Murray
Knowles said filming began on “Dreamgirls” in mid-January 2006 and she's overjoyed to be a part of it. “I’m so excited about it I can’t even talk and my voice just starts shaking because I’m so happy! I’ve been hearing about ‘Dreamgirls’ since I was about 15.
I get to play a character with range, and I’m 16 in the beginning and I grow up to be 36. There’s nothing glamorous about Deena and she kind of butterflies into this diva. I have dramatic scenes and emotional scenes and very funny scenes, and just all these colors. I’m so excited because people are going to be able to see me act for the first time.”
Beyonce Knowles on Writer/Director Bill Condon and Her “Dreamgirls” Co-Stars:
“Bill Condon is so good. He knows so much and is so detailed-oriented. I mean before we even started… First of all, we had two months to rehearse, which I’ve never experienced anything like that, which allowed me and the other ladies to bond. We have such a great chemistry together. It’s real. Even off screen we do little crazy things that friends do. We’re all so excited to be there. We’re just like, ‘Is this real? Are we in this film?’
In storyboards, [Condon] had the movie already shot. I’ve never seen anything like that. He took all of our screen tests and put our voices to the storyboards. I’m like, ‘We can already see the movie before we shot.’ Everything is just perfect.”
Knowles doesn’t view the project as a competition between the actors involved. In particular Knowles says she’s not in a competition with “Dreamgirls” co-star - and former “American Idol” favorite - Jennifer Hudson. “Oh, no. Not at all. First of all, she is so sweet and one of the nicest people. It’s her first movie. Imagine someone and their first movie is ‘Dreamgirls’… How blessed is she? And she’s so excited and I have chills for her right now just talking about it. She is so grateful and I’m so grateful. We give each other advice, we help each other, we would change our minds or whatever…because we all want this to be great.”
Beyonce Knowles is Definitely Not Her “Dreamgirls” Character:
“Deena’s not me, but I have a lot of similarities. Just I started off in a group. I’m very ambitious. I was always…there was something about me since a little girl that just was different.”
