Mary J. Blige Speaks On What She Refused To Do For Role On Power Book II: Ghost

Mary J. Blige resumes reign over the Tejada Drug Organization in her role as Monet Tejada in season two of Power Book 2 the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul opened up about what really differentiates her from her fictional character—and it’s all about the hair. I didn’t want blond hair, because that’s my s**t,” asserted the Starz actress in a new interview with InStyle magazine.

The nine-time Grammy Award winner has been setting hair trends since the beginning of her nearly 30-year-long career, and there’s no denying that her preferred hue of choice. So, when deciding on Monet’s image, it was Blige who came up with the queen pin’s sleek and symbolic red locks.

Instead of giving her a bang and covering her face, I want people to see her expressions like, ‘I’m not hiding, don’t f**k … excuse me, don’t play with me.’ And the red is a sign of fire,” she explained to the outlet.

And while the “Real Love” songstress can easily incorporate her character’s criminal persona into her personal fashion and style ”Sometimes I feel like looking like a drug dealer, sometimes I feel like a classy lady” Blige confessed that embodying Monet’s gritty edge for the small screen was much more challenging.

Despite an impressive acting resume that includes guest appearances on TV shows like How to Get Away with Murder, Black-ish, and Empire–in addition to leading roles in films like Betty and Coretta alongside Angela Bassett and her, the native New Yorker admitted to InStyle, “I was not always super secure with my acting ability.

Blige compared acting to performing in concert for a live audience and confessed that the absence of crowd interaction and affirmation forced her to “push past the fear.

There’s nobody clapping, nobody screaming, just a cold camera,” she explained. “So I had to keep pushing, pushing, pushing.” But by the close of the first season of Power Book II: Ghost, “I was like, ‘Monet—boom,'” she gushed with a proud grin.

Ever the survivor, nowadays the Strength Of A Woman artist has much to smile about. Following her highly publicized and tumultuous divorce after 12 years of marriage, Blige shared, “I don’t hate myself anymore. I’m stronger now.

SOURCE