The last time pop star Mariah Carey had a key role on the big screen was in the notoriously awful “Glitter” in 2001. But her performance in the upcoming drama, “Precious” has drawn a much different reaction from the critics: praise. Director Lee Daniels removed every bit of “glitter” from her physical appearance for the film and transformed her into a dowdy, unglamorous, non-make-up-wearing welfare caseworker - the very antithesis of a diva.
Why would she agree to all this? I put that very question to her at the film’s red carpet premiere Sunday night at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles.
“I just loved the book 'Push' that 'Precious' is based on and read it a few years back,” she says, “And I was just like, if this gets made into a movie - and I know Lee Daniels can do it right - if I can just be a part of it, they can put bags under my eyes and as many mustaches on me as they want, and hideous hairdos, and it is what it is, but it comes from inside and they stripped all the layers and [helped me] become the character.”
One of my colleagues in the press asks, "Was this performance a career milestone?"
“I had one film [Glitter] that had me under the stone! (laughs) I didn't realize that you really have to be selective with the people that you work with and you have to have that support system and you have to work with people who you think are geniuses and Lee Daniels is a genius in my book.”
“Precious” opens in limited release this Friday, November 6th.
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