Robert Townsend wanted to blindly hire Beyoncé to star as Carmen Brown in the MTV film, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, and watched Queen Bey “blossom” right before his eyes.
In conversation with Lena Waithe for Legacy Talk, Townsend reflected on the singer’s audition for her acting debut in the 2001 film.
“I didn’t know Beyoncé […] I knew of her and I was like, ‘Wow, she has a striking look.’ You know, she’s a beautiful, young girl, but I could see that she had something special. ‘Cause [with] my director eyes, I go, ‘Something’s going on with her. She’s got something,’” he remembered. Townsend felt Bey was perfect for the role, but the studio demanded that she audition for it.
With this being her first audition ever, Townsend could tell that Bey was “really nervous” and used her team to strengthen her performance.
“I have an arsenal when it comes to getting performance or making somebody comfortable,” he explained before detailing he told her bodyguard and the label executive who accompanied Bey to be part of the scene as well.
Ironically, Townsend admitted, “They started to sweat and really get nervous and then she was watching them get nervous and she got stronger. I said, ‘Oh, there it is.’” Bey was so excited and asked to repeat the scene a few more times and even requested to do the “death scene.” (For those who haven’t seen Carmen: A Hip Hopera, yes, her character dies.)
CARMEN: A HIP HOPERA
Carol Kaelson / ©MTV / courtesy Everett Collection
Townsend was clearly impressed and later praised Beyoncé, her tenacity, and star power.
“Watching her blossom into the superstar that she has become, I saw it in that room because there’s certain actors/actresses’ first audition, they wouldn’t go all the way there. She went all the way there,” he said proudly.
The full conversation can be viewed here; check out the Bey snippet above.