Normani felt “no fear” when she made her film debut in Freaky Tales.
The Motivation singer plays the character Entice alongside the likes of Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn and Jay Ellis in the drama, which tells four interconnected stories that take place at real locations and during real historical events in Oakland, California in 1987.
While the former Fifth Harmony star was new to acting, she didn’t feel too nervous because she was ready to pursue a new creative outlet.
“It was such a refreshing experience for me, especially since a lot of my time and my heart had been dedicated to music for so long,” she told ELLE. “I felt like I was able to be creative in a different way. There was no fear going into it. Obviously slight nerves, because this was a new environment for me, but that’s what I loved about it most: that I could just start from scratch, like clean slate, blank canvas.”
Normani spent a lot of time working with Dominique Thorne, best known for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and she learned a lot from her co-star.
“I won’t ever stop being a student, so I asked her questions – she was telling me what I was doing well and just encouraging me to be present,” the 28-year-old shared.
Reflecting on the “really dope” experience as a whole, the singer added, “It went by fast and slow all in the same breath. I was curious to see how they were going to put all of the different parts together, and they did a beautiful job.”
Freaky Tales, directed by Captain Marvel filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
It does not yet have a release date.
