The Queen became mom in the iciest movie of the year
Queen Latifah finds herself anew on a risky journey from sub zero temperature to the sizzling heat of the dino world in the in the latest family movie “Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.”
It’s the second time Queen Latifah has played Ellie, the delightful woolly mammoth who is now married to Ray Romano’s Manny, and in this engaging film, the third in the Ice Age series, we find her pregnant. She and her husband Manny are thrilled to be starting a new family. Manny is full of trepidation, while sensible Ellie is taking everything in her stride – at least until trouble begins – trouble which threatens the little close-knit herd and their entire world.
Q: What happens to Ellie in this film?
A: “This time Ellie is pregnant which is fun and exciting, and I think it is kind of cool. The characters are entering a new world and there are so many crazy things going on. At the same time, Manny is like an obsessive father to be; he is nervous and crazy. But Ellie seems to be handling everything pretty well. She is as calm as she can be. Of course she is a bit anxious, but she is a strong mammoth.”
Q: People who work with you comment on how supportive and friendly and compassionate you are – that you have a maternal quality a bit like Ellie. Is it easy for you to relate to your character?
A: “I can totally relate to Ellie. I started my career when I was seventeen. I opened up a management company with my partner when I was nineteen; I spent a lot of time on the road. Sometimes people get sick and you have to take care of them. Their girlfriends aren’t around, their moms aren’t around and you kind of become a surrogate mom. My Mom is like the mom of our whole camp and she is very nurturing, very loving and very compassionate. I drew upon my experiences with my own mom to portray both my character in THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES and to portray Ellie in the ICE AGE movies. I injected the very person my mom is into those characters.”
Q: What is it about this third ICE AGE film that makes it really interesting?
A: “One of the cool things is that in this film we are in a whole new world. There are dinosaurs, which is strange for this group; it’s a warm world, very different from their cold world. But overall this new world is exciting and strange and they have to figure out how to make their way without getting eaten by a dinosaur.”
Q: Is it fun for you and exciting making a film like this?
A: “It’s definitely hard work but as it moves along it becomes more fun because you see it come to life. I enjoy seeing the scenes go from the rudimentary pencil type cartoons and watching how the film develops with color and movement and animation, and I like getting to watch the scenes and hearing the sound effects and the way they bring these creatures to life. It is amazing. As you start to see all that, it gets more and more exciting. It is a very long process though.”
Q: You are so inspiring. Do you see yourself as a role model? Is that a responsibility?
A: “I think the most important thing for me in terms of personal responsibility is to be true to myself and continue to do that at all times. God has blessed me to be in this position and has guided me all along the way. I was in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. I was at the airport and the limo driver told me about his 12 year-old daughter who wanted to be a singer and had a beautiful voice but her class mates were teasing her about her body. They said ‘you are too fat to be a singer’. And she saw me perform on TV and I inspired her to sing again. She saw me and my appearance and my success and the great job I did. This was a 12 year-old kid whose dream had been halted by negative comments but she saw me out there in my full body, delivering a knockout performance and it made her believe that she could become successful too. And that is something her father couldn’t give to her and her classmates didn’t give to her. I gave it to her and that really meant something to me. I have heard a lot of those kinds of stories and they inspire me to keep going and keep being myself.”
Queen Latifah is an accomplished and immensely popular musician, television and film actress. She is also an author and entrepreneur. Her first film was “Jungle Fever.” She also appeared in many hit movies including “Set It Off,” “The Bone Collector,” “Bringing Down the House,” “Mad Money,” “Beauty Shop,” “The Last Holiday,” “Hairspray,” “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Stranger than Fiction.”
She became the first hip-hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was nominated for an Oscar for her memorable role as Mama Morton in CHICAGO. In 2007, Queen Latifah released her album Trav’lin Light that led to a Grammy nomination. With her partner, Queen Latifah owns a production company, Flavor Unit Entertainment. She has also written a book on self-esteem, “Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman.”
A 20th Century Fox offering – “Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” opens July 3 in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Naga, Tacloban, GenSan, Baguio, Batangas, Lucena and Tagbilaran.
“Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” will also be available in 3-D Digital in Trinoma, Gateway, Robinson’s Galleria, The Block and Mall of Asia cinemas.