There's been no shortage of controversy around the Aaliyah movie, "Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B." Which is a little surprising, considering it's only a Lifetime Original Movie, but let's ignore that.
People were up in arms as already- first, Zendaya was cast as the famous R&B and hip-hop singer, which had people up in arms, including Aaliyah's family, who objected vocally to the casting. Then, Zendaya quit the film, but a little while later Missy Elliot and Timbaland were cast in the film, and fans were outraged all over again.
CocoaFab reports that fans of the upcoming film fired back against the film, because the actors playing Elliot and Timbaland didnt resemble their real-life counterparts in the slightest.
And now, we've got a new cast member for "Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B," and hopefully we can stave off the controversy over this one. CocoaFab reports that Elise Neal will portray Gladys Knight in the upcoming TV movie. Knight, who was not only married to Aaliyah's uncle at one point, also performed with her when Aaliyah was only ten years old.
Sister 2 Sister Magazine also has a quote from Neal, on how she's approaching portraying such a famous singer.
"I'm checking out performances to see how she moves on stage, definitely trying to embody knowing who she is. I did those normal steps," said Neal.
"I approached it like I approached any other role that I'm going to do," she said. "There's no fear in approaching a character for an actor, whether they're loved, hated. You're supposed to do your due diligence and create the truest character in their interpretation."
"Anybody asked me to do anything that I can show that other side of myself, I'm down," she said. "I tried my best to really own it...I tried to sound like her. I tried to like really embody her."
Check back soon for the latest news on "Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B" and the constant, unending drama spiral that surrounds it.
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