beyonce obsessed exclusive
|
beyonce obsessed exclusive
|
|
Full Production Notes: Fascinating Obsessed
 The object of Lisa’s obsession? Sharon’s husband, Derek Charles. Successful, respectable Derek is the embodiment of the American dream. “He’s Ivy League, he has an MBA, and he’s an asset manager,” says director Shill. “Because he looks after other peoples’ money, he has to be squeaky clean. There has to be an intense sense of propriety, because any possibility of a smear on his character could mean the end.” Unfortunately, when Derek meets Lisa, his spotless image is threatened… along with his marriage and everything else good in his life.
Actor Idris Elba was working on Screen Gems’ Prom Night when the studio told him about Obsessed. Elba couldn’t resist the role, especially when he found out whom he would be starring alongside. “Three films into my relationship with Screen Gems, and they say, ‘Want to do Obsessed? You’re going to be working with Ali Larter and Beyoncé,’” says Elba. “I was like, ‘Wow, that’s tough,’” he laughs.
Getting into the film, Elba was fascinated by the twisted, scary aspects of Lisa’s obsession with him. “It’s about the social awkwardness of the situation,” Elba says. “How do you react to that? In real life, if someone’s obsessed with you, it’s pretty scary. What does that do to your marriage, your relationships, and how you relate to other people?”
Elba describes Derek and Lisa’s initial meeting as an innocent encounter. “The first moment you see them together is in the elevator, and they end up in the elevator alone. Lisa strikes up a conversation and she drops all her papers; Derek helps her pick the papers up, but there’s no spark. It’s just, ‘Hey, she’s attractive.’ That’s it. Then she ends up being the temp that works on his desk…and then all hell breaks loose.”
Delving further into the progression of the two characters’ relationship, Elba says, “Lisa’s probably used to a lot of attention and probably had her heart broken a few times. Derek extends a caring arm for her to cry on one day, and the combination of her personality and that gesture sparks some sort of ‘Wow.’
“This guy’s married, he’s got a kid – he’s not trying to start a relationship with her,” Elba continues. “He was just being nice, and she gets obsessed with that attention. Then she gets obsessed with his dedication to his life. He has a beautiful wife, a child, a home, and she wants all of that.”
In his relationship with his wife, Elba feels like things are perfect until Derek lets his masculine attachment to being in control get the best of him. “Derek feels like he’s got it under control and it’s probably not going to amount to much,” he says. “He decides not to tell his wife.” Not telling Sharon the truth ultimately almost destroys their marriage and gives the film much of its emotional wallop. In coming onto the project, Elba was walking into a working relationship with co-star Beyoncé Knowles and he was interested in seeing what it would be like performing with such a powerhouse worldwide star. “Working with Beyoncé is definitely an experience,” he says. “The image of Beyoncé is huge. She’s an amazing talent. But when she gets on the set she’s very much an actress. She’s very dedicated to the film, to the role.
“I remember the first day we met,” Elba continues. “We had to do this photo shoot for some of the pictures in the house. It literally went, ‘Idris, this is Beyoncé. Beyoncé, this is Idris. Now you’ve met each other, we need to see you stand over there and kiss.’”
Elba had not one, but two attractive co-stars, and loved working with Ali Larter as well. “There was a time we were doing this scene and rehearsing,” he says. “There’s Ali, there’s Beyoncé, and they’re both in the room arguing over me. We’re reading the scene and it was my turn to speak and I just burst into laughter. Everyone in the room was asking, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ I just said, ‘It’s weird to see these two beautiful women arguing over me.’ It was quite surreal.”
For her part, Knowles was happy to have Elba as her costar. “Most of my leading men have been Oscar®-winning actors,” she says, “and Idris definitely will be one day. I’ve been a fan of his, and he brings out the best in my acting. In my field, music, I’m very comfortable, very confident, but this was so different for me and I still felt a little insecure. He was just wonderful, and really supportive – I’ve learned so much from Idris.”
Larter agrees with Knowles on their leading man. “I learned from him every day,” she says. “It really was a pleasure. He’s such a gentleman, and he always came in with a good attitude. We had a great time working together, finding ways to do interesting takes on things.”
 Next Page: Looking Obsessed |
Chapters
|
RSS Feeds
