Becoming Beyoncé

by J. Randy Taraborrelli

  Back in December 1981, when Dreamgirls opened at the Imperial Theatre, the character of Deena Jones was tough and uncompromising. Though she had some regrets that her two singing partners in the Dreams so resented her climb to stardom, she did little to nothing to make them feel much better about it. In fact, she took full advantage of every opportunity afforded her by her boyfriend, Curtis Taylor Jr.—the Berry Gordy Jr. of the story—to become a major superstar. One casualty of her skyrocketing journey to fame was group member Effie White—the story’s Florence Ballard—who was ousted from the act when she couldn’t accept the attention being paid to Deena. In real life, Florence died at the age of thirty-two, still brokenhearted from her unhappy experience in the Supremes; a grieving Diana attended her funeral. However, Dreamgirls went for a glossy, happier ending; Effie was joyously reunited with Deena and the Dreams for a sentimental, all-is-forgiven farewell appearance.

  The problem no one on Beyoncé’s team apparently considered when it was decided that she should appear as Deena in Dreamgirls was that the show’s two major numbers, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and “I Am Changing,” are sung not by that character but by Effie White. Arguably, it’s not even that the Effie role provides such a star turn for the actress playing it as it’s that those two bombastic songs steal the show. It happened on Broadway when Jennifer Holliday played the part and sang them, it has happened in practically every non-Broadway production since then, and it was bound to happen in the movie.

  It’s worth noting that Whitney Houston understood the quandary of Dreamgirls when she considered starring in a film adaptation of it back in 1987. Producer David Geffen, one of the original backers of the theatrical presentation, paid a million dollars for the movie rights and then tried to mount a film version starring Houston as Deena Jones. Broadway lyricist and producer Howard Ashman (Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid) was set to adapt. It didn’t escape Whitney, though, that the show’s most famous and pivotal songs would not be performed by her. A few years earlier, she performed “I Am Changing” at a party hosted by her record label, Arista, and blew everyone away with it. She now wondered if it was possible to have the script of Dreamgirls rewritten so she could sing that song and “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” herself.

  Whitney, just twenty-four and on her second album at the time, took what might be viewed as a diva’s approach to dispensing with the problem. “Make it work,” she said at the time. “Just rewrite the show. What’s the big deal?” The big deal, of course, was that the production was too famous and well known to be dramatically retooled. Plus, Geffen would never have allowed it. He felt a responsibility to the show’s original choreographer and director, Michael Bennett, who’d just passed away, to maintain its integrity. Therefore, Whitney made the right decision: She walked away from the movie. When she later included her own breathtaking rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” in her act, it always generated a standing ovation.

  Now, almost twenty years later, it was back to the drawing board for Dreamgirls, this time with Beyoncé as Deena Jones.

  The director of the film, Bill Condon—who wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of the Broadway hit Chicago—says that when the idea was proposed to him to consider Beyoncé, he wasn’t sure if she was right for the part. “I looked at everything she’d done on film—I got all the videos—and I still didn’t have the answer to the question as to whether she could do it or not,” he said. “The studio didn’t want an imitation of the Deena Jones character by Beyoncé, but rather her own interpretation of it. But did she have the acting chops? I didn’t know.” Alicia Keys was also being discussed to play the role, but the problem with her was the same: Could she act?

  To prepare for her audition, Beyoncé studied as many tapes of not just Motown artists but other 1960s stars as she could find. “I looked at every Cher video, Barbra Streisand, and, of course, Diana Ross and the Supremes,” she recalled. In the end, her screen test was a success. According to producer Larry Mark, “It was thrilling to watch because she had absolutely done her homework. We never, ever auditioned or screen tested anyone else.”

  To fill the role of Effie White, the singer/actress Fantasia Barrino—who’d won the third season of American Idol—was at first considered. Ironically enough, it was ultimately decided to cast Jennifer Hudson, who’d only made it into the final top seven the same year that Fantasia won the popular talent contest. Though she hadn’t won Idol, Jennifer was a fan favorite. A powerful singer, there was little doubt she could do the plum role justice.

  As originally written, Deena would have been a juicy role for any actress as well. She was as manipulative and ambitious as she was beautiful and talented, yet also vastly insecure in her desire to please not only her mentor boyfriend but also her audience. However, since Beyoncé has never wanted to be associated with manipulation or ambition, the role would have to be substantially toned down for her. Another problem with Dreamgirls was that while it was a thinly veiled story about the Supremes, it could also be said to have been about Destiny’s Child—with Deena Jones being Beyoncé and Curtis Taylor Jr. not her boyfriend but her father. In truth, it was probably all just a little too close for comfort. Beyoncé probably should have abandoned the idea, like Whitney—especially considering the conundrum presented by those two star-turn songs. Instead, she took on the challenge and then, to at least partly solve the song problem, agreed with the producers to include a number for her to sing, one she wrote with Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, and Anne Preven, called “Listen.”

  Any potential problems with Dreamgirls were all but overlooked as everyone involved became swept away by the sheer excitement of it all. It was a terrific show onstage, and the opportunity to bring it to film was a thrilling proposition. One of the most intriguing aspects of prepping the film would be the close attention paid to accuracy when it came to the costumes. From period-style wigs to sequined frocks, costume designer Sharen Davis—with assistance from fashion designers Naeem Khan and Tina Knowles—faithfully re-created the dazzling image of the Supremes. “That’s been the highlight of my career, thus far, dressing Beyoncé,” said Sharen Davis.

  Davis recalled meeting with Beyoncé and Tina very early in the production and reviewing all of the designs, obtaining their input, and coming to an understanding of their likes and dislikes. “I had racks of clothes for them to see,” she remembered. “They were very interested in learning the process. Obviously, they have a lot of experience in fashion, but they didn’t try to assert themselves. They were open to new ideas, and asked about my inspirations. While I did look to the Supremes, I didn’t take as much from them as one might think. The Supremes were actually quite conservative in their wardrobe. I wanted a more provocative look. So I looked at 1970s-era Cher as my biggest inspiration. Her clothes were sexy yet classy, which is what I wanted for Beyoncé.

  “She could wear pretty much anything,” Davis continued. “Even a costume that wasn’t very good, she had a way of making look terrific. There were a few designs the studio wasn’t crazy about, but when Beyoncé put them on, they loved them, especially when she really becomes ‘Diana Ross’ in the last third of the movie. It has to do with her bearing, the way she handles herself, her walk . . . her persona is so elegant.” Beyoncé would later tell David Letterman that she kept Diana Ross’s films Lady Sings the Blues and Mahogany playing constantly in her dressing room for inspiration.

  Rehearsals for Dreamgirls began in early November 2005 and ended just before Christmas. Principal photography began in Los Angeles in January 2006, with second unit footage shot in New York City and Miami. The movie wrapped production by the beginning of April 2006. It would premiere in early December at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan and then be released nationally on Christmas Day 2006, to generally favorable reviews.

  The cast had gotten along well during filming. It wasn’t until the press junket that there was tension between Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, and the third girl in
the Dreams, Anika Noni Rose (who played Lorrell Robinson). The girls couldn’t help but be jealous of the wardrobe Beyoncé was wearing at these junkets. “You had a pop star, Beyoncé; a Tony Award winner, Anika [for the Broadway production of Caroline, or Change]; and a virtual newcomer, Jennifer, who was already making a lot of noise,” recalled a source. “But throughout the whole press junket, Anika and Jennifer both wanted to be Beyoncé. Well, who doesn’t?” The two apparently thought Beyoncé was given all the best wardrobe and, according to multiple sources, kept going to Sharen Davis and complaining about it.

  When asked to confirm the anecdote, Davis said, “Yes, well, it’s very true that Jennifer and Anika would see Beyoncé in an outfit and say, ‘Damn! We want to look like her!’ And I would have to say, ‘You could never look like her!’ She’s Beyoncé! Just be you.’ They were gorgeous, both of them! But, you know, when you have Beyoncé in the room she does tend to make a big impression.”

  The problem for Beyoncé was that she didn’t make a bigger impression in the movie. Maybe it should have been expected. Considering Jennifer Hudson’s talent as displayed on American Idol, it was a foregone conclusion that she would make a strong showing with Effie’s “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and “I Am Changing.” What would have been impossible to calculate, though, was that Hudson would be so spellbinding in the rest of the movie. Who could have known? After all, she had virtually no acting experience, other than a few roles in community theater as a youngster. Still, she walked away with every scene in which she was featured. Suddenly with the release of this movie, Beyoncé, the accomplished pro, found herself in the shadow of a complete newcomer.

  Most film critics praised the performances of Hudson, Jamie Foxx (also nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category), and Eddie Murphy without sending many accolades Beyoncé’s way. The New York Times called her performance “static and detached. In her limited work in movies she has never seemed comfortable with acting, shying away from any emotional display that might compromise her steely, hieratic dignity,” noted the critic A. O. Scott. “But when she sings, she is capable of warmth, vulnerability, even ferocity, all of which she demonstrates in ‘Listen.’ ” It was certainly true that Beyoncé’s performance of “Listen”—as Deena asserts herself and breaks free of the dominance of Curtis Taylor Jr.—is the best, most passionate moment she has in the film, but it doesn’t come until an hour and forty-five minutes into it!

  A little more daring would have gone a long way for Beyoncé with Dreamgirls because, as recalibrated, her characterization of Deena Jones turned out a little flat. While her singing moments are undeniably entertaining and she definitely lights up the stage when fronting the Dreams, she—and presumably the producers—pretty much sapped the part of any opportunities it might have had to showcase her depth as an actress. Beyoncé was gratified to win a Golden Globe, but Jennifer won one too. When Jennifer was nominated for and then won an Oscar, few people were surprised.

  For Beyoncé, Dreamgirls may have proved to be a humbling experience. “This was tough goin’ for her,” said someone who knew her well at the time. “On one hand, she’s this humble person, and no one disputes that about her. On the other, she has an ego like every other superstar in her position. So to have a blockbuster movie like this one ripped out from under her by a novice like Jennifer Hudson wasn’t easy.”

  Beyoncé is a woman who calculates everything in her career with the greatest of precision. Thus it could be said that Dreamgirls provided a “teachable moment,” the lesson being that sometimes the best-laid plans really do go awry. Of course, this conclusion was nothing new for her, not after so many years in a fickle business. However, it had been quite some time since she’d been reminded of it. To say she was very disturbed about Dreamgirls would probably be overstating things. Perhaps one of the saving graces about her career is that she’s so relentlessly busy, she usually has little time to dwell on anything upsetting. It would be more accurate to say that she was thrown by it, surprised by it, dismayed by it . . . and anxious to forget about it.

  The media wasn’t about to let her do so, though. For months, she read press reports of Jennifer’s surprising dominance in the film; she got to the point where she just stopped reading about Dreamgirls altogether. When reporters asked her about Jennifer during press interviews, Beyoncé would usually respond by paying her frozen-smiled compliments. However, this strategy made her seem a little disingenuous and fake, which was already an image problem for her. But what was the alternative? To one writer, she probably handled it best when, after being asked one too many times about Dreamgirls, she just rolled her eyes and said, “Next question, please.”

  From all accounts, as her manager, Mathew’s position was that Dreamgirls didn’t matter; his daughter was already a major star, had been for years, and everyone knew it. So what if she was being overlooked in a movie? He was ready to dismiss the whole experience, which wasn’t surprising. After all, nothing ever really discouraged Mathew Knowles.

  As for the music from the film, the soundtrack album, Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture, quickly hit number one on the charts. “Listen” was the first single release. Though Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine dubbed it “the performance of [Beyoncé’s] career,” true to form when it came to her songs culled from her movies, it didn’t do very well on the charts, peaking at just number sixty-one on the Billboard Hot 100. It fared better overseas.

  “Listen” was also nominated for a Golden Globe as well as an Academy Award. However, making the Dreamgirls experience all the more dismaying, Beyoncé wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for her part in writing it because—as per Academy rules—only three cowriters can be acknowledged. “Listen” had four, and it was decided by the committee that Beyoncé’s contribution was the smallest.

  Years later, in November 2008, Beyoncé would face an Internet backlash when it was reported on the MySpace page of a person identified as a friend of Jennifer Hudson’s, known only as “Superstar James,” that she did not reach out to Jennifer when Jennifer’s mother, brother, and nephew were brutally murdered. Furthermore, because another media outlet reported that Beyoncé had been at the funeral service for all three, it was alleged by “Superstar James” that she was trying to stake claim to having attended the service to ingratiate herself with the public when in fact she hadn’t. “Beyoncé did not come to the funeral nor did she call, text, send a card or, hell . . . send a damn email,” wrote the source in his posting entitled “How Evil Can Someone Be?”

  Though much of the public would like to think that when actresses make movies together they become close friends, that’s usually not the case. While Beyoncé and Jennifer are friendly, they are not close. In fact, Beyoncé never claimed to have been at the funeral. The report that she’d been present was erroneous. Actually, she was attending the “Promote the Vote” block party in Philadelphia that day, and was widely photographed there. Of course, she could have canceled that appearance to attend the Hudson funeral, since she wasn’t one of the official speakers—Jay spoke, as did P. Diddy and Mary J. Blige. For her own reasons, though, she decided not to do so.

  It says a lot about the power of the Internet—and how it can shape public opinion—that still, to this day, some of the public holds it against Beyoncé that she never contacted Jennifer in her time of great grief, based entirely on that social media report. Certainly the perception that Beyoncé takes issue with Jennifer because of the way Dreamgirls turned out for her helps fuel rumors of bad blood between them. In fact, any communication between Beyoncé and Jennifer is unknown since neither woman has ever spoken about it. She definitely didn’t attend the funeral, though. In terms of public relations, it probably would have been a very good idea for Beyoncé to make the effort—especially since she is well aware that the public believes that there’s no love lost between her and Hudson. But how, then, would it have appeared to Jennifer’s family members and true friends if Beyoncé made an appearance in ord
er just to be photographed and thereby burnish her public image?

  Beyoncé has actually been in Jennifer Hudson’s company numerous times since 2008. For instance, Hudson attended Tina Knowles’s sixtieth birthday party in January 2014 and seemed happy speaking to Beyoncé there. If there’s bad blood between them, it’s not apparent by the way they act in each other’s presence.

  When she looks back on Dreamgirls, Beyoncé still views it as a positive experience. “I loved it,” she has said. “What a great opportunity it was!” Some would say, though, that this one really didn’t work out well for her at all.

  Beauty Is Pain

  Momma, hand me that masking tape,” Beyoncé said, pointing to a roll of gray gaffer’s tape on a table. Wearing a formfitting black catsuit, she was standing in front of a tall mirror while critically examining her reflection. “I don’t like the way this looks,” she said, examining her outfit. “The lines aren’t sleek enough,” she added. Beyoncé peeled the top of the outfit down past her waist.

  “What in the world are you going to do?” Tina asked as she handed her daughter the roll of tape.

  “I’m gonna fix it,” Beyoncé said. She took the strong cloth tape—pressure-sensitive and most certainly never intended to be used on one’s skin—and started wrapping it around her bare waist. “I’m gonna corset my waist with this tape,” she concluded.

  “Oh my God, Beyoncé,” Tina exclaimed. “You can’t do that! Do you know how that’s gonna hurt when you take it off?”