Why Queen Latifah Originally Turned Down Bessie Smith Role

. (The Blues) Actress and former rapper Queen Latifah, who plays music legend Bessie Smith in biopic Bessie, says that the role had to wait 22 years until she was ready to fill it.

She was originally offered the part at the age of 22, but declined because she'd never heard of Smith at the time. Latifah says: "I had to become familiar with who she was. I was just blown away - I could hear her voice in so many people who came after her. If there was a Bessie Smith alive today, she'd blow everyone else out the water. I could never match her true ability."

Director Dee Rees reports the film will deal with Smith's controversial character face-on, saying: "Bessie never walks around things - she just walks right through them." Read more here.

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