Beyoncé 'refused to audition' for Disney's Princess And The Frog... but Alicia Keys tried out THREE times

PUBLISHED: 08:34 EST, 11 November 2013 | UPDATED: 10:34 EST, 12 November 2013

View
comments

Her fans call her Queen B and it seems that Beyoncé is indeed guilty of some diva antics.

A Hollywood casting director has revealed in her autobiography the global superstar REFUSED to audition for the role of Disney's first black princess.

According to Jen Rudin: 'Beyoncé expected an offer, but wouldn’t audition and so she didn’t get one'.

Rudin revealed she was asked to find a voice for the lead female protagonist in Disney's Princess And The Frog, and Mrs Carter was in consideration.

By contrast Grammy-award winning singer Alicia Keys happily 'auditioned three times' but failed to secure the part of Tiana.

Secrets: Casting director Jen Rudin reveals that Beyoncé refused to audition for the lead in Princess And The Frog, while Alicia Keys tried out three times

Queen B: According to Rudin, 'Beyoncé expected an offer, but wouldn't audition and so she didn't get one'

The 2009 animated fairytale, loosely based on E. D. Baker's The Frog Princess, was a landmark in Walt Disney Studio history, as it was the first time a black character was cast as the lead protagonist.

So it was unsurprising that so many famous black stars wanted to play the role of the poor young waitress Tiana who falls in love with a prince, but as to escape life as a frog before getting her happy ever after.

'Tyra Banks, Jennifer Hudson wanted it,' Rudin writes in Confessions Of A Casting Director. 'They had to sing, so we made it clear they needed sheet music. Tyra came in with a CD, but it didn’t matter because she was so pretty and nice.

Book: Jen Rudin (pictured with Mark Fincannon) shares the stories of her career in a new book Confessions Of A Casting Director

The winner: Tony-award winning actress Anika Noni Rose was the eventual pick for the role of Tiana

Tiana: Tyra Banks and Jennifer Hudson also auditioned for the role of Disney's first black princess

'It went to Anika Noni Rose, who was the most qualified.'

Anika and Beyoncé go back as they both starred in the 2006 cinematic adaption of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls.

More...

Rose played Lorrell Maya Robinson, one third of The Dreamettes along with Knowles' Deena Jones and Hudson's Effie White.

Beyoncé may have lost out on this role, but she picked up another animated part in the 3D animated flick Epic, as Queen Tara.

Rudin also writes about some the celebrity requests during her time on the casting couch.

'William Shatner always needed fresh sushi, Kiefer Sutherland needed a cigarette and In-N-Out Burger,” Jen told the New York Post's Page Six.

'Rosie O’Donnell needed chicken of some sort. Elaine Stritch, she had to have hard-boiled eggs and skimmed cappuccino.

'Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, one of them were vegan or macrobiotic. It was unique.'

Mail Online have contacted Beyoncé's representatives for comment.

Dreamgirls: Beyoncé and Anika starred in the film adaption of the classic Motown musical in 2006

Beyonce refused to audition for Princess and the Frog

MOST WATCHED NEWS VIDEOS

Comments (42)

Share what you think

View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

jkim5263, Indianapolis, 3 hours ago

No surprise there. Sounds like something B would do.

Click to rate

averybliss, Montreal, Canada, 5 hours ago

The thing to note here is that this person is commenting on what another person "expected". How could she know what someone else expected? Beyonce is known as an extremely hard worker, who has prepared and auditioned for her roles she truly wanted in the past. Also what wasn't mentioned in this article is that she recorded an album and filmed two movies while this movie was in production. It seems unlikely that she would have wanted to prepare an audition for this movie while she was so busy.

Click to rate

Ashely, City - US, 1 day ago

With that attitude, I'm glad she did not get the part. She did not deserve it.

1222

Click to rate

zai, merseyside, 1 day ago

Get RIGHT over yourself Beyonce

974

Click to rate

Joe Henry, London Ontario, Canada, 1 day ago

I don't know but Beyoncé and Alicia have always seemed like rivals to me although they appear to be friends. I personally would prefer Alicia's voice cus it's calm and she's simple too.