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

Record ID: 634373

  • 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 AALIYAH: "When she first comes on screen it was painful and then I got completely immersed in what she did and you know, she was so fantastic in the movie that it's a pleasure to see the great work that she did but at the same time, yeah, it's very hard, especially the last scene's really strange." SCU OUNDBITE (English) RASHAD SAYING OF HIS REACTION ON SEEING THE FILM: "Initially, it was a feeling of sadness that she couldn't be here to see to see her performance and see the work that was so dear to her. But then, as it goes on, and the process goes on, I try to grasp onto the positive aspect of it and that this was her life's work, this is her art, this is the moments where she's most happy doing what she loved to do and when I do that, it allows me to cope with it and deal with it and embrace the beauty of what she left behind."
  • Embargoed: 1st March 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVACZ0MGD2LEP2SWURICGSKM2U0D
  • 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
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register