Janelle Monáe (Moonlight, Hidden Figures)
On Leaving the Music Studio to Make Moonlight
“A lot of people don’t know, but I studied drama. I went to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, fresh out of high school. I grew up doing international thespian and monologue competitions. It was music and acting my entire childhood, but Moonlight took me out of the studio. I was sent lots of scripts, but it was this script in particular, Barry’s script, that pulled me away from working on my follow-up album to The Electric Lady. I remember being on tour, and riding Delta in seat 3B, reading that script and just being in tears. I was so moved. I had a strong, visceral reaction to each page, and I knew that this was a project that I needed to be a part of. I saw so much of the messages that I had in my music in this storyline. It was about highlighting the stories of the other, that person that often times is marginalized and discriminated against because of their sexual identity, or their race or their gender. So I knew that some young boy or girl needed to see this movie, and needed to feel not alone anymore after seeing it.”
On Being an Artist with Different Tools of Expression
“I’ve always considered myself not to be just a singer or an actor, but more so an artist and a storyteller. I want to continue to tell universal, unique, untold stories in unconventional ways. That’s my motto that I live by. One of the things that I love about being an artist is you can use different tools. You can use music to tell stories. When you think about David Bowie, he had Ziggy Stardust. He was a character. He did concept albums. A lot of my work has been rooted in strong concept albums. When I’m thinking about them, I’m always thinking cinematically, I’m always thinking about the characters. It’s all a part of being an artist. I just love getting immersed in these characters.”
On How Working with Barry Jenkins Prepared Her for Hidden Figures
“I want to give a special shout out to Barry Jenkins for allowing me to have Moonlight as my first film. It was his belief in me that really gave me that extra confidence to go and do Hidden Figures. He has such a big heart, offstage and onstage. I remember going on set and being so nervous, but once I had met him, I was relaxed. He said to me, ‘You know, Janelle, there’s no such thing as making a mistake. As long as you are truthful and honest in the way you respond, every way you choose is the right way.’ That confidence and those words have stuck with me.”
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