Pop singer Beyonce reportedly turned down the role as The Wiz in NBC’s The Wiz Live! Queen Latifah was offered the role as The Wiz — but only after Beyonce turned it down.
Apparently Beyonce was only interested in the role as 17-year-old Dorothy, but that role went to Shanice Williams, who not lonely looks 17 but she can sing, too.
Hip Hop Wired — Beyonce is getting her act together. “She wants to land leading roles in movies and has been taking classes in New York and L.A. for the past year,” an insider reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly.
And the 34-year-old, who earned a Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe nod for 2006’s Dreamgirls, is moving past musicals. “Bey’s looking for an iconic dramatic role,” adds the source, who notes she turned down NBC’s The Wiz Live! “She wants to make a film that’s socially relevant to African American rights.”
