Before Zendaya was a global A-lister with roles in Dune, the MCU and The Odyssey, she almost played Aaliyah. The Drama actress was originally cast as the late singer in 2014 before she pulled out of the Lifetime original movie.
When Zendaya was cast in the biopic, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B, she was best known for her role on Disney Channel's Shake It Up and her appearances in TV films like Frenemies and Zapped. The chance to play the R&B star looked like her ticket to being taken seriously as an actor and taking on a more grown up role.
Along with playing the singer who passed away in 2001, Zendaya was set to record four songs for the movie, but ultimately didn't believe the production was being completed to a high enough standard. Despite controversy over her being too light-skinned and not looking enough like Aaliyah, Zendaya says her exit was purely due to creative differences.
“The reason why I chose not to do the Aaliyah movie had nothing to do with the haters or people telling me that I couldn’t do it, I wasn’t talented enough, or I wasn’t black enough. It had absolutely nothing to do with that. The main reasons were that the production value wasn’t there, there were complications with the music rights, and I just felt like it wasn’t being handled delicately considering the situation," Zendaya said, per The Hollywood Reporter, in 2014.
At the BET Awards in 2014, Zendaya also admitted she had too much adoration for Aaliyah to make something that was beneath her worth. “Basically, I just felt that because I love her, and because I respect her so much as an artist, I don’t want to do anything that’s half or anything that’s less for her,” she told reporters on the red carpet, per Variety.
“I felt like some things with the production weren’t all the way there, the project wasn’t all the way there. If I’m going to do something for someone I care about so much, I have to do it the right way,” Zendaya added.
Aaliyah performs during KMEL Summer Jam at Concord Pavilion on August 9, 1997 in Concord, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)The family were also unhappy with the biopic, which was based on the book Aaliyah: Princess of R&B by former Time Magazine music editor Christopher Farley, and were hoping for more than a Lifetime film for the star.
Jomo Hankerson, Aaliyah’s cousin and president of her label Blackground Records, told the New York Daily Newsthat: “We want a major studio release along the lines of ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It,’ the Tina Turner movie."
“This needs A-list actors, A-list talent that can breathe life into what we think is a phenomenal story.” Although Jomo clarified that he had no issue with the casting and more that they felt the project was too understated.
Zendaya told The Hollywood Reporter that she tried to contact the family after being cast, but didn't feel they were receptive enough. “I tried my best to reach out to the family on my own, and I wrote a letter, but I was unable to do so,” she said. “Therefore, I felt not really morally OK with moving forward with the project.”
Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B was ultimately released in 2014 and starred Alexandra Shipp in the title role. Luckily, Zendaya leaving the controversial project proved to be a good career decision as the movie was poorly reviewed and she went on to have a huge career in Hollywood.
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