I guess it's official - Knowles in Dreamgirls- Page 2

[eslgr8]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 11:02am

If, as I assume, Beyonce plays Deena, it's perfect casting. Deena is someone who's chosen to lead the group, not because she's the best singer, but because she's the one with star quality, which Beyonce most definitely has, plus she's already a star in her own right. People have been complaining that Sheryl Lee Ralph, who's going to play the role of Margo in Reprise's upcoming Applause, isn't enough of a star herself, to portray one in the play. Cast someone who's proven herself to be a current pop superstar, and the role of Deena will be that much more believable, unlike those TV showbiz bios that have some unknown who's going to remain unknown after the TV movie playing someone really famous, and you wonder, "Why did he/she (the real life figure) become a star?"

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 11:21am

beyonce would make a very good choice for deena, hell, she is deena really, look at her own group. she's beautiful, she can sing, she knows how to take over a group, and get a big manager as her man. i think she's the perfect name to put in this movie.

[pab]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 11:39am

I guess that I could see her as Deena. I can't see her as Effie however. Bill Condon is not a fool. He has made some good choices in the past and I've respected a lot of what he has done so far. I guess that we will have to wait and see IF she gets the role.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 11:40am

i might even go as far as to say i HOPE she gets the role of deena jones. i think she'd be great at it. effie, no. deena, yes.

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 1:00pm

Well, I'm happy that the tune of this thread has taken a drastic turn from what it was on the previous page. It's so refreshing when people start sounding reasonable.

[Shirley Hemphill]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:10pm

Beyonce as Deena totally makes sense. She's beautiful, she can sing, she can act, and most importantly she can sell tickets, sell soundtracks, and bring the movie TONS of publicity. She will get MTV, VH1 & BET to pay attention to this film. She will sell tons of soundtrack cd's. She is also sweet & charming & a delight to work with -- so I don't see what the problem is.

i cannot wait.

Any word on who's gonna play Effie?

[Joshua488]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:15pm

Kavana: Beyoncé needs a job? I'm guessing that's because she's so dirt-poor and hasn't been touring, releasing albums and filming other movies nonstop for the past few years.

[PJ]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 8:27pm

I think she'd be a pretty damn good Deena. As someone else stated, Condon is no fool and would not cast her as Effie. If so, this movie can go to hell. But I think she's a fine choice for Deena. And you know she'll end up doing it. She'd be stupid not to.

[Marquise]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 8:33pm

Just to set the record straight, the original internet article that stated Beyoncé was being considered for the role of "Effie White" was posted by someone who had no prior knowledge of the show. The person obviously got his characters mixed up. It was just a rumour.
Beyoncé was never considered for the role of "Effie"'.

I hope this puts an end to the 'Beyoncé as "Effie" posts.
Updated On: 4/11/05 at 08:33 PM

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 9:40pm

she will do fine as deena...there are so many worse people they could of casted in this part than beyonce.

[TonyaFanatic]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 11:08pm

yea NOW she would be a good Deena. some of you guys kill me.

[Albin]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 6:33am

but ya just know, that if she does play Deena, the storyline will be re-written so she gets to sing "And I'm Telling You."

[tpdc]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 10:43am

Condon has shown himself to be a very good director of actors and Beyonce was OK in AUSTIN POWERS. Deena is a rather passive role that calls for a glamorous presence and a good singing voice. She should be up to that and perhaps Condon will get even more from her. With her in the lead, it could give him the freedom to cast talented unknowns in the meatier and more important roles.

[musicnmath]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 10:48am

if we must have stars cast, can we have Frenchie as Effie? I saw her in the role in Seattle a year or 2 ago and she was fantastic.... I shall be curious if they let Beyonce do her Beyonce thing or confine her slightly more to the notes on the page...

[Thetruth]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 12:27pm

Albin, Whitney tried that and the movie didn't get made. It's already been stated that the people who control Dreamgirls are very protective over it. They are not going to let Beyonce or anyone else dictate who signs "And I'm Telling You"


Musicnmath, Beyonce will most definitly be singing diffrently from her usual style. The music is from the 60's and 70's. It's a totally diffrent style, so why wouldn't she change her style up? Also, this is a pop musical, which is much more open to vocal interp than other shows. That's what I love about it. Granted, Deena doesn't have as much leeway as the others, there is a drastic diffrence between say Sheryl Lee Ralph's take on Deena and Audra Mcdonald's.

Question, I'm trying to remember this girl's name who played Deena on tour. She was brown-skinned with big teeth and she really resembled Diana Ross. She had a grating, nasal kinda voice like Nell Carter. Somebody help me out!!

[LostLeander]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 12:47pm

That's why I'm reticent about Beyonce playing this role. Yes, Deena is passive, but that doesn't mean that she can played by someone who can't act all that well.
Though Gold Member or Carmen: A Hip Hopera were no Citizen Kanes, if those films are any indication of her acting abilities, then I'm not all too excited.
Those movies SCREAMED "Hey look, I'm Beyonce, and I'm in a MOVIE!"

I do love Beyonce, but as a singer of her songs.
Also, she'll have to get her "ghetto speak" under control for Deena, as she is bit more of a refined character, as opposed to Effie, or even Lorrell.

Maybe she can do, we shall see.
And this is all IF she gets cast.

[Albin]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 2:05pm

"They are not going to let Beyonce or anyone else dictate who signs "And I'm Telling You""

I'll believe that when I don't hear her butcher it!

[Thetruth]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 3:37pm

Albin, they will be more worried about catering to Jamie Foxx than her.

Lostleander, what "ghettospeak" are you talking about? Yes, she has a southern accent, but I would never think to classify her with sounding ghetto. Please explain this.

[broadway86]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 3:42pm

I'm one of the few people on this board that thinks she has a great voice.

[LostLeander]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 5:29pm

I think she has a GREAT voice, but not for this score. People said Audra has too good a voice, and I think the same applies to Beyonce. And unless she alters the way she usually sings, there wouldn't be much difference between her and Effie (with the riffs and big belt, etc.)

TheTruth, I will rename it Southern Ghetto, haha. I mean that they way she talks is not Diana Ross-ish, proper, I went to refining school, speak.
It's the newly dubbed "Southern Ghetto" which is fine, but she'll have to change it.
Deena has more nuance than people think.
She is the nice diva, with freedom issues, who also has a BIT of bitch in her (see scene before It's All Over). I don't know if she can pull of the acting.

What I'm saying is that she'll have to change quite a bit about herself, vocally, and acting-wise to make this work.

If she can do it, than good for her.

[Thetruth]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 7:53pm

I still don't see the ghetto part of it, Leander, but I guess we'll have to disagree about that one. To me, the ladies of Destiny's Child come off as modern day southern belles or atleast that's what they want to be portrayed as. Singers nowadays are not groomed to be polished like Diana&The Supremes and other groups because the industry is diffrent consumers are looking for artists who are more "real." So, I don't think it's really fair to make that comparison because times have changed so much.

Vocally, she has a very strong vibrato, which I don't see going anywhere in songs like "When I First Saw You." She has a pretty good falsetto, which I imagine they will take full advantage of. Plus, Beyonce has the advantage of actually being in a singing group (A trio at that!), which I'm imagining that the other actresses picked to play the Lorell and Effie wont be from groups. So, the choreography and blending her voice with the others in the group numbers will come easier for her.

I do agree without about Deena being a very nuanced part. I think a lot of people dismiss the role, but it's actually very hard to portray. She turns into a Diva, but she can't be hated.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 7:59pm

...I have five words for you: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

A musical without a name of some kind could go the way of CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC or XANADU (both of which I love, by the way.)

[Caleb]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 9:25pm

There was a tidbit online from Studio Briefing entertainment news about Liz Smith being upset over something she wrote about the Dreamgirls movie that ended up being inaccurate. Anyway, this is the line that caught my attention:

To her surprise, however, Variety reported on Monday that Beyoncé Knowles had been tested to star in the thinly disguised role of Diana Ross in the movie version and that it will be directed by Bill Condon.

If this is true, it would suggest that she is indeed being considered for Deena, not Effie, since Deena is the role more closely related to Diana Ross.

[Unmasked05]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 9:33pm

She most likely will be playing Deena so there really isn't anything to worry about plus she would be GREAT for the part so that is actually good casting.

I suggest that they let FRENCHY DAVIS play Effie.

[Thetruth]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 9:43pm

Aside from casting, I can't wait for the promo posters. Those are gonna be hot!