Aaliyah Movie Cast List 2014: Alexandra Shipp Discussed 'Backlash' Before Controversial Film Aired 'I Was Hired To Do A Job' [VIDEO]
Alexandra Shipp has been getting lots of backlash for playing late singer Aaliyah in Lifetime's Princess Of R&B biopic, but in an interview just days before the movie premiered, Shipp revealed that she was expecting lots of criticism.
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She told Complex magazine November 12, "The movie is definitely getting its backlash."
"I just have to keep reminding myself that I was an actor hired to do a job to represent a woman that I love and respect to the utmost.
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We didn't have her family involved so for me what I wanted to make sure was anyone who had ever met Aaliyah would be able to say, 'Oh, she used to smile that. Oh that's how she walked. Oh that's how she embraced people,'" Shipp added.
She mentioned that all of the crew and cast who were involved in the film were all huge fans who "loved" Aaliyah. But they usually had to guess her mannerisms and the way she carried herself.
"We were like 'Do you think she would do it this way? Do you think that when you're wearing a belt she would wear the belt this way? How low would she sag her pants?'"
She went on to say that the cast also had "chills" several times while filming.
"We'd be like man. There's something to be said when making a movie about someone's amazing life like this. You can feel it in the air."
Take a look at what else Shipp had to say about taking on the controversial role.
