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Lee Daniels' perspective is wider and greater than mine could ever approach. He saw something in Mariah Carey (the actress) and decided she should play the mustached, homely social worker in his highly buzzed film of the season, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.
In a recent post-screening interview Carey revealed a few things that seemed given as well as a surprise or two.
As one would expect, Mariah admits she takes the label of "Diva" as a compliment, considering it a title of status as well as a state of mind: "My mother is an opera singer... So she was very much the diva...and she's fabulous. I would meet these people and they would always be just so talented and amazing... You could be the diva of cupcakes...it doesn't matter."
She also outlaid the challenges of embracing her role in Daniels' film, which involved kissing her vanity goodbye: "They put some nice red stuff under my eyes and the little mustache and it was so pretty. I had to really let go..." Letting go, it appears, has paid off, as both Daniels and the film's producer, Oprah Winfrey have commended Carey for abandoning her usual glamour and looks to uphold the integrity of the character and the film. To boot, high compliments came to her from legendary actor Sidney Poitier, who told Carey, "he almost didn't recognize [her] in the movie," referring of course to her acting.
The unexpected bit of the interview came when Carey revealed that the character she sympathized with most in Precious was the protagonist, herself: "I always felt like an outsider when I was growing up. It's very difficult when you come from an interracial family... My mom didn't really know how to do my hair. Her hair is naturally straight. We didn't have a lot of money. It was difficult. What she went through nobody should go through. I've had certain situations that I wouldn't talk about in public ever, except maybe when I write my memoirs someday."
Sounds utterly grown-up from a woman who claims she is eternally a preteen in her heart: "I am still not a grown-up," she declares. "I refuse to grow up. I'm eternally 12. And you can write that next to my age."
I'll admit, I saw Glitter, and all I have to say is I should have have never said never, 'cause come December I'll be paying money to see Mariah Carey... act.
Gallery Info: Mariah Carey arrives at the Four Seasons hotel in Milan
Photo Credit: Flynet
Website: www.flynetpictures.com
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