USA: SINGER/ ACTRESS AALIYAH'S LAST FILM "QUEEN OF THE DAMNED " IS RELEASED SIX MONTHS AFTER HER DEATH

Record ID: 634372

  • Title: USA: SINGER/ ACTRESS AALIYAH'S LAST FILM "QUEEN OF THE DAMNED " IS RELEASED SIX MONTHS AFTER HER DEATH
  • Date: 14th February 2002
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 14) (REUTERS) SCU SOUNDBITE (English) STUART TOWNSEND SAYING OF VAMPIRE MOVIES: "And I watched all of them, you know, Bela Lugosi with his hands, you know, I got into all of that and "Nosferatu" and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" all those films I watched, and "The Hunger," the contemporary films like "Interview" and "Dracula." Yeah, I love it. I love that kind of dark side, kind of boogie-man." SCU SOUNDBITE (English) AALIYAH'S BROTHER RASHAD SAYING: "She always did the unexpected. That was what we always talked about and this is a completely different role from "Romeo Must Die." She plays this vampire and she's this dark, dark person and I think it's a departure from who she really was and because of that, I think it's a testament to her ability as an actress and what she could do, which was, I think, anything. To be 22 years old and create this aura of age and being this ancient creature is just ultimate." SCU SOUNDBITE (English) DIRECTOR MICHAEL RYMER SAYING OF AALIYAH: "I put her through the ringer in auditions, you know, she had to work with "Lady MacBeth" and Oscar Wilde's "Salome" and work with movement and dialect and acting coaches and, you know, it was an incredible boot camp, and she never blinked, she never, she just, okay, fine, what do you want me to do? Can I do it better? Fine, you know? Was very, very focused and disciplined."
  • Embargoed: 1st March 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA1DDM9UPO5S73Q8U4DAPWZD4W2
  • Story Text: Six months after R & B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah died tragically in a plane crash in the Bahamas, her final film "Queen of the Damned" is finally being released in North American movie theatres. She plays the title character, the mother of all vampires, in this story adapted from the writings of author Anne Rice.
    Six months after she died tragically in a plane crash, recording artist turned actress Aaliyah takes her final bow in the new horror film "Queen of the Damned," based on the writings of best-selling author Anne Rice.
    The film is actually a composite of two of Rice's novels in the Vampire Chronicles:
    "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned." As in her first story "Interview With the Vampire," which Tom Cruise starred in back in 1994, this tale also features the centuries old vampire who yearns to be human named Lestat as its central character. With Cruise stepping aside, this time the role is played by up and coming Irish actor Stuart Townsend.
    The film begins with Lestat rising from the grave after a decades long slumber and emerging into the 1990's music scene.
    No longer content with being banished to the shadows, he re-invents himself as the closest thing to a god on Earth: a rock star.
    The intoxicating lure of his music has snaked its way around the globe, ultimately finding the ear of the slumbering ancient Queen Akasha, played by Aaliyah, in her crypt beneath the Arctic ice. Mother of all vampires, Akasha has been resting for centuries as well, waiting for the right time to rise again and seize dominion over the world. Lestat's music is the revelation she has been waiting for, and she desires that he rule beside her.
    Although Aaliyah was finished with photography on the film before her tragic accident, director Michael Rymer still needed her to re-track some lines of dialogue that were lost on the set. In her place, Rymer turned to her brother Rashad, who was able to mimic her vocal quality and sweeten the voice they had already captured on set.
    Half a year after Aaliyah's death, Rashad and everyone involved with the film now watch her performance with mixed emotions. While they're saddened by her absence, they're also thrilled to finally see all the hard work she put in on the movie come to fruition.
    -ENDS-
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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