Tag Archives: Celebrity News

Interesting… Queen Latifah Talks Playing Cleo In “Set It Off” An in-depth interview with Queen Latifah is getting national attention. In the latest issue of InStyle , Queen chats with none other than Tracee Ellis Ross who was tapped by the publication to work as a guest editor for a piece on Queen’s confidence and reinvention. Queen, who got to don an $80,000 Fred Leighton diamond crown for the shoot, spoke on a number of topics including who she considers pop culture royalty… “I’ve been a fan of Solange Knowles from the beginning. The biggest artist in the world is her older sister, yet she never relied on that.” and her keys to a magical life. I used to get caught up in comparing myself, especially in terms of body type, but I realized that often the people I envied were missing important things that I had in abundance…It’s great to have plans and a vision for your life, but it’s more important to be open to the unexpected. Things got especially interesting however when Tracee asked her about her toughest career decision. According to Queen, it was the decision to play Cleo in “Set It Off” because of the stigmas attached to gay characters in the African-American community. “When I got the role of amateur bank robber Cleo Sims in Set It Off, I sat down with my younger siblings and told them, ‘Listen, I’m playing a gay character. Your classmates might tease you or say negative things about it. But I’m doing it because I believe I can bring positive attention to the gay African-American community, and I believe that I can do a great job as an actor.’” So it was hard for her to play Cleo because of her family, not because of the role itself. Makes sense. Kudos to her for her honesty. What do YOU think about Cleo being the toughest career decision for Queen Latifah??? WENN

Originally posted here:
Set It Off: Queen Latifah Says Her ‘Toughest Role’ Was Playing A Gay Character