Mary J. Blige has sparingly flexed her acting chops in front of the camera throughout her years in the entertainment industry. But now, while discussing her vocal work for the much-anticipated film, The Help, Blige says that she plans to seriously pursue an acting career.
“I’m trying to do everything — I have a dialect coach, acting coach, piano coach … everything. I’m just doing what I’m doing,” said Blige to Black Tree while discussing her portrayal of soul legend Nina Simone in the upcoming biopic. “The film thing is going to start happening more often because I’m trying to nail [it], not just get an acting job because I’m a singer.”
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul also shared that she has roles in the upcoming films Rock of Ages, where she plays the owner of a strip club alongside Tom Cruise and Russell Brand, as well as the Lifetime network movie, “Parallel Lives.”
Although many a singer has tried to make the successful jump from the studio to the big screen, Blige explains that she’s working hard on her craft is inspired by a few of Hollywood’s most notable actresses.
“I have a coach for every little thing I do. I want Queen Latifah to be proud of me. I want Taraji [P. Henson] to be proud of me. I want even Meryl Streep to give me a call and say, ‘Hey, girl. You’re doing good.’ [And] Angela Bassett, of course. I want to earn my acting kudos.” –nicholas robinson
