Robert Townsend recently opened up about witnessing Beyoncé’s undeniable spark during her very first audition for the MTV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera. Speaking with Lena Waithe on Legacy Talk, the filmmaker remembered how the young star stood out immediately.
“I didn’t know Beyoncé […] I knew of her and I was like, ‘Wow, she has a striking look.’ You know, she’s a beautiful, young girl, but I could see that she had something special. ‘Cause [with] my director eyes, I go, ‘Something’s going on with her. She’s got something,’” Townsend recalled. He believed she was perfect for the role of Carmen Brown, but the studio still insisted that she audition.
Townsend shared that although it was her very first audition, Beyoncé’s nerves were clear. To help her ease into the moment, he leaned on his unique approach as a director. “I have an arsenal when it comes to getting performance or making somebody comfortable,” he said, explaining how he asked her bodyguard and the label executive who had come with her to step into the scene as well.
What happened next showed Townsend exactly why Beyoncé was different. “They started to sweat and really get nervous and then she was watching them get nervous and she got stronger. I said, ‘Oh, there it is.’”
That moment unlocked her performance, and Beyoncé embraced it fully. Townsend remembered how eager she was, saying she wanted to run the scene multiple times and even asked to perform the “death scene.” For those who may not recall, her character in the film meets a tragic end.
Looking back, Townsend said he saw Beyoncé “blossom” right in front of him. What started as a nerve-racking first audition became the launch of her acting career and another early sign of the star power that would eventually take her to global icon status.