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Hangin' With Archives
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Beyonce in the“Pink”by Lynn B.
Listen, the girl looks fine! Very fine for our interview in a form-fitting pink (of course) halter dress with lots of subtle sparkles by new designer Kumari, some killer stilettos, huge silver dangle earrings, borrowed flashy ruby and diamond encrusted pink bangle bracelets, a huge pink diamond ring and her pink nails and long honey-colored hair were done just so. Wow! The star let us know that she loves being in comedies, that Steve Martin constantly cracked her up and that she is going very drama serious to star in the film version of the hit play Dreamgirls. Pull up a diamond-encrusted chair and let’s chat… AGW: What was the biggest attraction for you to be in The Pink Panther? Beyonce: Well, originally, I worked with the director years ago for a Disney sitcom [‘Jett Jackson’]. It was my first acting gig and I hope that no one ever finds it (laughter). I remember he said, you're going to be an actor one day. I'm gonna remember you. And he called and told me about Xania [her “Panther” character] and she was an international superstar singer and at first I thought, I don't want to play another part like that because I don't have time to do the research. (laughter). Then he told me Kevin Kline and Steve Martin were gonna be part of it, and that's it, I gotta do it. I'd told myself I would always work with the best people, people I can learn from. And it only took me three weeks to film this movie. I did two weeks in New York and one week in Paris and I had a great time . . . I laughed the whole time on the set and I'm happy I'm in it. AGW: Talk about The experience of working with comedians like Mike Meyers on “Austin Powers” and now Steve Martin. Beyonce: Well, I’ve been very, very fortunate and I would have never told you I would be in a comedy at all. Thank God I’m able to play the straight person because I could never be the comedian. But working with Mike and Steve, in some ways they had some similarities. They both write and they both completely become someone else. Mike kind of stays in character the whole time he’s dressed up. Steve is very professional and more serious as opposed to Mike is kind of more shy. And Steve would instantly switch into that [French] accent and that craziness that I just couldn’t resist and wanted to laugh at. But I love people that can work with a director and write and be in a film. AGW: How did you keep from laughing? Beyonce: I don’t know. It’s really hard but I hate messing up a take. I refuse. Obviously, sometimes you have to but I don’t like to waste time and I’m very professional and even though I do want to laugh, I was like I don’t want them to have to do it over because of me. So I tried to make sure that I have that in the back of my mind to keep myself focused, even though it is really difficult. AGW: Why are you taking on so much with the singing and acting when you could be so comfortable? Beyonce: Because who wants to be comfortable and bored? No one. I don’t. That’s not fulfilling to me. AGW: Do you ever get nervous seeing yourself on the big screen? Beyonce: Yes. I do. I don’t like it. Even when I think I do a good job, when I first walk in, I’m terrified. It’s so huge and you can see everything and the camera reads everything. It is a bit intimidating and scary. AGW: What keeps you balanced? Beyonce: My family, definitely. There’s always one or two family members with me at all times. They’re right there [she points to the back of the room]. I don’t go anywhere without someone that loves me and that can tell me the truth. AGW: What thought have you given to starting a family of your own? Beyonce: When I can slow down and focus on that, I definitely want to have a family because I grew up with my mother and father and my sister and Kelly and my cousin and we all went to church every Sunday and we were a strong family and I want the same thing. AGW: Are you still excited when you have a number one record? Beyonce: Yes. Because ‘Check On It’ actually started as a joke because I got a really bad track and I couldn’t write anything to it so we started playing around and started saying, ‘Check on it.’ And I remembered it and when they said they wanted something for the movie, I thought, ‘Well, even though it’s silly, it’s fun. and this movie is a comedy and it’s all about fun,’ so I finished writing it and put the Pink Panther theme music in the beginning and shot the videos, was wearing pink throughout the whole video and it became a number one song. I wouldn’t have told you it would be number one. That’s happened before with ‘Bootylicious’. There are certain songs like ‘Crazy in Love’ that are timeless and that are great records but this is number one and it surprised me. I’m happy. It would be great to have a number one movie and a number one single at the same time. AGW: How are you liking having a solo career? Beyonce: I do like it. I do like it because now I’m able to commit six months to something without feeling guilty because other people’s lives are affected by my life. Even though it’s very scary. It’s harder to make decisions by myself and I have to really kind of listen to my instincts a lot more, but it’s cool. AGW: You always look great. Do you have to put on the Beyonce character in public? Beyonce: I do enjoy dressing up and I do enjoy photo shoots and videos. It’s a place where I can kind of live out a fantasy. But really when I’m at home, I’m the complete opposite. But I do like heels and I do love stilettos. I don’t wear diamonds or makeup when I’m off and even if I wear something that I think is nice, it’s a toned down version. I don’t walk around dressed in pink diamonds every day.
Beyonce: I wish. I have yet to put it in my contract and I have yet to ask, because I’m so excited about the movie, that’s the last thing I’m thinking about. But I wish I did. I had this amazing Hermes bag and this beautiful pink gown. It was hard to dance in but it was beautiful. AGW: What is the biggest challenge of being a celebrity? Beyonce: The hardest thing is balance because I have a perfume line, my mother and I have a clothing line. I have L’oreal. I have so many things. Still Destiny’s Child, a solo career, acting, albums. Then on top of everything, I approve everything. I approve every button in my clothing line, I approve every photograph, I approve every interview and then I have a life. I have a family, I have a personal life and it’s hard to balance. But some kind of way, I make it happen. AGW: You started a foundation to help the hurricane Katrina victims. Update us on that. Beyonce: We have the Survivor Foundation and my mother and my father and Kelly and I put together money to build housing for Katrina victims in Houston because a lot of them are in Houston. They go to our church. I also have the Knowles-Rowland Center which is a center for kids downtown to go and get counseling, kids that are on drugs or they can go play games. They have a place to sleep and shower. So many things. We’re part of Ronald McDonald House charities which all around the world, we went to see kids that a lot of them have cancer and a percentage of all of our moneys from the tour went to the charities. So many things that I’m a part of. AGW: Who’s given you good advice? Beyonce: Oprah, and she didn’t tell me personally. I just will never forget her [talking about] the power of no. That helped me so much, especially with trying to balance things because I one day realized that when people see me, they think it’s me. It’s a reflection of me so I have to learn how to say ‘no’ when I don’t like something and no means no. That’s a very hard thing to do since I don’t like to disappoint people and I work hard, but that has been very helpful so when I don’t feel passionate about something to say no and mean no. AGW: Did your mother or father give you some advice? Beyonce: Oh, definitely. My mother always said, ‘Beauty fades and the beauty from within is forever.’ When I was 15, we had a single that came out. It was called ‘No, No, No’ and it went number one and I thought I was grown. I was in the record store and she was talking to me and I was singing because I was ignoring her. I was being defiant. AGW: Uh oh.. what did your mom do? Beyonce: She threatened me, which she’s never done in her life. She slapped me in my face and said, ‘You better listen to me when I talk to you. Don’t think you can do that now that you got a number one single.’ And I was so embarrassed and I was so shocked. I’d never even gotten a spanking before. But that was the best thing she ever did. I was starting to get that little ‘thing’ and I will never forget it. And from that moment on, I never went there. And they put me in my place before it started. AGW: Cool mom. You’ve accomplished so much so young, can you allow yourself to look back? Beyonce: I can. When I win- - like Destiny’s Child won World Music Awards, they played back everything that we’ve accomplished. I don’t think about it because my life’s gone by so fast, but when you’re sitting there and you see everything in front of you, it’s almost like you’re watching someone else because you forget about all these things and those moments, I can appreciate what I’ve accomplished. I just recently watched the performance with Prince. It was my first time watching it in two years or three. I’m like, ‘I can’t believe I did that. I sang with Prince.’ It’s crazy, so when time goes by and I can watch something, then I can really appreciate it and see it like it’s not me. AGW: With Valentine’s Day coming up, what does a guy have to do to impress you? Beyonce: Well, this Valentine’s Day I’ll be working on the film [Dreamgirls] and thank God I’m in love with this movie because I’m not mad. That’s fine. But if somebody could just take me away and make me not work, that would be great. Just time and a good meal. AGW: If you wrote a book about your life, what would the title be? Beyonce: I guess it would be probably ‘Survivor’ because I have taken so many risks and survived everything, even being in a group with three member changes and going solo and doing a movie and everything that I do I’ve worked hard at and survived. That’s all I can think of right now but I’ll get back to you with something better. AGW: You’re on the cover of Cosmopolitan. What’s different about that interview? Beyonce: It is exciting and I love doing photo shoots, but to be honest with you, I’ve lost track of what I’ve done and what I haven’t done. And they were like, ‘This is your first time’ and I said, ‘Is it? Really?’ But it is nice to be on the cover because now they told me how difficult it is. I didn’t know that. The great thing about it is I think I feel like I’m opening the doors for other young black entertainers because usually they don’t put black females on a lot of the covers unless they’re Naomi Campbell or Halle Berry. I’m happy to be in that list and hopefully open the door for more people. AGW: Who are you listening to right now? Beyonce: Okay, I’m listening to Kim Burrell who’s a gospel singer. I’m listening to the Supremes’ Greatest Hits. I’m listening to the Dreamgirls soundtrack way too much. I have to practice my singing. And I’m listening to this record, Ne-Yo. I really like his record. And I’m listening to I don't know what else? AGW: Since you work so hard, what’s your schedule like? Beyonce: I didn’t sleep at all last night. I had a hard time. Sometimes I just get so excited about stuff that I think about it all night long and then the sun is up and I gotta go to work. I do love what I do and it gives me the energy to get through the days that I don’t sleep. Right now, I’m trying to lose some more weight [to play] Deena [in Dreamgirls] because I want to look different from myself. That’s the only reason because I’m happy with curves. So I am dieting and exercising and taking care of my skin because I’m playing somebody 16. But normally, I’m the worst. I eat bad, I don’t even wash my face, I don’t put on lotion. Oh, that’s terrible but it’s the truth. But when I’m working, I do take care of myself. The only good thing is I work a lot so I try to eat healthy and stay away from bad food. AGW: Favorite junk food guilty pleasure when you do indulge? Beyonce: Oooo, I love Krispy Kremes. AGW: Now that you’re a few movies into your acting career, how comfortable do you feel with the transition? Beyonce: I’m feeling more and more comfortable but I still am not nowhere near satisfied because I have yet to have the role come out. I’m doing it now in Dreamgirls but no one’s seen it yet. But I don't think people have any idea of what I can do as an actor. AGW: When will be in a movie where you’re not playing a singer? Beyonce: After Dreamgirls. Even though in Dreamgirls, I am a singer, this part gives me a chance to act. There are some very dramatic scenes that have nothing to do with music and some emotional scenes. It’s all these different colors. Deena starts off [age] 16 with no makeup, bushy eyebrows, crazy wig and grows up and butterflies into a diva. But it’s great to be able to play someone with range and different colors. The director wasn’t sure if I could play the part. I had to audition for it and prove myself. After they saw it, they were like, ‘Okay, she’s Deena.’ So I’m happy. I’m so excited I finally am being able to challenge myself and even learn what I can do. AGW: Who gives you the inspiration as an actress? Beyonce: I would have to say Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross in Mahogany and all those movies. She was great. I choose those people because they were singers and they were successful and did not have to act, financially or for any other reason but because they wanted to and I guess they loved it and were talented and gifted at it. I don't think there’s anything wrong with combining music and film. I think it’s great when you’re able to act and sing. But I do want to eventually do a movie where I’m not a singer. AGW: Were you daunted by taking on Dreamgirls? Beyonce: No. I know I’m supposed to be Deena. I know that and I know I’m going to do a great job at it. I’m very confident in it and I know that I’ve been hearing about Dreamgirls since I was 15. I know about her every little detail from her bedroom to every thing about her. I’ve been a student of it and for the first time I’ve dedicated six months to my movie and not trying to write an album at the same time, not going to Europe or going to this and that at the same time so I can be fair to what I’m doing. I’ve never really given it a fair chance and no, I’m not. I’m confident. AGW: What’s going on with your clothing line? Beyonce: My jeans are out and doing very well. It took me a couple years, two years for my mother and I to find the right partner because a lot of people offered me deals to just put my name on something and the clothes would not be something I would wear and I was very adamant about not doing that because my mother’s talented. We really should have a line that we design and we do and it comes out, the full line, in February. AGW: Your whole life seems to be a series of adventures, great adventures. What do you think is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done? Beyonce: Probably going solo because it’s easy to stay in a group. It’s hard to leave a group when you love each other and there’s nothing going on. It’s easy when you hate each other and you can’t stand to be in the same room, but when you still share dressing rooms – still share a tour bus, still love each other and are still successful…I took that risk and it was very scary. AGW: What do you do to relax? Beyonce: I try to take two vacations a year. Doing this film I was supposed to go on vacation and I had a choice to go on vacation or do the movie and I chose Steve Martin and Kevin Kline. AGW: What are your favorite vacation spots? Beyonce: I love the south of France. Being on the yacht and having a chef cook because I love to eat.
Pictures courtesy of and copyright MGM/Columbia Pictures, 2006 |
 
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That
gorgeous little Destiny’s Child is carving out quite a multi-media
career! Beyonce Knowles has taken her recording career solo with a giant
hit at the top of the charts; the danceable “Check On It”
which she says was written by just goofing around in the studio and she
cracked us up as Foxy Cleopatra, a hot 70’s style chick with huge
afro in Austin Powers: Goldmember. When Steve Martin and the
producers of The Pink Panther film were looking for a musical
“diva” to play the leading lady, Beyonce’s name came
up but everyone soon realized that the friendly, down-to-earth star was
not all that diva-ish. Her entourage at our interview for the film consisted
of a couple of family members. 
AGW:
Did you keep any of your flashy Pink Panther costumes?