If you ever thought only us mere mortals would be nervous about meeting with much less working with Beyonce, who is unarguably one of the biggest entertainment stars today, then you are dead wrong.
Even stars – erase that – superstars in their own right, quiver at the notion of meeting with the Formation singer. We know that from the interviews some of the cast of the The Lion King has so far granted.
Donald Glover requested not to record in the same room as Beyoncé
In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Donald Glover, who voices Simba, discussed working with Beyoncé. He said he requested to record his voice separate from Beyoncé because it was less intimidating.
Later, he explained, he invited his son to see the movie.
“I was like, ‘You want to go see The Lion King?’ You know, just to see if he might notice my voice,” Glover said. “And he was like, ‘Oh, sure. Beyonce’s in it, right?’ And I was like, ‘How do you know that? But also Daddy’s in it.’ I’m in it, too.”
According to Glover, he wasn’t sure how his son found out Beyoncé was in the The Lion King, especially considering he doesn’t watch television or movies often.“I’m just saying, Beyonce has people who haven’t even seen television loving her,” he says.
Seth Rogen is thrilled to be photographed with Beyonce
The actor who plays Pumbaa, Seth Rogen, is also a fan of Beyoncé. A few days before the premiere, Seth Rogen tweeted a picture of the cast, writing: “I’m thrilled to be a part of this cast and to be in a picture with Beyoncé.”
In fact, during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live, Seth Rogen said that Beyoncé got a standing ovation ‘for just existing’ at Disney’s The Lion King premiere.
I’m thrilled to be a part of this cast and to be in a picture with Beyoncé. #TheLionKing is coming! pic.twitter.com/jUuyQ6YtV7
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) July 8, 2019
“Her mere presence was a reason to stand and go crazy, and I totally got it. I was like, yeah we should be celebrating, we made it, we’re all in a room with Beyoncé,” Rogen says.
Eric Andre was nervous to meet Beyoncé
Comedian Eric Andre portrays one of the hyenas in this adaptation of The Lion King. In an interview before the film’s premiere, Andre explained that he was nervous to meet Beyoncé, as he didn’t meet her while he recorded for his role.
“I already know I’m going to blow it if I see her,” André says. “I’m scared of her. I feel like she’s just going to float by and birds are going to land on her shoulders.”
Director Jon Favreau calls Beyoncé ‘nice,’ and ‘gracious’
Jon Favreau, the director of The Lion King, stated that he had no personal connection to Beyoncé before creating the film. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Favreau said he took his daughters to meet Beyoncé after attending one of her concerts.
“We finally went to see her at the Rose Bowl and we met her afterwards,” says Jon Favreau. “Which was a good lesson for the kids because they see her bigger than life on stage with all the costumes and the lights and she puts on a great show. And then you meet her afterwards and it’s like a normal human who is polite and just all of the persona of the stage presence goes away.”
Disney’s The Lion King premieres in cinemas on 19 July 2019.
Showbiz CheatSheet
