Filed under: Interviews, Movies, Television
Last year, BV Buzz ran a story called 'Tinseltown Talk: Nia Long Lashes Out at Music Stars Who Act' that featured several quotes from Nia Long's interview with the UK magazine Pride venting about musicians who land movie roles.
This year, the glossy has an interview with actor Taye Diggs, who worked opposite Long in the movie 'The Best Man.' In the two-page Q&A, writer Joanna Abeyie asked the star of ABC's 'Private Practice' what he thought about Long's comment: "If you're a singer, not an actress, you should sing."
"Oh, Nia," Diggs lamented. "Like, what was she going to do in 'Dreamgirls?'"
The 39-year-old actor went on to explain that he doesn't have a problem with singers or rappers acting, as long as they take the craft seriou
sly."Common is doing his thing; Tyrese has really kind of made his mark in the industry. LL Cool J - sometimes people forget he didn't start out acting. The industry kind of has its own way of making sure real recognizes real," he expressed.
Diggs, who has worked alongside music artists like Queen Latifah, Mya and Toni Braxton in film and television roles over the years, added that his only issue is when filmmakers add rappers to movies just because they have a hit record out.
"When you see someone who is popular as a rapper, sometimes a director will just want a rapper in his or her movie, so that they look cool," he elaborated.
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For related stories, read: 'Malik Yoba: Acting Up & On His Own Terms'
& 'Jesse Williams: Actor Lands Full-time Gig On 'Grey's Anatomy.'