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MTV Interview: "Aaliyah: Action Heroine" |
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MTV Radio Network: How did you get involved in the movie "Romeo Must Die?"
AALIYAH: This is something I've wanted to do for a very long time. I've always been an entertainer -- singing and dancing and acting. I wanted to wait, though, for the right project and the right everything. So I went to Warner Bros. to meet on another movie project, and I told them what I wanted in a movie and what I wanted in a character, and [I heard] about "Romeo" and I went for it. I did a screen test with [producer] Joel Silver, and I got it.
MTV: Were you ever nervous about how fans of your music would take to this, seeing this different side of you?
AALIYAH: Oh, definitely. Before we went to shoot the movie, I was extremely nervous. I'm like, "This is new. This is important to my career." I mean, this is the transition from music to acting, and it's the real deal. I've got to give my all. So I was very nervous about it, but I think [people will] enjoy it, and hopefully they'll get lost in [my character] Trish and forget about Aaliyah when they're watching the movie.
MTV: Most people, when making the transition, start out with a small role, and you come out co-starring in an action movie.
AALIYAH: It's just totally a blessing, because I didn't plan on it being this way. I would have definitely taken smaller roles to get to this point, but "Romeo" just came along, and it happened to be the right thing.
MTV: What was so attractive to you about the role of Trish?
AALIYAH: What I like about Trish is that she's tough. She's independent. She doesn't take anything off anybody. But at the same time, she loves her family. She's got a sweet side. So I felt I could play her, and people could get into her. It would be realistic to people, being that people know me as Aaliyah, the artist -- there is this image that I have. I wanted to make the right transition and have people understand where I was going, and I felt Trish embodied all of that.
MTV: How much of Trish is in you, and how much of you is in Trish?
AALIYAH: A lot. I basically am Trish. I'm very independent, and I do take control of a situation if I feel the need to, and she's just like that.
MTV: Were the emotional scenes difficult for you to perform?
AALIYAH: The crying scene was the most difficult scene. My coach was with me on set, so we worked on that one, and when I see it now, I feel good, because those are real tears. It's the real thing. But it was a little intimidating at first, because when I read it in the script, I was like, "Oh my gosh, I have to cry, I have to be funny, I have to be this, that." But it was also fun, and it was great to show my versatility.
MTV: How did you prepare yourself to cry on camera?
AALIYAH: It was a very depressing day. The whole day, I had to really touch a lot of pain, things that happened to me in my life. My grandmother passed away two years ago, so I thought about her. It was a draining and depressing day, but it brought those tears out.
MTV: In one of the scenes, Jet Li uses you as weapon. Talk about that scene. Did you have to train for it?
AALIYAH: Well, I wanted Trish to be involved in the action, so when I talked to the director, I asked him, "Well, is she just going tag along? What is she going to do?" And he said, "No, she'll definitely be a part of all the fun." Jet came up with the whole idea of doing this fight-slash-dance scene, and it took a month to rehearse. I had to get used to the harness, to be on the wire. We shot that in a weekend. It took three days. I know it was a quick scene, but it took three whole days to get that scene tight.
MTV: Where you shocked when you saw it afterwards? Did you say to yourself, "I can't believe I did this?"
AALIYAH: Oh, yeah. I was so happy. I saw the rough -- I haven't seen the final [cut] of the movie yet -- but I saw the rough, and I was like, this is just great! It's definitely hot, and it's so smooth and graceful. It was great to see. |
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