Frank Masi(NEW YORK) — Mo’Nique stars as Ma Rainey in the HBO biopic Bessie in which Queen Latifah portrays blues legend Bessie Smith.
Mo’Nique says this biopic needed to come to the small screen.
“Bessie Smith is one of those stories, it needed to be told,” she tells ABC Radio. “Because there’s so much about our history — when it comes to African-Americans — that we’re unaware of and it’s not in our history books. And they never taught me anything about Bessie Smith in my music class.”
Queen Latifah auditioned for the role 20 years ago. Reportedly, the film was originally backed by a major movie studio with a $30 million budget. But Hollywood being what it is, the project lost momentum. After going through five screenwriters, Latifah’s longtime creative partner, Shakim Compere, came on as executive producer to finally get the movie made.
“Queen Latifah is Bessie Smith. Just like we felt like Jamie Foxx was Ray Charles, Queen Latifah is Bessie Smith and she brings that woman back to life,” Mo’Nique says.
Mo’Nique portrays Queen Latifah’s onscreen adviser, Ma Rainey, the singer known as The Mother of the Blues. The Academy Award winner says she couldn’t pass up the role.
“To play Ma Rainey, [whose birth name was] Gertrude, it was an honor because I never knew anything about Ma Rainey until I got that script,” she explains. “And to find out that this woman, she believed what she believed in, she stood up for it, she loved to entertain, but had this heart that was just so full and loving. And she was Bessie Smith’s mentor. And to see the relationship between these two women that even when it got crazy and rough they still loved each other through it.”
Not only was Ma Rainey a mentor, Mo’Nique says she also inspired the singer to stay true to her sexuality, a plot point that will be explored in the film.
“Ma Rainey was the one that let Bessie Smith know it was okay to be free, it’s okay to who you are because Ma Rainey was an openly gay woman,” Mo explains. “Initially, [Ma Rainey] was bi-sexual then she just said listen I’m not gonna play that game anymore I’m gonna go all the way over here where I’m supposed to be.”
Bessie, also starring Charles S. Dutton, premieres Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern on HBO.
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