Mo’Nique And Mariah Get Ugly For “Precious”
12:01 PM,
Thursday 11/5/09
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Fans used to seeing comedian and talk show host Mo’Nique as a glamorous, full-figured woman and singer Mariah Carey as a style icon are in for a shock. The duo underwent drastic make-unders for their roles in a frank and surprising new film.
The critically acclaimed “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” is the latest project from filmmaker Lee Daniels, who struck gold previously with “Monster’s Ball” starring Halle Berry, and executive producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
The movie tells the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones, a morbidly obese, illiterate teenager living in Harlem who suffers abuse at the hands of both her mother (Mo’Nique) and her father, who rapes and impregnates her repeatedly.
While many comics might think twice about taking on a character as unattractive on the inside as she is on the outside, Mo’Nique said she jumped at the opportunity.
“I got a phone call from Mr. Daniels, and he said, ‘I’ve got something that might mess up your career.’ I said, ‘Sign me up,’” explained the comedian, who is being seriously discussed as a contender for an Oscar.
The comedian earns Oscar buzz for her serious turn as Mary, vicious mother of the title character.
(AP Photo)
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She elaborated further on her role as Precious’ mother Mary for reporters at the Sundance film festival, saying, “He said, ‘I need you to be a monster,’ and that was it: ‘Be a monster. I need people to hate the character.’
“I remember when we first got the script and my husband looked at that. He said, ‘This is what people get Oscars for.’ We laughed. Now here we are.”
Although some in the press have criticized Mo’Nique for insisting on being paid to promote the film at various festivals, the comedian defended herself, telling the New York Daily News, “Well what does an Oscar mean? An Oscar means more work when you win it, and that means more money! I couldn’t eat that Oscar. Everybody needs money, baby. That’s how we survive, right?”
In what will surely come as a huge surprise to anyone who’s had the misfortune of sitting through all 104 minutes of Carey’s 2001 cinematic sinkhole “Glitter,” there’s also serious Oscar talk for the singer’s small but pivotal role as a dowdy social worker.
No "Glitter" here.
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Carey told reporters at the Toronto film festival she considers the performance a milestone in her acting career, even though the director insisted on subduing her inner-diva.
“I brought in all my wigs for the character and he was like, ‘No, it’s not happening.’ Somebody who does makeup for me said this is a Mariah Carey nightmare. ‘You have everything you hate going on right now,’ the singer explained, describing her makeup-free, frowsy coiffed, hairy-lipped social worker character.
“But it was cool because a lot of people say they don’t recognize me in the film. They don’t know it’s me and, to me, that was a great gift that [the director] gave me to be able to really go that far away from who I am.”
Although the undeniable star of “Precious” is newcomer Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe as the title character, audiences will recognize a couple of other faces in the movie.
Comedian and “The View” co-host Sherri Shepherd plays a small part in the film, as does rocker Lenny Kravitz, who will be starring in Daniels’ next project, a musical.
--Jim Otey