Beyoncé Wants To Write & Star In Her Own Movie About A Real Life Freak Show Performer

“And the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role goes to… Beyoncé!”

They’re the words we could be hearing some day in the not-too-distant-future, because Queen Bey apparently has plans to write and star in her own feature film, based on the heartbreaking true story of Saartjie Baartman.

Baartman – more commonly known as the Hottentot Venus because of her large derrière – was a South African woman who was made to perform against her will in London freak shows during the late 1700s and early 1800s.

As MTV points out, Baartman’s life is often held up an example of the degradation, exploitation and violence inflicted on black women’s bodies throughout history.

And since her death, activists have worked to restore dignity and respect to her person, by removing her remains from display at Paris’s Musée de l’Homme, giving her a proper burial in South Africa and opening the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children – a shelter for domestic abuse victims.

So clearly, the job of portraying such a significant and troubled historic figure may be slightly more challenging than some of Bey’s prior roles.

beyonce (1)

But we’ve got no doubt that Mrs. Knowles-Carter is up to the task (she was nominated for a Golden Globe in Dream Girls, remember?)

A “source” apparently told The Sun that a big part of the singer’s motivation for penning the biopic is her ongoing quest for Oscar glory.

“Beyoncé is desperate to be taken seriously as an actress,” the aforementioned “source” apparently told the paper. “Even though she’s had a string of well-received movies, she still feels her breakthrough role is yet to come.”

The tipster continued: “She now wants to write a screenplay that gains her respect – and hopefully awards – from the film industry, and thinks Saartjie’s story could be her ticket.”

 

Watch: The Degrading of A Black Woman: The Sara Baartman Story (Hottentot Venus)

Must Read