As Beyoncé Knowles floats into the Odeon Leicester Square, Empire begins to wonder if we’re ready for this jelly. She swoops down the glitter-ball-lined carpet, leaving the throng of adoring fans screaming her name and a horde of paparazzi desperately trying to snap one last shot of world’s favourite soul sister. In town to promote her latest foray onto the big screen in the 60s-set, girl-group drama Dreamgirls, the Destiny’s Child star seems to have adapted to the world of movies with grace.
As one third of a hugely successful pop trio both on and off screen, Knowles is strutting across a familiar stage. “I can’t believe the turnout!” gushes the star. “To see all these people here to support this film means so much to all of us.”
Starting life as a Broadway musical in 1981, Dreamgirls tells the story of The Dreamettes, an all girl group striving for success in the newly vibrant pop market of the 1960s. Loosely based on the story of The Supremes and their surrounding Motown family, the movie charts the ups and downs that inevitably pepper the road to success – something Beyonce has experienced first-hand. “It’s very difficult as a musician to cross into the movie industry, so for me to now be part of something that has got so much critical acclaim…I’m just so grateful for the opportunity. There’s something very special about this movie.”
There may be smiles all round tonight, but it is the eve of this year’s nominations and the Dreamgirls’ cast and crew will only have one thing on their mind – the Oscars. Having secured five Golden Globe nods a few weeks ago, the movie is hotly tipped to begin an awards season-winning run. Dreamgirls left last week’s ceremony with three gongs – Best Supporting Actor for Eddie Murphy, Best Supporting Actress for the critically lauded, American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson and one for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).
“We were just so proud of them”, enthuses Knowles, “especially for Jennifer as it’s her first movie and Eddie Murphy – he’s just so classic in this film. It’s great to see him still on top after all these years”. Its prospects for Oscar glory are looking very good, but the Dreamgirls team are keeping their thoughts to themselves: “You cannot expect these things”, explained director/writer Bill Condon. “If anything happens we’ll be really thrilled.” Fresh from her recent win, Hudson was also keeping schtum: “I don’t like to anticipate these things and people keep reminding me [about the Oscars]. I’m just going to wait and see”.
Danny Glover plays manager Marty in the film, and in a very authoritarian tone he emphasised the amount of effort that went into its production: “Look here, these women put in a lot of hard work to make this a very exciting movie and I hope the film does really well”, he said. “It’s important for a film with a major black cast to do well, not only domestically, but internationally. So if it does good in [he lists what seems like every country on the planet], it will have a major impact on the sort of movies you’ll get to see in the future.”
So we’ll just have to wait and see what the Academy has in store for this troop of doo-wopping pop princesses, but for now the movie’s leading lady and general purveyor of booty is happy to be out of the cold and in the lukewarm confines of the cinema: “It was so amazing working with such a great cast, and as an ensemble we’ve been able to share all the pressure. I just learned so much and I’m so happy that I can tell this story to my generation”.