When history is written about the best musicians to ever live, Beyoncé’s name will never be too far from the conversation. Other than Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor Georg Solti, no one else has won as many Grammy Awards as the Queen B’s 28, who — at the age of 41 — is showing no signs of slowing down, either.Beyoncé has dedicated most of her life to music, but has also shown enough prowess on screen to suggest that with more time and energy, she could have perhaps been just as great an actress. She made her acting debut in 2001 in the MTV television film Carmen: A Hip Hopera.Since then, she has starred in a handful other big screen productions, including Pink Panther, The Lion King remake of 2019, and the 2006 musical Dreamgirls alongside the likes of Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson. Beyoncé has also directed a number of films over the years, among them Life Is But a Dream, Homecoming and Black is King.Beyoncé famously said no to starring in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, as well as Beauty and the Beast for different reasons. They are not the only films whose producers wanted her only to miss out.
Beyoncé Was Supposed To Star In A Star Is Born
For decades, plans had been brewing in Hollywood to remake the classic romantic drama film of 1937 titled A Star Is Born. Top names like Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Aaliyah were at different points rumored to be in the running to play the leading female role in the potential production.
The story of A Star Is Born would follow a struggling but experienced male musician, who discovers and falls in love with a young and talented female singer. As all the talk about the reboot film started to crystallize into actual plans, it was announced in 2011 that Beyoncé would be playing the role of the budding musician.
At the same time, it was disclosed that Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood had also been attached to the project, as director. In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, producer Bill Gerber spoke about the prospect of those two stars working together. “I’m sitting there thinking, ‘I’m watching something historic about to happen,’” he said. “[But] then it didn’t… It’s just the movie business.”
Will Smith Was Also Considered For A Star Is Born
Throughout the decades of speculation over the A Star Is Born remake, there weren’t half as many male actors linked with the leading role as there were female ones. Nonetheless, there were strong hints about one or two along the way. Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp were all sought out to take on the character of the out-of-flavor singer.
As far back as the turn of the century, however, Men in Black star Will Smith was already being strongly linked with the job. Jamie Foxx and filmmaker Oliver Stone had taken a keen interest in working on the remake themselves, and were reportedly at the front of the queue pushing to add the signature of Smith for the project.
In the end, none of these plans came to fruition, with Beyoncé, Smith and even Clint Eastwood all dropping from the production. MCU star Bradley Cooper took over one of the two leading roles, as well as directorial duties from Eastwood. From that position, he also rubber stamped the addition of Lady Gaga as the second main star alongside him. From a budget of around $35 million, A Star Is Born eventually grossed $436 million at the box office.
Why Did Beyoncé And Will Smith Drop Out Of A Star Is Born?
The timing of Beyoncé and Will Smith’s intended cameos in A Star Is Born did not align, with the Drunk in Love singer having come into consideration much later than the Independence Day actor.
Around the time of the announcement of Beyoncé and Clint Eastwood’s involvement in the film, the musician suffered a miscarriage. In her 2013 biographical documentary Life is But a Dream, she described the experience as “the saddest thing I've ever been through.” In August 2011, however, she announced that she was pregnant again.
In January the following year, her daughter with husband Jay-Z — Blue Ivy — was born. While all this was unfolding, plans for the production of A Star Is Born had been pushed back, and Beyoncé decided to walk away from the project. Things were not quite as dramatic for Smith, who only dropped out as a result of scheduling conflicts.
When the actor was first in the running for the project, he was instead drawn away to star in the biographical drama film Ali. A second round of talks about a decade-and-a-half later yielded no fruits, either, with Bradley Cooper winning a hotly contested race.