“I wanted to see if I could expand my range and depth as an actress,” Brandy tells theGrio in an exclusive interview about the film.
In her latest role, Brandy must face her fears.
The 45-year-old music legend plays the role of professor and wife Belinda in the psychological horror film “The Front Room”, who is expecting her second child after a stillbirth. When Belinda’s mother-in-law Solange (Kathryn Hunter) moves in with Belinda and her husband (Andrew Burnap), strange things happen at home that force the couple to make unexpected decisions.
Brandy has appeared in horror films before (“I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”), but “The Front Room” represents a new challenge for the singer and actress. The “Almost Doesn’t Count” singer tells theGrio in an exclusive interview that she took the role in part because it “scared the hell out of me.”
“That’s one of the things that attracted me to Belinda,” says Brandy. “The role was so different from anything I’d ever done, and I wanted to see if I could pull it off. I wanted to see if I could expand my range and my depth as an actress and see what could happen working with Kathryn Hunter, Andrew Burnap and (directors) Sam and Max Eggers.”
“It was a great environment, a great atmosphere for me where I was safe and free enough to try,” she adds.
Brandy does more than just “try” in the film. She shines in every scene she’s in, authentically portraying fear, anger, confusion, hope and broader emotions. The “Full Moon” singer’s character is pregnant for most of the film, an experience that Brandy says is new but also familiar. The actress’ real-life daughter, Sy’rai Iman Smith, is 22, but Brandy remembers what it was like to carry her all those years ago.
“That belly (in the film) made me think of when I was 23 and pregnant and had my first baby,” Brandy says. “It was beautiful. I loved being pregnant. It was a beautiful experience. But it felt like I was just pregnant the whole film, right?”
“My belly didn’t even get smaller when I wasn’t pregnant,” Brandy adds with a laugh.
The actress worked closely with her co-star Hunter in the film, as Hunter’s Solange takes a special interest in Belinda’s pregnancy. Brandy tells theGrio that their connection developed naturally on set because of the script.
“Well, it’s all in the lyrics. I think the lyrics were brilliant. They helped us realise what we should do and how we should do it,” says Brandy. “We were very close to Sam and Max, who kept an eye on us and helped us with everything.”
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Brandy adds that she and Hunter “had a special connection when the cameras were off.”
“I was able to get to know her on a different level and try things and respond to things that she would naturally do because I just felt safe doing it with her,” says the singer.
“The Front Room” will be in theaters on September 6th.
