Mary J. Blige has been entertaining fans and supporters for over 30 years. She “Mary Bopped” her way into our hearts with her soulful and gut-wrenching truth within her music, taking us all along for the ride. Now in her 50s, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul has shown no signs of slowing down, stepping more into acting.
Lately, we’ve come to know and love Blige as “Monet Tejada” in Power Book II: Ghost. The singer appeared in a recent interview where she opened up about her experience and how she feels about being intimate with her co-stars. Mary J. Blige is no stranger to acting. Early in her career, the “Real Love” singer appeared as herself, or similar to herself, on shows like New York Undercover, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Moesha. However, her official debut on the big screen would be in 2001 when she starred as “Mrs. Butler” in Prison Song.
Next, Blige was cast in Tyler Perry’s 2009 film adaptation of his stage play; I Can Do Bad All By Myself, followed by 2012’s Rock Of Ages. Then, in 2013, the Grammy Award-winning singer starred alongside Academy Award-nominated actress Angela Bassett in Lifetime’s Betty & Coretta. Blige was cast as the iconic figure and wife to Malcolm X, Dr. Betty Shabazz, while Angela Bassett as the wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King.
Still juggling her demanding music career, other film works for Mary J. Blige included Black Nativity and Champs. However, the singer’s stock would soon begin to rise astronomically when in 2017, she was cast as one of the actors in the film Mudbound. Mudbound was an American historical drama film directed by Dee Rees. The movie waswas written by Rees and Virgil Williams.
Mary J. Blige’s portrayal of “Florence Jackson” in Mudbound garnered multiple accolades and nominations. Winning the Breakout Actress Award at the Hollywood Film Award, Blige saw herself inundated with recognition from the Screen Actors Guild, Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and Academy Awards. For the latter, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song, becoming the first to have done so in the Academy’s history. Since, she’s had significant roles in other films like Trolls World Tour and Respect.
Fans of Mary J. Blige were elated to know that she had been cast in a leading role on the second iteration of the Power Universe. The street smart, no-nonsense, secret carrying “Monet Tejada” has had her share of turmoil on the show, and fans can’t get enough of Blige’s ability to bring the character to life. However, while the entertainer is doing a stellar job, she’s revealed there is one thing that’s uncomfortable for her, and that’s her intimate scenes.
According to Mary J. Blige, when you see her engaging in intimate moments with her on-screen partners, Lorenzo Tejada (played by Berto Colon) or Dante “Mecca” Spears (played by Daniel Sunjata), it’s just work. “I don’t even like kissing,” revealed Mary J. Blige during a recent interview with The Morning Hustle. Blige stated that when it comes to intimacy, she does not like anything related to it, and that’s how you know she is acting.
